Queens Wharf Party Central - Still a Good Idea!

So here we have Queens Wharf, as she looks today. But as of April this year, she will be in the hands of Auckland Regional Council and Central Government. The dust is settling after the big cruise ship option 4 was set aside by the Auckland Region's 7 mayors at the Mayoral Forum last Friday. What to do now?

This is Option 2. As you can see this is a low cost clean up of Queens Wharf so it can serve the function as Party Central. Without doing anything permanent to any of the structures.

And this is Option 3. Slightly more expensive. But the same principle. And it appears to have the capacity of enabling a cruise ship to berth there, serving as overflow accommodation for rugby fans during the Rugby World Cup. Looks pretty good. Will not let Auckland down. Either of these options would serve the purpose.

But there is a hiccup. There is a confusion. A reaction to Friday's mayoral decision has been that the whole Party Central idea should be canned as well. Bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.... Auckland will love hosting a Party Central. We did it during the America's Cup. Here's a picture of how they hosted America's Cup Party Central in Valencia: The Woolshed. People could shelter from direct sunshine, or rain, or wind - but there was plenty of air blowing through...

This facility worked really well in Valencia. People loved it. It will work well on Queens Wharf too. Big screens strategically placed. Some areas had seating, others a bit more casual. Needs to be good for families, for young people wanting a good time, for older people too. A people's place...

Lots of people will actually go to rugby matches (unlike the yachting where it's hard for people to get out there and watch a race - TV is better for most). But with seat tickets going for a King's Ransom for NZ's Rugby World Cup, and with matches happening all over the country, a lot of Aucklanders will be watching TV screens, just as they watched yachting in Valencia....

And it's quite fun to do that in a big group, especially when there are fans around from other countries doing the same - in the same space. So far, it is planned that surplus Rugby fan accommodation will be provided by a Cruise Ship moored at Queens Wharf. This will provide a critical mass of rugby fans, rights on the spot - could a be a few thousand - the Queens Wharf shed(s) could become their TV viewing room. Places where they can invite NZ guests, places where Aucklanders can go to enjoy the fun too. Because Queens Wharf will be very busy place with the comings and goings of fans and their friends and guests.

We need to get with the action on this, and use the opportunity that the Queens Wharf sheds provide. We could do a lot worse than copy the Valencia example. Party Central on Queens Wharf is the right idea. And it serves another very important purpose...

Have you been on Queens Wharf yet? Have you been inside the Sheds? Have you experienced the views? Hardly anybody has. Would you renovate the house you just bought before you've lived in it for a while. Not likely! Same goes for Queens Wharf. Auckland needs to live on it for a while. Auckland needs to feel what it's like to have Queens Wharf for public uses. We need to experiment. Before we do anything permament down there.

I've been lucky enough to have a walk-over. Before I did I thought we should bowl the sheds. But then I went into them.... This is the cast iron footing for one of the ceiling/1st floor supports....

And this gives an idea of the underside of the 1st floor. This picture gives no idea of size, but I reckon the joist timbers are around 50x20 cms. That's a very hefty joist.

And this picture shows a close up of the floor timbers. They look about the cross section of railway sleepers, and are coach-nailed into the joists. It was like walking on concrete. You had no idea it was a floor with a big open space below...

This long character-filled space was evocative of all the work that has gone on in there for almost a century. Apparently a lot of the work was about wool bales. Our own wool shed. Even with just a few sky-lights on a grey day the light was great...

Apparently the roof trusses, and probably quite a lot more of the original stucture, was floated out here from Britain complete. Just needed bolting together...

Party Central on Queens Wharf is a good idea. Kills lots of birds with one stone. Has many, many benefits for Auckland and for Aucklanders. Let alone the Rugby World Cup event.