Don't Blame Fullers!

Those who blame Fullers for queues and delays at each end of the Devonport/CBD ferry service during the big Rugby World Cup Party celebrations a couple of Fridays ago, make the same mistake as those who blame Veolia for what happened to the train services. As newspaper reports have gradually peeled layers off the onion of that rather public Auckland failure, it has become clear that while institutional eyes were firmly on the ball of a game of rugby at Eden Park, those same eyes were off the ball of a very large fireworks party on Auckland's waterfront.

Some say: "we were victims of our own success", others admit: "there was a collective failure of planning". And so many individuals claiming to have guessed the numbers of people who would flock to the waterfront, issuing email trails to the media, remembering who said what at meetings. As if it really matters....

It was a collective failure of planning, but it was also the predictable result of the failures that occur with peak travel demand. It's what almost happens every morning and every night on Auckland's motorway system. It gets almost grid-locked because its ability to cope with demand is almost at its peak.

When demand moves a bit past that peak - such as what happens to motorway systems out of Auckland - North and South - when there's a long weekend and the weather forecast is fantastic - then we see gridlock. Nobody goes anywhere for a long time.

At those times demand needs to be managed. And it's not by suddenly supplying a whole bunch of new motorway capacity.

Just as it's just not possible for Veolia or Fullers to suddenly build a whole lot of new trains and new stations to meet a sudden surge in demand. So don't blame them for not meeting the demand. Sure they can do a better job - provided they are paid to and it's part of the contract - in terms of putting guards in train carriages, and increasing service frequencies - subject to stations also coping with increased service loads, and subject to there being extra rolling or floating stock.

I well remember other times when Devonport Ferry service has been criticised. One time was a very popular Auckland Marathon event which started at Devonport's Windsor Park. Around 250 athletes didn't make the start because they were stranded in Auckland ferry terminal. Even though athletes had to register in advance, so numbers were known, organisers had failed to communicate this information to the ferry operators or to ARTA (who then funded Fullers to provide the service). At the time local voices criticised Fullers, but Fullers did their best on the morning.... It wasn't their fault...

Planning is everything when it comes to managing crowds at events.

200,000 people plus attend Christmas events and others of similar size on the Domain. They come from far and wide. But they come. Those events last a good long time. Some might have a fireworks display but it's just a part of a several hours of entertainment, and people come gradually, throughout the evening, and some go before the big bang. Still had a good time.

Those in charge of Rugby World Cup festivities in Auckland made the mistake of emphasising one specific event which required people to be at the waterfront at a very specific time. This was the fireworks display. 15 minutes. And it was heavily promoted. It was a beautiful night. Everyone came. They demanded transport. Demand exceeded peak. Gridlock. Q.E.D.

There are adaptive fanzones all over Auckland now. We see some of them in the media. Like the bars and restaurants in Kingsland. There are other opportunities. Like Queen Street. Like Aotea Square. Where fun can be spread out. In time and space.

We can learn from what happened by not planning for a repeat performance. A repeat performance is almost guaranteed if the powers that be decide there will be a fireworks display at the end of the RWC tournament that you can only see from the Waterfront, and that you see best from the VIP platform at the end of Queens Wharf.

Dignatories will have a great time. Might even think of getting there by helicopter or by boat to avoid the crowds. Imagine that. Private ferry service.

But everyone else who wants to come to the party must take a risk and plunge into the CBD at the Waterfront (fit young things and tough old things), while everyone else stays at home and watches TV (families, mum and dad, older people....the majority).

Spread the love guys. Plan for a party across Auckland.

Queens Wharf on Sunday

Went across to Party Central for the Samoa v Wales game on Sunday. Took the ferry. Half full I guess on the 3:15 crossing for a 3:30 game start. Queens Wharf looked pretty sparse. But the queue was at least 400 metres long - fairly off-putting - but it was moving at a slow walking pace. With all those barriers and channels you did feel a bit like lambs entering a freezing works. Surely there could be more than one entry gate. Anyway. Once inside went to the big crystal clear screens of The Cloud. Quite a small crowd in there - but it's hard to get in front of the screen once there's a few people there sitting on the floor. Which we did. Man, hard as. And cold as. Cold bum territory.

The kids and mums and dads sat on the floor. The lucky ones could sit on the low walls at the back. I guess it's a standing room only sort of place, but for a lot of the time, people will want to sit... We stayed there till half time, but not before...

...there had been some excitement on the big screen and everyone liked that the cheering and flag waving was great...

Halftime food was called for. I really wanted an icecream but couldn't find one. Plenty of chips and donuts to be had though... everybody was there.... not all of them happy...

This lot were though. Halftime and Samoa were in the lead. Time for family snaps...

Time to meet up and get together...

That's right...

Shed 10 is hard to beat. Went there for second half. That roof has character. Glows with it. And it feels warm somehow.

Game almost on. A good feeling. Despite being chilly outside. Southerly change...

Social down this end of Shed 10.

English fans were supporting Wales. Bit of face-painting. Samoans had really gone to town...

Not so cheery now though. Wales had turned the game around. We decided to head for the ferry. In case there was a mass exit. Was pretty civilised though...

Till the next game.

Waterfront Big Day Out

Photo essay of the big day before a big night. This is the Waka Prow carving that greets you on Te Whero Island, heading toward Wynyard Quarter on Auckland's waterfront. I took my bike there yesterday - just after lunch - Friday 9th September. Day of the Rugby World Cup opening party. You couldn't have wished for better weather... Had to dismount going over the bridge. Already getting congested...

This view of the kids playing in the water at the bottom of the steps was a delight. Safe splashing and jumping. parents sitting behind. Picnic lunches. Fantastic.

This waterfront promenade - from the central wharves, past the ferry terminal, beside Quay Street, through the Viaduct area, Te Whero, over the bridge, and down into Jellicoe Park is a wonderful waterfront asset for Auckland. For all of Auckland.

I quite liked the look and interest of the tankfarm from the gantry. Began to see some potential. One or two cities around the world have transformed these areas into places of art. (See for example: Ballast Point Park - Walama - Sydney, which was the site of fuel storage tanks. One or two were retained.... There are others...)

The grand silo. An opportunity awaiting ideas and innovation. A gatepost to the North Western end of Jellicoe Park. Where I think some great views are available toward the Harbour Bridge. But these are mostly blocked (by the huge boat moored at the wharf there, and also by the lift shaft at that end of the public gantry.)

These casually placed blocks are great seats. Boy and Seagull. I like this photo. Click it to see it big. Give it space to breath on your screen.

The six pack silos. Now that's going to make a great viewing platform. What else is in store...

This is the end of the Wynyard Quarter where there is still some serious marine work going on. Part of the working wharf experience. But it's hard to see. From the gantry I managed to squeeze this one off. The idea of being able to get up close and dirty is a good one. People want to be able to see what's going on. From a safe distance of course...

This is the view I was talking about. But it's hard to find. It's special around sunset. Framed by the bridge. I know it's the coat-hanger to us locals, but to visitors it often means much more. Give it some space. This is a viewline or view corridor that deserves protection. Think about that Auckland Council. The Kestrel doesn't get in the way - but the large ship behind it certainly does.

Back down the promenade toward Viaduct and Queens Wharf. The Marine Event Centre on the left always seems to draw people - just as the NetShed and North Wharf does. Great people places and spaces to sit and just watch the world go by...

I love it when streets get pedestrianised. For a while people stick to the footpaths. Then gradually spill onto the street. One of the big screens is in the background - spreads right across Quay Street (Note the bedraggled "A" logos...? I think we need to revert to "City of Sails" - memorable, stood the test of time, nothing else has come close, no other city has adopted it - that I know of.). Getting ready for game time and anything else that might hit those big screens...

Everybody was coming out. This was not just a day for international visitors to Auckland. This was a day when Aucklanders visited Auckland. They finally have a place to come to. The waterfront is finally, beginning to meet that latent demand. Love it. Embrace it. Don't pretend it doesn't exist when you next think of commercialising Queens Wharf for cruise ships...

That brings me inside Shed 10. I've been longing to see what's inside. Well kept secret. It was already full by the time I got there about 3:30pm. Had my first Heineken. 300 ml in a plastic cup set me back $7.50. Expensive. I thought a tad too expensive actually. Is that how powers that be plan to claw back a return on this investment?

The informality of the place feels good. A bit like the old booze barn feel of New Zealand pubs in the bad old days. Very good social space design though. Not a place for kids. Didn't like the MasterCard sponsored area much. In the best place too...

The games are a bit of fun. Novelty will remain as new visitors pour through. I like the doors opening out onto the central area framed by the Cloud and Shed 10, but it's sad to have such limited access to the sea, the edge of the wharf, and sea views. Shed 10 is introverted in its adaptation and makes the same mistake in design as the Devonport Wharf building. Too inward looking. Dosen't need to be that way.

The area between Shed 10 and The Cloud is popular for sitting, chilling and meeting and greeting. (The Cloud's that white shape to the right by the way... I didn't Tipex it out... honest... a picture coming up...)

There were heaps of kiwis down here. They'd had to queue for a long time to get in. Spacious. Room to move. Room to think. Click to enjoy.

By the way - you can click any of these photos to see a bigger view. These little images don't really do justice to my pics. Like this one. Lots of great detail. Go on. Have a closer look. That's the Cloud in the background...

After I'd had another Heineken, it was time to get a bit closer and see who else was on Queens Wharf...

There were some very elegant visitors. Yes sir. Ready for a party these two dudes.

This one may have been experiencing the frustration of mobile phone system overload. It wasn't just the trains that ground to a halt on the Waterfront... everyone out to play...

Some very relaxed. By the way. When you are on Queens Wharf you realise what a cultural melting pot Auckland really is. When something happens on Queens Wharf, downtown, that attracts Auckland's different groups. They come to town. Take for example, when the Chinese Warships came to Auckland.

Everyone came for a look. Bit like what happened when Wynyard Quarter opened first.

They came to party.

They came to meet up with mates.

They came to watch the rugby on Queens Wharf. (Click for a nice face paint job.)

They went to a lot of trouble.

These two were looking for trouble. Or looked like trouble looking for trouble.

Someone said to me, "I didn't know there were so many Tongans living in Auckland...." Man oh man. We don't see our Tongan population in Auckland Central much because we don't prioritise their needs. We talk about vibrant pacific culture in the words in our visions, but we don't match those words with actions on the streets. Queens Wharf and Party Central should give us a few ideas. (Auckland's Tongan population is about 40,000 people, Samoan 100,000)

These guys are heartland Auckland.

These guys? Well. Out for a good night I'd say. Come to the right place. Bugger the phones...

These guys come to the right place too.

This is inside the Kea. Devonport Ferry. I think I might have been on the last trip before they had to stop the ferries because there were too many people crammed into the terminal. People couldn't get off the ferries, which meant people couldn't get on. A few lessons about crowd control needed here.

This is the pic I promised of the Cloud. I think it worked OK for its purpose - to house those fantastic big screens which you can see here through the plastic walls. This edge of Queens Wharf was one of the few places where you could actually see the waterfront. Hemmed in though like chickens behind a prisoner of war camp like wire fence. Nothing like that around Princes Wharf. Well not yet. I guess everyone's being safety conscious. Maybe it's for when the cruise ships come. Then Queens Wharf might be a bit hemmed in.

The ferry rounds the corner at the end of Queens Wharf and we head for home. It was a great day out. Sun setting. Time to go home and watch the fireworks from Devonport. Quite a few on the ferry had come from South Auckland (I talked to two women from Waiuku, came all the way up in the train, caught the ferry, to see the fireworks. They'd figured they'd not see them from Quay Street because it was too crowded!) Auckland's waterfront has never been better. Great public attractions and places and spaces. It's brought Auckland into town. This is what cities are for, and what cities are about.

Buggers Muddle on Queens Wharf

It's hard not to be a bit cynical about what's happening, or not happening, or planned, or not planned down at Queens Wharf. But it's good to see the Herald coming out strongly in support of the original Party Central idea.

I have been closely interested in the development of Auckland's waterfront, previously as a councillor, and now as a citizen on the sidelines. It seems a long time ago - but really it's only around two years - that PM John Key first announced his idea of Party Central on Queens Wharf. He saw a vision of an international party on Auckland's waterfront during the Rugby World Cup.

This was seized on by ARC's leadership as a way of getting ownership of Queens Wharf, with a chunk of Government money thrown in. $20 million of Govt money, and $20 million of ARC money. And it's right here that the lack of clarity began.

The ARC leadership really wanted Queens Wharf for a cruise ship terminal. A stonking big "world class" cruise ship terminal. And certainly not a terminal made from "cheap and nasty" sheds. So right there you had a two-faced idea.

Was it for Party Central? Or was it for a Cruise Shop (I mean Ship) terminal? I pushed for retention of the Sheds. We love our iconic sheds. Saw Party Central idea as critical to retaining them. Learned about Party Central around the America's Cup in Valencia.

Then two Ministers got involved. Gerry Brownlee and Murray McCully. To begin with it was mainly Murray. He hated the sheds too, and kicked the shit out of the NZ Historic Places Trust in a bullying effort to get them off the case. Even threatened their funding I understand, if NZHPT pursued registration of Queens Wharf and Shed 10. McCully came up with his own appalling idea. Man what a philistine.

At this point it is useful to remind ourselves of all the good ideas that came out of the woodwork in Auckland when there was a design competition. So many used the sheds in creative and vibrant ways.

Finally McCully and Chairman Lee resolved their differences in a classic compromise. It was all about saving two faces. So Auckland lost a Shed and got the McCully tent.

And now we have two more parties on the scene and two more faces that need saving. Gerry Brownlee (Mr Economic Development), and the Maori Party. According to Mike Lee in this morning's Herald the McCully tent was "always going to house a mix of entertainment, tourism information and industry promotion...".

First I knew.

But this is typical when you get a bunch of faces that need to be saved. A year ago we had one face saying: "Queens Wharf is the people's wharf" who was at the same time instructing architects to draw up plans for cruise ship terminals on BOTH sides of Queens Wharf. We still have that problem on Auckland Council, and added to that now we have Bob Harvey's enthusiasm for the pretty pastel advertiser pictures of the McCully tent, and we have Gerry Brownlee filling it up with business promotion and industry stands like a commercial exhibition. And off to one side - always off to one side - we have the Ngati Whatua waka.

Bugger's muddle. I can even feel the birth of a Waterfront Convention Centre....

The danger is that Auckland will do what it always does down on the waterfront, and that is let business and commercial interests dominate, and just leave a bit of space around the edge - the people's space - always a very narrow and dangerous edge close to the water - for the public.

I agree with NZ Herald: "Don't take the party out of Party Central!"

And I say loud and clear - Queens Wharf must be kept for the people of Auckland to congregate and celebrate and have their fun - and that must be its primary purpose in perpetuity.

Go Waka on the Waitemata Waterfront

It's an interesting thought. A big Waka as part of Party Central. Supported by Ngati Whatua and Pita Sharples. When I did the Maori Planning paper at Auckland Uni a couple of years ago - before Queens Wharf came into true public ownership - I did a big assignment about the absence of Maori/Polynesian/Pacific culture or history on Auckland's waterfront. As if European reclamations had wiped it from the face of the Waitemata Harbour....

My recommendations to the Ngati Whatua Iwi Authority (remember - this is an assignment - not a commissioned report) included these ones that I quote here:

(1) Develop a Waka Culture Plan for Waitemata Harbour and Tangata Whenua, which includes of these elements:

- researching and documenting the history of waka use in Waitemata Harbour

- developing a database of all existing waka and waka heritage originating in or relating to Waitemata Harbour, and adjoining Hauraki Gulf area

- commissioning of ideas for re-establishment of waka culture in Waitemata Harbour and on the Auckland isthmus, linking into Western Reclamation opportunity

- management of hui and other marae based discussions, using the commissioned ideas to stimulate iwi, hapu and broader tangata whenua engagement and involvement

(2) Advocate for Iwi Cultural & Economic Presence on Western Reclamation Park, which includes these ideas:

- whakarewarewa is an example which Rotorua iwi have strategically developed in the cultural and economic interests of iwi, and in the interests of manaakitanga – which they describe as: “placing a responsibility on us as your hosts to give you the best of ourselves, our time and our history…”

- aim for the implementation of a Ngati Whatua Waitemata Harbour Waka Culture plan including establishment of appropriate infrastructure on the Park at the Western Reclamation, forming part of an authentic Maori Maritime Culture renaissance at Auckland and in the Waitemata Harbour.

These ideas don't need to be restricted to Tank Farm now that Queens Wharf is firmly in the public frame. Think Queens Wharf now, when you think "Maori presence in Auckland"....

And check this pic out. Auckland waterfront circa 1850. Mainly waka drawn up to service the needs of lower Queen Street.... I say - go Ngati Whatua on this. If we can have a plastic tent, and a plastic rugby ball on Queens Wharf for Rugby World Cup, then we can have a bloody big plastic waka as well!

If you want to read my research assignment, click here.