The Auckland waterfront (rarely the Auckland harbourfront) is a city-side stretch of the southern

Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

coastline in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. Previously mostly dominated by

Ports of Auckland Port of Auckland Limited (POAL), the successor to the Auckland Harbour Board, is the Auckland Council-owned company administering Auckland's commercial freight and cruise ship harbour facilities. As the company operates all of the associated fac ...

uses, from the 2000s on it is becoming increasingly open to recreational public use, with a number of former wharves being converted to office, entertainment, and later also some residential uses.

Extents

The waterfront stretches roughly from the suburb of Saint Marys Bay / the

Auckland Harbour Bridge The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins Saint Marys Bay, New Zealand, St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote, Auckland, Northcote on the North Shore, ...

in the west to the

areas in the east. However, in most usage, 'Auckland waterfront' only refers to those parts freely accessible to the public (such as around the

Viaduct Basin Viaduct Harbour, formerly known as Viaduct Basin, is a former commercial harbour on the Auckland waterfront that has been turned into a development of mostly upscale apartments, office space and restaurants. It is located on the site of a form ...

and the

Auckland CBD The Auckland Central Business District (CBD), or Auckland city centre, is the geographical and economic heart of the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area. It is the area in which Auckland was established in 1840, by William Hobson on land gifted ...

), and thus at the moment excludes much of the

Western Reclamation Looking towards Wynyard Quarter from Auckland Sky Tower, with approximate boundary drawn in red The Wynyard Quarter (historically also known as the Western Reclamation, Wynyard Point, Wynyard Wharf or Tank Farm) is a reclaimed piece of lan ...

and almost the whole of the Ports of Auckland area to the east. While Auckland City technically has a second waterfront on the

Manukau Harbour The Manukau Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in New Zealand by area. It is located to the southwest of the Auckland isthmus, and opens out into the Tasman Sea. Geography The harbour mouth is between the northern head ("Burnett ...

, this is never called 'Auckland waterfront'.

Future

During 2006, a prolonged public discussion about the future of the waterfront was begun, first by the start of

public consultation Public consultation, public comment, or simply consultation, is a process by which members of the public are asked for input on public issues. This can occur in public meetings open to all (such as town hall meetings) in written form (such as in ...

on the future of the

, then by the plans for

Stadium New Zealand Stadium New Zealand, often called the Waterfront Stadium, was the provisional name for a national stadium proposed for the Auckland waterfront to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The stadium never advanced beyond a concept design. The possible ch ...

on the land of

. While the plans for Stadium New Zealand were eventually scrapped (partly because of complaints of some citizens that it would block harbour views, but mostly due to its effect on port operations), the discussion had shown that Aucklanders would prefer greater access to the waterfront, which is at the moment is still industrial land / port land in large areas. However, Ports of Auckland (the company still owning most of the Auckland

wharves A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( ...

) noted that while it will explore plans for greater public access, it needed most of the space for the foreseeable future. As most of the Western Reclamation will not see any immediate transformation (due to ongoing commercial leases and required decontamination before future use), the sights are currently set on extending the public areas of the Viaduct Basin with a new entertainment strip along Jellicoe St to the west of it. This is to be linked by a bridge to the Viaduct and the Auckland CBD, with the bridge design possibly being internationally

tendered Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual obli ...

, and for all works to be completed in time for the

Rugby World Cup 2011 The 2011 Rugby World Cup, was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South A ...

Queens Wharf

In early 2008, ARC plans were unveiled that may see Queens Wharf, the wharf closest to the

Auckland Ferry Terminal The Auckland Ferry Terminal, also called the Downtown Ferry Terminal, is the hub of the Auckland ferry network, which connects the Auckland CBD with suburbs in North Shore, West Auckland, and South Auckland, and islands in the Hauraki Gulf. T ...

, converted into public space. Currently the wharf is used to store ripening bananas and hold import cars before fumigation treatment by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry staff. However, plans for the specific activities are still up in the air, though a new

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

terminal, to support the heavily booked Princes Wharf terminal, seems likely to be part of the mix.''Queens Wharf a golden opportunity for Auckland'' – ''Region Wide'', newsletter of the

Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...

, March 2008, Page 4 Commentators have remarked that the wharf has been open to the public before during its early working life, when loading took place next to strolling members of the public, recreational fishing and other uses, a kind of life as on a "European square", and that the authorities should try to recreate such a feeling by providing for compatible mixed uses. The Yokohama Passenger Terminal was held up as an example, with port, ferry and customs/immigration facilities contained within a wharf, and with a sweeping public park on the roof of the structure.

Economic future

A 2010 report by

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...

projected that up to 2040, the waterfront would generate $4.29 billion for the economy of the region, and about 13,600 people could be employed in waterfront businesses by that time.

References

External links

A DSC locomotive on Quay Street, Auckland, 1971
– photo of

DSC DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

locomotive on Quay St, then a railway route to the

docks The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engli ...