Case Study: Eliot Sinclair achieves rapid Kaikoura marina reopening after a 7.8 earthquake with Trimble surveying solutions

Surveying the Damage after a 7.8 Earthquake

Eliot Sinclair, a leading surveying, engineering and planning firm from Christchurch, was called in after the November 2016 M7.8 earthquake that caused significant seabed uplift and damage to Kaikōura’s coastal roads and marina. With the main highway impassable, restricted access windows and tidal constraints, the team needed to quickly reestablish control and survey both land and seabed to plan urgent remedial work.

Eliot Sinclair combined Trimble R8 GNSS receivers, the SX10 scanning total station, single-beam echo sounders on two vessels, tide gauges, drone imagery and Trimble processing software to re-benchmark chart datum and capture high‑confidence land and marine data within tight tidal windows. The SX10’s dual high‑accuracy and scanning capabilities sped data collection and provided redundancy against SBES measurements; the resulting comprehensive dataset enabled rapid planning and monitoring, helping the marina reopen and supporting the region’s fishing and tourism recovery.

Eliot Sinclair