Our Wynyard Quarter Road-Train.
I took the younger members of the family to Wynyard Quarter on Sunday to see what all the fuss was about. The ferry from the Shore was an option but (unfortunately) it was much quicker and cheaper to drive to Ponsonby, park for free and ride our bikes around the foreshore past Westhaven Marina. This was actually a very pleasant ride, but a little far for five-year-old legs so I packed the trailer and taxied The Midget Assassin to the action with her bike lashed on the back.
A slice of Seaside Cycle-Style.
Many moons ago I used to ride my motorbike through Tank Farm on a daily basis and I remember fondly the motorcycle racing that was also held there. Back then a café meal on the waterfront was a hot pie & chips – times have changed.
The designers have really done a great job on the development, it’s very cool. Any city can do “slick & shiny” public-spaces, you know, the stainless-steel and sandstone variety, but Wynyard Quarter is much more interesting. Bits & bobs from the area’s toxic-substance-storage and nautical backgrounds have been retained but it’s the variety of surfaces and textures that grabbed me. Huge chunks of rough concrete with oysters still attached, big slabs of wood, steel girders for Africa, fencing and structures mimicking shipping containers and real live containers to boot. It’s impressive urban design and quite brave. I don’t know how they got some of this past the committees that must have been involved in the planning.
The young and the cool.
It’s a bike-friendly place in it’s own way but not really a cycling “destination” as such. There were a lot of people about on Sunday afternoon and much of the time we were riding at walking speeds. I thought my children would struggle with that concept but they surprised me, both quite happy to cruise along at a dignified pace.
Another family arriving under their own steam.
I spotted some “loops” for locking bikes somewhere but they were absent from all the places we wanted to stop. One area that would definitely benefit from bike-parking was the childrens playground. This was really busy and there were several families on bicycles but nowhere to lock them. Some improvised like in the photo above and others like myself just propped them against walls and locked them to each-other.
Negotiating train tracks outside the restaurants.
The playground is quite simply stunning. Large sculptural play equipment has been purpose built for this seaside setting and they are truly works-of-art. There is a basketball half-court for the older kids and the watery base of a nearby sculpture doubles as a paddling pool.
In these safety-mad times it was also refreshing to see lots of stuff my kids could really hurt themselves on. Concrete terraces to tumble down, big metal objects to smash teeth out with, real water to drown in and a distinct lack of safety-fencing – I was hugely impressed!
Fantastic harbour views at the Northern end.
As we were riding around I kept thinking to myself “is this really Auckland?” It just didn’t feel right. The public-spaces of my youth like the old Aotea Square were unwelcoming concrete jungles. Wynyard Quarter is not like that, it’s a people-place and something we can be really proud of.
H-Man takes a wrong turn.
I know, right!! I went down there again the other day, thinking that it would be quieter following the opening but no. Where have all these people come from? It's like a long held thirst has suddenly been quenched and Aucklanders can't get enough of it. I have it on good authority that it is busy at 7 in the morning with joggers and into the wee small hours with revelers – go Auckland!!
Jan Gelh was right….“If you want a city that is lively, vibrant, livable, safe, sustainable and healthy, be sweet to your pedestrians”. "Humans are social creatures. They want to engage with each other and their surroundings".
http://cyclingauckland.co.nz/front/2010/07/cycling-will-only-ever-be-a-marginalised-transport-option-in-auckland-its-the-urban-environment-stupid/
It's a great space indeed.
And with the news now that Auckland Waterfront is going to spend almost $10 million in the next 3 years to build a waterfront walk- and cycleway boulevard from Teal Park to the Harbour Bridge, it can only get better.
"and a distinct lack of safety-fencing"
Yeah, just imagine them putting a pool fence around the tidal stairs. Shudder.
This is a great new area to hang out. My only negative observation while there for 6 hours a couple of weeks ago was the cycle courier who swept through from the bridge and then between the cafes’ at a very brisk pace – way too fast in my opinion for a pretty busy pedestrian oriented area. Casual cycling at a casual pace is fine but cycle couriers can use the road please.