MONOCLE MAGAZINE RANKS AUCKLAND 20th BEST CITY FOR [QUALITY OF LIFE] FOR A 2nd YEAR IN A ROW
The International Design and Culture bible, Monocle magazine, has for the 2nd year in a row ranked Auckland as the 20th best city for quality of life. Munich was ranked 1st. The magazine notes that Auckland is on the cusp of dramatic change and it is all for the better.
AUCKLAND [INNER CITY SUBURB]
[ELEVATION 196m] - PART 2
[05 JUNE 2010] - 17°C SATURDAY, 13:00 Partly Cloudy
AUCKLAND[CITY+EVENT]
AUCKLAND SECURES THE 2012 [TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP]
The biggest international triathlon event outside of the Olympics is coming to Auckland city. The grand final of the 2012 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series has been secured by New Zealand. Triathlon New Zealand was informed early this week of its successful bid by the International Triathlon Union (ITU). New Zealand was chosen above other countries including those from Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Triathlon New Zealand has partnered with Auckland City Council and government to make the event possible. It will take place over four days (18-22 October 2012) and be based at Queens Wharf in the city centre. The grand final is the most prestigious event of the eight-race world championship series and is expected to attract a host of international stars, as well as thousands of global visitors. Hosting the event will be a huge boost for the profile of Auckland and New Zealand, with an estimated global TV audience in excess of 13 million and financial benefits for New Zealand estimated at $30 million. "This is yet another successful major event bid for Auckland. After Rugby World Cup 2011, we can now look forward to hosting the Triathlon World Championships and Volvo Ocean Race in 2012, followed by the BMX World Championships in 2013," says Mayor of Auckland city, Hon. John Banks. Triathlon New Zealand CEO, Dave Beeche adds, "This is recognition of our standing in the world of triathlon. The ITU is entrusting New Zealand with the biggest triathlon event on the calendar outside the Olympics. This is both a huge honour and responsibility, but one we and our event partners are looking forward to."
Happiness is a great big hole in the ground for KiwiRail project manager Paul Crawford. The trench 300 metres long by seven deep and up to 18 metres wide is the result of a year's work on the $42 million Manukau rail link. And now comes the best part of the job – seeing the concrete slab poured as the base for the twin platforms for the new Manukau train station. "It's been a long time coming," he says. "The excavation has been a mammoth task." It's taken three months to dig out more than 30,000 cubic metres of silt from the trench running from Davies Ave to just beyond the Lambie Drive bridge. Mr Crawford says the 500mm thick base slab is being poured in "patchwork" sections to allow for shrinkage when the concrete's cured. "Once all the slabs have cured and shrunk, we'll put in expansive concrete to push it out towards the walls," he says. The base slab is held in place by 158 tension piles driven from the surface deep into the Waitemata sandstone. "It's to stop it lifting because we're four metres below the water table here." A few cylinders of concrete jumbled on the trench floor are remnants of the tension piles, lopped off during the excavation. Contractors are now preparing areas for escalators, lifts and stairs up to the Davies Ave bus interchange which will also lead into Manukau Institute of Technology's planned tertiary campus. The next stage will be covering the secant pile walls with 180 pre-cast, six-metre-high panels of honed concrete. "They will be polished and it will look nice," Mr Crawford says. The panels will cover the damp patches on the walls, evidence of the "minimal seepage" from the surrounding water table which will be drained into a tank near the Lambie Drive bridge. The 250 cubic metre tank is still being built and will cope with a one in 100-year storm, he says. Soon contractors will start work on the walls for the pair of 160-metre platforms, then on the platforms them-selves. "By the end of September we should have finished the civil works to the stage where the platforms are back-filled," Mr Crawford says. In October KiwiRail will fill the trench with ballast and start laying the 2km of tracks out to the southern line. The Auckland Regional Transport Authority will surface the platforms and hang canopies from the capping beams to protect travellers from the weather. In February work is due to start on the bus interchange building, a joint venture between the regional transport authority and Manukau City Council. About 600,000 train passengers each year are expected to use the rail station when it opens next year. About 1.2 million people are expected to use the bus interchange each year.
A series of luxurious images by renowned Auckland artist Richard Orjis will be the first to grace the Bledisloe Walkway light boxes – an exciting new exhibition space in the heart of Auckland city. From 17 July 2010, a series of light boxes in the Bledisloe Walkway, which runs between Aotea Square and Wellesley Street, will provide artists with a unique outdoor space to display contemporary artwork. The first of three proposed sets of public art light boxes planned for Auckland’s CBD, the Bledisloe Walkway light boxes will house approximately four, three-month exhibitions each year featuring the work of individual artists and curated group exhibitions. Park by Richard Orjis features a series of five photographs, which depict an opulent fantasy world. One image shows jewel-encrusted robots seated majestically in a bed; other images suggest an artificial garden teeming with spring flowers, rising dough and plastic bones, and dotted with candles. “Orjis conjures up a world where nature looks beautiful, pure and intrinsically good, but at the same time appears dangerous, decadent and destructive,” says Auckland City Council, manager public art Rob Garrett. The light box programme will meet two of the council’s key expectations for public art by “creating richness” through the diversity of artists’ expressions and stories over time; and “generating surprise” through exhibitions that will surprise, delight and challenge over time.
Awesome photography skills, Sydney. The postings of New Zealand on here are always a pleasure. Both you and Mr Kiwi Fruit do a superb job of capturing it, particularly at street level. Credit to both of you for taking the time to contribute your own photos. Keep them coming :cheers:
There has been a strong response from Manukau City’s Chinese community to a new Chinatown complex that is to be established on a high profile site in Ti Rakau Drive in East Tamaki. Wyatt says around 40 per cent of the complex’s space has already been taken up within the first month of marketing by a variety of predominantly Chinese retailers, food operators and other traders. The Chinatown enterprise is being spearheaded by two prominent local Chinese businessmen Jack Ren and Crown Xu. Ren is the principal of the Wanfang Group which has a turnover in excess of $20 million and was established 12 years ago as a specialist souvenir business to cater for the growing Asian market in New Zealand. Crown Xu owned a residential housing design and build company and has also established seven cafes under the Crown brand. He was involved in the grand opening committee of the Auckland Oriental Markets which were formerly located in Quay Street in the CBD before that area underwent redevelopment. Xu says the Manukau Chinatown is being modelled on other successful Chinatowns around the world, and will not only provide for commercial and leisure activities, but will also become a focal point for community and cultural activities. He says the complex will be open seven days a week and will also have a vibrant night market, where music and artistic performances will play a central role and which will provide a safe environment for families and young people to dine and be entertained. Xu says the Chinatown complex will provide an alternative shopping environment that is not available anywhere else in the region and prices will be open to bartering as is common practice in these types of markets internationally. Redevelopment work on the former giant hardware store is underway following the granting of resource consent and Chinatown is scheduled to open for business in October.
WORK TO START ON [QUEENS' WHARF] IN TIME FOR THE RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) and the Government have agreed on how Queens Wharf will be developed. “After a long and sometimes difficult debate I am very pleased that the ARC and the Government have reached a robust and sustainable agreement on the development of Queens Wharf,” says Michael Lee, Chairman of the ARC. “We have reached a pragmatic and creative solution that delivers an outstanding harbourside fan zone for the Rugby World Cup, embraces the wharf’s heritage and preserves the broadest possible options and legacy for the future.” The agreement between the Government and the ARC confirms Queens Wharf as the Rugby World Cup fan zone in a plan which includes both Shed 10 and the temporary “cloud” structure. Under the agreement Shed 11 will be dismantled and moved off site, and the “cloud” building located in its place on the western side of the wharf. Shed 10 will be retained with some works undertaken to ensure that it is safe, secure and visually in keeping with the fan zone for next year’s Rugby World Cup. This work will respect the heritage values of the shed. The ARC purchased Queens Wharf to provide a permanent cruise ship terminal and public open space in the heart of Auckland’s waterfront. “This agreement means that after the Rugby World Cup the new Auckland Council and its Waterfront Development Agency will be able to make considered decisions on how to achieve these long term objectives within a vision for Auckland and the whole of the waterfront,” says Mr Lee.
A website for the new Auckland Council has gone live. The page at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz carries information relating to the upcoming local body elections, as well as customer service details and frequently asked questions. The changes to Auckland governance are substantial and the new website will provide the definitive resource for residents and ratepayers. Features include a street-find application allowing people to search their addresses to locate which new ward or board area they live in. It also contains sections on the roles and responsibilities of the mayor, councillors and local boards, information on council-controlled organisations and news. More content will be progressively loaded between now and November 1, when the Auckland Council will come into being. Mark Ford is the executive chairman of the Auckland Transition Agency, which is charged with planning and managing the amalgamation of the existing local, district and regional councils. "The people of Auckland will be able to interact with the new Auckland Council easily through many more channels, including online and face to face," he says. Other initiatives for provide improved access include a network of service centres across the region, and an agreement with the Bank of New Zealand and PostShop to provide online and over-the-counter transactions.
One of these days, I'm going to fly over to Auckland, stay there for a few days to check things out, then just drive all around New Zealand for like a month or two. It'd be an awesome holiday. I just wish I had some moneys to do it. I seriously like New Zealand better than Australia in a lot of ways.
A drive around NZ, especially South Island, is a must do .... the South Island is my most favourite place on planet earth - it is stunning !
It is an exciting time to be living in Auckland, it is on the cusp of many changes. Just as Melbourne began it's transformation so many years ago, Auckland is starting it's transformation ... let's hope that it is as good as Melbourne
If you are wanting big and exciting cities - Australia is your kettle of fish. If you prefer things slower, chilled and calm - then NZ is your bag
I hope that you get to save up, come in Summer for Auckland/Wellington and visit the South Island in winter - that is when it sparkles.
SEASON 2 OF [SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND] TO BE FILMED IN AUCKLAND
Series 1 of the tv series, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" was filmed in Auckland and other locations throughout New Zealand. Receiving rave revues, Starz announced on May 11 2010, that it is developing a six-episode prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The prequel will feature new and returning stars, headlining the roles of John Hannah as Batiatus, and Lucy Lawless as Lucretia. Star Andy Whitfield will also briefly appear. Production begins in New Zealand in the summer of 2010 and the prequel will air beginning January 2011. A lot of people compare "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" to "Rome", however the 2 have nothing in common. While "Rome" is a drama about politics and conspiracies, "Spartacus" is one man's journey. The series is inspired by the story of the gladiator Spartacus, who led the gladiators rebellion and who died in their last stand in southern Italy. The 2 inspiration points for the series are clearly "Gladiator", for the concept, a man fighting for something and using the crowd of the arena to achieve his goal, and "300" for the special effects. In the first 2 episodes it was more about fights and sex scenes, things change in the third episode and becomes more focused on the character. The show feels different from anything at the moment and could easily become one of the best shows around.
Wow, the skyline with the boats kills the death :applause:
Also great collection of doors and windows, especially the photo of the door with the chair :cheers2:
The ink is almost dry on a deal to finally revamp Auckland's tired Victoria Park Market. Eighty operators will move into the new-look market, which will include a restaurant and nightclub zone off Drake St and a retail precinct at the Victoria St level. Restaurants will include Mexican eatery the Flying Burrito Brothers, an Argentinian steak house, a New York-style tapas bar and a Japanese restaurant. A German brewery is also interested. All the restaurants and bars will have outdoor areas. Auckland radio station Big FM is to take up residence in a space with a stage for live performances. The heritage walk of famous New Zealanders will be resurrected, and it will also feature a small museum. The $25 million redevelopment will take nine months and will begin late August. Designers from Perth, Melbourne and Sydney were moving into the market. "Everything down here is going to be destination - that's our point of difference. We're not making them a mall." With Telecom and later ASB moving into the area, the development would have three target markets - staff working for nearby corporates, tourists, and local residents, Prenter said.
Expect the unexpected with Auckland's newest public art trail, Micro Sites, located in the Learning Quarter. A flashing keyhole, an abandoned trapeze and a miniature temple are just some of the exciting new contemporary art works that have been installed in and around the city centre's busy Learning Quarter. The works are part of a public art project launched yesterday entitled Micro Sites, which is an Auckland City Council initiative developed in partnership with The University of Auckland and AUT University. The series of discrete temporary art works will be surprising discoveries for people living, working and walking through Auckland's Learning Quarter. "The works are unlabelled and intended to be chanced upon," says Councillor Greg Moyle, chairperson of the Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee. "This project is an opportunity for artists to create small-scale art works that run against the grain and interfere with everyday perceptions of a place," he adds. The installations are designed as medium-term projects with a lifespan of up to five years. Visit the Public Art section for a downloadable map of the locations of the art works.
"Party Central" is back on track for Queen's Wharf in downtown Auckland after the Government and the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) settled their difference over two old cargo sheds. Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully announced today one of the 98-year-old sheds would be demolished, one would be kept and upgraded, and a new temporary "cloud" structure would be built for rugby fans to party in during the Rugby World Cup next year. Under the latest decision fans would use the ground floor of the revamped Shed 10 and the new cloud structure. Cruise ships would also use the wharf but passengers would be processed at other ports before berthing in Auckland for the World Cup. Mr McCully said the old cargo shed would be upgraded so it did "not visually impair the site". He could not give details but said that was an ARC responsibility and the Government was happy with that. He said the future of Shed 10 after the World Cup would be made by the Waterfront Development Agency which would be formed later this year. That body would decide if the shed remained as part of the international cruise terminal planned for Queens Wharf, Mr McCully said. He said the Government was happy with the outcome. Auckland Mayor John Banks said it was a sensible decision which future proofed Shed 10 and ensured suitable facilities would be in place for the Word Cup. The cost was expected to be about $9 million for the cloud temporary structure and about $9.8m for landscaping the wharf. Upgrading Shed 10 would be on top of those costs, Mr McCully said.
[31 JULY 2010] : 15°C SATURDAY, 10:00 Partly Cloudy
AUCKLAND[CITY+PROJECT]
RAIL LINK BETWEEN [CBD + AIRPORT] ON THE CARDS ?
Advocates of a rail link between the airport and downtown Auckland are hailing the signing of a multi-party agreement to identify and protect the best route as a major step forward. The Manukau City Council is one of six parties to the airport multi-modal corridor study funded by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and the NZ Transport Agency. Manukau mayor Len Brown is hoping the agreement will accelerate work on the airport rail link. It's "a crucial part of public transport for Auckland" and needs to be fast-tracked, he says. "Rail to the airport is one of the most critical transport links in the country, providing rapid transit for travellers, freight and commuters." The study due to get under way next February will identify preferred routes, where to connect with bus and road and how best to secure those sites. Mr Brown says it's "obvious" what the best route will be. The regional land transport strategy already identifies double-tracked heavy rail as the preferred rapid transit option between Britomart and the airport. The 29km route runs from Avondale to Onehunga alongside SH20, over the second Manukau Harbour bridge then beside the southwestern motorway to the airport. There would be a rail link to the main trunk line at Puhinui Rd and the Onehunga branch line would also feed in from the north. Mr Brown says Manukau is already "working closely" with the Auckland Regional Council to get designations in place to protect the preferred corridor before the supercity takes over. "We're both keen as mustard to progress it as much as we can in the final weeks." The airport corridor study is the first element in the four-year multiparty agreement also being signed by KiwiRail and Auckland International Airport Ltd. The agreement also requires a "progression plan" to deliver the rail link and its stations as well as plans for state highways and integrated public transport in the southwest for the next 30 years. The Auckland Transition Agency is being asked to ensure that the agreement is picked up by the new Auckland Council and Auckland Transport.
[31 JULY 2010] : 15°C SATURDAY, 10:00 Partly Cloudy
AUCKLAND[CITY+NEWS]
THE TASTE FOR NEW [HOUSES] IS BACK
New Zealanders' appetite for new houses appears to be returning, according to figures out yesterday. Statistics New Zealand said the number of new dwellings authorised, including apartments, for the year to June rose 14 per cent from a year earlier to 16,167 units. The seasonally adjusted number of new dwellings authorised last month was up 3.5 per cent on May. As the economy recovers and there is greater clarity on the outlook for mortgage rates and employment prospects we will see the housing market slowly recover. We expect this to happen in the second half of 2011. Jane Turner of ASB said the sector was showing a slow return to slightly better fortunes. Consent applications tended to lead construction activity by around three months.
[31 JULY 2010] : 15°C SATURDAY, 10:00 Partly Cloudy
AUCKLAND[CITY+PROJECT]
CONSTRUCTION HAS STARTED ON AUCKLAND'S NEWEST ATTRACTION - [NORTH WHARF]
Construction has started on what could become one of Auckland's most visited attractions. New renders have emerged for Sea + City's [NORTH WHARF] Project, one of the historic sheds will be retained and new buildings will be constructed around it. The shed will line a promenade overlooking the fishing harbour and will also compliment the Fish-market located directly behind the shed on Jellicoe Street. You can view the renders HERE
[31 JULY 2010] : 15°C SATURDAY, 10:00 Partly Cloudy
AUCKLAND[CITY+PROJECT]
THE [SAFFRON TOWER] COULD BE COMPLETED BY 2014
Rumour has it that The [SAFFRON TOWER] is still alive and could be completed by the end of 2014. This is a beautiful tower which will rise 155m (46 storey) into the sky and once completed will be New Zealand's tallest residential building. You can view the video HERE
The urbanism of these New Zealander cities are unique. Every detail is beautiful and the final result is just AMAZING!!! Auckland seems to be a paradise for who loves urban life.
Thanks for the comment :cheers: I think that if you have been there and done that, ready to settle down and raise a family in an urban environment - only then will Auckland be great .... but if you are young and need all the excitement of a 24 hour city, Auckland won't be the city for you
Wow, thats all that can be said, these photos are phonominally good! In fact you could go as far as saying the best in Ozscrapers.
It makes me want to catch the next flight to Auckland. Very well thought out and executed, marvelous shots SYDNEY. The quality is unreal, I haven't seen anything like it on this forum, you should be proud.
Wow, what a compliment - thank you :colgate: that is very kind of you. Come to Auckland either in summer or for the Rugby World Cup - right now it is a mess. Thanks again for the great compliment, I feel very proud thanks to you
AKL looks amazing from those photos...hopefully one day soon I visit with my family & experience how much it must have changed from the time I visited way back in '85.
Thanks - wow, 1985 .. I have seen a video from around that period and Auckland was vile :lol: I think that you will be pleasantly surprised Thanks for the comment.
Wow, thats all that can be said, these photos are phonominally good! In fact you could go as far as saying the best in Ozscrapers.
It makes me want to catch the next flight to Auckland. Very well thought out and executed, marvelous shots SYDNEY. The quality is unreal, I haven't seen anything like it on this forum, you should be proud.
I mean, this would be a one in a million shot:
And I love this guys hair .
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