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.

Queens Wharf Clouds Over....

You might be wondering how Queens Wharf is unfolding. So here's a bit of video I took on my cell phone from the ferry. It looks very PVC which you would expect. And very cream. Hard now to see Shed 10 which is emerging in a coat of white paint. And when you are on Queens Wharf - to the East of the McCully Cloud - you will certainly have your view of Princes Wharf, Northcote and the Harbour Bridge blocked by the cloud. (I mention this because the ARC's Plan Coastal made a big thing of protecting that particular sight line. But I guess the cloud is temporary. I hope so anyway).

The early artist pictures of the McCully Cloud that were made available to NZ Herald et al were all shown in a night scene. Lots of coloured lights flaring off the cloud's shiney skin contrasted nicely with the more conservative lighting of Auckland CBD in the background. An Adman's dream probably. A landscape architect friend of mine commented at the time, "always beware of designs that are shown at night with coloured lights...". He explained that coloured lighting is a great way of avoiding scrutiny of the thing in plain daylight. Which is what we have to look at all the time now. Interesting in form to be sure, but quite a significant unvaried blot on the landscape. Lacking in "articulation" as architects might say - though it creeps along like the slug it has been compared to.

Difficult for the "man-in-the-street" to ever see the McCully Cloud from the point of view of the artist who prepared those early images that captured the hearts of those who bought the idea. (POV is helicopter at night hovering above the end of Queens Wharf looking up Queen Street).

The experience inside will be an interesting one. Lots of coloured lighting needed I would expect in the middle. Not a lot of windows admitting direct sunlight. Each end should be good though, with the use of clear PVC so at least you can see the sky and the sun can shine in.

Because the McCully Cloud is being used as a sort of NZ Expo for RWC visitors - those who've come to do business anyway - I imagine the inside will contain stands for exhibitors. Quite a lot of stands I guess given its size. The proof of the pudding will be in the rates that are charged per square metre for each stand. Some places will be that much more attractive than others.

Wouldn't do for the McCully Cloud to be half full.