Sumpter Wharf inspected

The 1884 Sumpter Wharf in Oamaru Harbour, home to the world’s largest colony of Otago shags, has been inspected by Bluff-based Bay Underwater Services NZ, the Waitaki District Council has confirmed.

Council assets group manager Neil Jorgensen said on Friday the construction crew stabilising piles under Holmes Wharf had also inspected Sumpter Wharf .

"Nothing at this stage to report," he said in an email. "We are currently focusing on Holmes."

Sumpter Wharf was closed to traffic in 2004. In 2014, Otago’s only endemic seabird, the Otago shag, began nesting on the 200m-long wharf.

It has since become home to the largest colony of the species, an estimated 650 nests — a 58% increase from last year and an estimated 40% to 50% of the entire species.

In July last year, the council approved a $35,000 budget for a dedicated viewing area.