Story: Engineering on the sea floor

The most common types of sea-floor engineering in New Zealand are harbour protection works and the reclamation of land from the sea. Many cities such as Timaru and Ōamaru lacked natural ports, and breakwaters were built to protect coastal shipping and fishing fleets from rough seas. This photograph shows how the breakwater at Caroline Bay, Timaru, was constructed – huge concrete blocks were stacked on the shallow sea floor.