Works on Tauranga's waterfront project are underway with Mayor Stuart Crosby turning the first sod from the high seat of a digger.

It was a pro-forma sod turning, with Stuart quipping that he would like to have dug the hole a little deeper – to bury 30 years of plans of previous waterfront projects.

Mayor Stuart Crosby breaks ground on the waterfront walkway.

The first stage, which involves a 5m wide brushed concrete walkway from Dive Crescent to a point opposite Wharf Street, is expected to be completed by Easter.

The shoreward side of the walkway will also include a grass strip of similar width between the walkway and the car park.

Eventually the walkway is planned to continue past the Edgewater Fan on The Strand to the harbour side board walk.

The latter stages of the project are going out for public consultation with the Tauranga City Council's Ten Year Plan.

Stuart Crosby says a final decision is expected to be made by the council in May or June.

The project underway is more modest than the multimillion dollar waterfront rebuild the council succeeded in obtaining resource consent for, but Stuart says 'It's a start”.

He hopes once completed the rebuild will entice people back to the central city, something he says the council is aware it needs to achieve.

'When we allowed shopping centres in the suburbs we knew it would have a negative impact,” says Stuart.

'It is a major step. It's always been the way, as a city we have turned our backs on our greatest asset – the waterfront.”

An artist's impression of the completed walkway.