John Parnell, of Vauxhall, can be seen most days underneath the Portobello Rd shed at low tide, working on its piles.
The piles needed to be in top condition to gain the engineer’s structural certificate required by the boat shed’s resource consent.
The work was limited to when the tide was low and no more than an hour of work was possible most days.
Mr Parnell said the renovation had been a marvellous project, and motivation had come from the shed’s prominent location.
‘‘It’s the first boat shed you see when you turn the corner and start driving down the peninsula and it didn’t look very pretty at one point in time — it was a bit of a wreck.
‘‘I wanted to do something to make it look nice so that everyone who drives down the peninsula has a pleasant experience.’’
He had received a lot of positive feedback from passersby, and said ‘‘during Covid I think I’ve got to know just about every dog that walks past’’.
The project also fitted well with Mr Parnell’s lifelong involvement in rowing.
‘‘It’s a good fit with my interests in the water, my recreational interest, the sporting interest and it keeps me in touch with the harbour.’’
