Queens Wharf, Auckland

Queens Wharf is a concrete wharf in Auckland, New Zealand, that continues off Queen Street (the main street in central Auckland). It was previously owned and used by Ports of Auckland. In 2010 it was sold to the Auckland Regional Council and the New Zealand Government,[1] and it was transformed to act as "Party Central" for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Queens Wharf in 2007. The two white sheds date back to 1911 and 1914.

Location and description

The wharf is located at the intersection of Quay Street and Queen Street on Auckland's waterfront, and it runs north-northeast into Waitematā Harbour. It is located near Auckland's historic Ferry Building, and lies parallel to the nearby Princes Wharf (to the west) and Captain Cook Wharf (east).

The wharf is constructed of concrete, and covers an area of 2.9 hectares.[2] It is 350 metres long by 85 metres wide, and is 3 metres above sea level. Up until 2010, two sheds (built in 1911 and 1914) stood on the wharf. Shed 11 at the far end of the wharf was dismantled in late 2010. This shed was replaced by The Cloud which was used as a place of congregation for the Rugby World Cup 2011. Shed 10 remains but was heavily refurbished for the World Cup.[3]

History
Queens Wharf from La Nouvelle-Zélande published in 1904.

The original wharf was built in 1852 and constructed from wood. It was replaced in the early 1900s with a ferro-concrete wharf. The original name was Queen Street Wharf.[3]

Up until 2010 the wharf and its sheds were used as a cargo wharf by Ports of Auckland (POAL). The deck of the wharf was often used for parking import vehicles. The northwestern shed was used as a cool store, and the southeastern was used by POAL and MAF for storage and customs processing.[2]

Current use of the wharf

The wharf was sold to the Auckland Regional Council and the government who each paid $20 million to Ports of Auckland.[4] [5]

2009 design competition

A competition to outline a plan for renewing of the wharf for the Rugby World Cup 2011 and beyond began on 24 August 2009. After strong criticism of the quality of the designs from many sources (including Auckland Mayor John Banks), the competition took a back foot and the winner never announced.[6] [7]

The Cloud

After the failure of the design competition, a temporary multifunction building was created. At a cost of about $10 million, The Cloud was built, which is a long waving-shaped structure.

Port Future

The area is currently managed by Panuku Development Auckland[8] and further changes depend upon the results of a "Port Future" report expected to take until mid 2016.[9]

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References
  1. Orsman, Bernard (16 June 2009). "Historic-wharf buyback a done deal". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  2. Queens Wharf Design Competition Brief Stage One, 2009, archived from the original on 26 August 2009, retrieved 23 August 2009
  3. Ports of Auckland, Red Fence Heritage Walk (PDF), retrieved 31 December 2009
  4. Vaughan, Gareth (15 June 2009). "Govt, ARC buying Queens Wharf". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  5. Press Release: Ports of Auckland (15 June 2009). "POAL to sell Queens Wharf for $40m". Scoop. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  6. Orsman, Bernard (8 December 2009). "From grand designs to $10m wharf spruce-up". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  7. Rudman, Brian (30 October 2009). "ARC chief savages Queens Wharf contest 'flop'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  8. "Whatever happened to the people's wharf?", 5 Dec 2015, Geoff Cumming, NZ Herald
  9. "Study on Auckland's port future could take a year"
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