Princes Wharf, Auckland

Last updated December 08, 2024

Princes Wharf is a former commercial wharf on the Auckland waterfront, in Auckland, New Zealand, which has been redeveloped into a multi-story high-class mixed-use development and cruise ship terminal.

While generally considered a success in redevelopment, as is the close by Viaduct Basin, some critics have called its architecture 'urbanely sterile',^[1] while others have remarked on the restrictions private owners have placed on public access rights. Also criticised was that many of the public facilities (like art galleries or markets) that were envisaged in the original plan change from a wharf to a new use did not materialise, and in the view of some, have instead seen the wharf become dominated by uses like car parking.^[2]

History

Working wharf

Plans for a new wharf between Hobson Wharf and the ferry terminal were made in 1920 by the Auckland Harbour Board, with construction commencing in 1921.^[3] The two-storey concrete structure was unique at the time in Auckland, as all previously constructed wharves utilised a single-storey shed design.^[3]

Princes Wharf was formally opened on 12 May 1929 by Earl Jellicoe. HMS Hood, the then-largest battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, berthed at the wharf for the commissioning, showing the strategic importance the British Empire attributed to the naval facilities of its colonies.^[4] During World War II, the wharf was placed under the control of the United States Armed Forces, and used to provide provisions to the Pacific Theatre of war.^[3]

After World War II, the wharf, and Auckland itself, gained in importance both as starting point and destination for an increasing number of ocean liners (especially in the early post-war years when long-distance air travel was not as established yet), and later on, cruise ships including the Rangitane and Ruahine. In 1960, passenger services were moved from the neighbouring Queens Wharf to Princes Wharf,^[3] and in 1961 a dedicated passenger terminal was built on the wharf.^[4]

Redevelopment

In the early 1990s, plans were introduced to redevelop the wharf and add new functions to a site that had become under-used in some respects. With the new buildings designed to be reminiscent of a ship, the redevelopment of the wharf started in 1998.^[4]

The wharf now contains the renovated Overseas Passenger Terminal (berthing of cruise ships) of Ports of Auckland,^[5] a Hilton hotel, various restaurants as well as apartments, office space and a multi-story parking building. Princes Wharf also contains the largest apartment of New Zealand, a luxury residence built for one of the wharf's developers with 1,061 m² of internal floor space and decks of 416 m² (4,480 sq ft) of deck space.^[6] However, a number of the hotel apartments - like many buildings constructed in the 1990s in New Zealand, are having weathertightness issues, and as of 2010, are undergoing substantial maintenance.^[7]

The development also contains first-floor viewing decks at the 'prow end' of the development, which are public space like other parts of the wharf, but have long been a matter of legal contention. The wharf developers and the Hilton hotel have repeatedly, and against legal orders, limited public access to this area (for example to use it for private functions), while officially claiming a need to act against vandalism and use by drug dealers.^[8] In the discussion about opening up more of the waterfront, the wharf has thus been cited as a negative example, touted by developers as providing more public access to the harbour, but now being all but privatised, as well as inadequate for the increasing demands of the cruise ship industry.^[9]

Related Research Articles

The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans 46 kilometres between the mouth of Etobicoke Creek in the west and the Rouge River in the east.

Sullivans Cove is on the River Derwent adjacent to the Hobart City Centre in Tasmania. It was the site of initial European settlement in the area, and the location of the earlier components of the Port of Hobart.

Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a natural bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational boating, including personal vessels and pleasure boats providing scenic or party cruises. Ferries travel from docks on the mainland to the Islands, and cargo ships deliver aggregates and raw sugar to industries located in the harbour. Historically, the harbour has been used for military vessels, passenger traffic and cargo traffic. Waterfront uses include residential, recreational, cultural, commercial and industrial sites.

The Embarcadero in San Diego, California, is the area along the San Diego harbor on the east side of San Diego Bay. "Embarcadero" is a Spanish word meaning "boarding place". The Embarcadero sits on property administered by the Port of San Diego, in the Columbia district of downtown San Diego.

The Port of San Francisco is a semi-independent organization that oversees the port facilities at San Francisco, California, United States. It is run by a five-member commission, appointed by the Mayor subject to confirmation by a majority of the Board of Supervisors. The Port is responsible for managing the larger waterfront area that extends from the anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge, along the Marina district, all the way around the north and east shores of the city of San Francisco including Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero, and southward to the city line just beyond Candlestick Point. In 1968, the State of California, via the California State Lands Commission for the State-operated San Francisco Port Authority, transferred its responsibilities for the Harbor of San Francisco waterfront to the City and County of San Francisco / San Francisco Harbor Commission through the Burton Act AB2649. All eligible State port authority employees had the option to become employees of the City and County of San Francisco to maintain consistent operation of the Port of San Francisco.

Transport in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is defined by factors that include the shape of the Auckland isthmus, the suburban character of much of the urban area, a history of focusing investment on roading projects rather than public transport, and high car-ownership rates.

Barangaroo is an area of central Sydney, Australia. It is at the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district and the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. The area was used for fishing and hunting by Indigenous Australians prior to colonial settlement. The area is inclusive of The Hungry Mile, the name harbourside workers gave to the docklands area of Darling Harbour East during The Great Depression, where workers would walk from wharf to wharf in search of a job, often failing to find one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stadium New Zealand</span> Conceptual rugby stadium

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 Finger Wharf is a heritage-listed former wharf and passenger terminal and now marina, residential apartments, hotel and restaurant located at 6 Cowper Wharf Road, in the inner city Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, Australia. It was designed by Henry D. Walsh and built from 1910 to 1915 by the Sydney Harbour Trust. It is also known as Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf and Woolloomooloo Wharf. The property is owned by Transport for NSW. The structure is the longest timbered-piled wharf in the world.

Ports 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 facilities in the Greater Auckland area, this article is about both the current company and the ports of Auckland themselves.

The Wynyard Quarter is a reclaimed piece of land on the Waitematā Harbour at the western edge of the Auckland waterfront, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland waterfront</span>

The Auckland waterfront is a city-side stretch of the southern Waitematā Harbour coastline in Auckland, New Zealand. Previously mostly dominated by Ports of Auckland 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.

The Port of Tauranga is situated in Tauranga, New Zealand. It is the largest port in the country both in terms of total cargo volume, and in terms of container throughput with container volumes exceeding 1.2 million TEUs. The port is operated by Port of Tauranga Ltd. This article is about both the company and the port itself.

Queens Wharf is a concrete wharf in Auckland, New Zealand, that continues off Queen Street. It opened in 1913, replacing the Queen Street Wharf, a succession of wooden wharves first built in 1852. Queens Wharf was owned and used by Ports of Auckland until 2010.

The Cloud is a multi-purpose event venue located on Queen's Wharf on the Auckland waterfront, in Auckland, New Zealand. Built as one of the centrepieces of the hospitality and 'party zone' facilities for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, it can host up to 6,000 people, and was originally expected to cost $NZ7.9 million. It was designed by Jasmax and built by Fletcher Construction.

The Brooke Street Pier is a floating pontoon building at Sullivans Cove in the waterfront area of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It was constructed in 2014–15 at a cost of A$13 million. It weighs 5,300 tonnes and was Australia's largest floating building upon completion. It is connected to the Hobart shore at Franklin Wharf, near the base of Brooke Street. Primarily a ferry terminal, the architect has described it as a "tourism transport hub".

The Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT), known officially as the Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal, is a public passenger terminal servicing cruise ships and ocean liners located in Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia. Whilst commercial shipping operations on and around the site date from 1792, the current primary structure and waterfront promenade date from 1958, with subsequent on-going alterations and land reclamation throughout the latter part of the 20th century. The current design retains the black steel portal frame trusses of the original 1958 structure, with major additions completed in 1988 in the Post-War International Style through the collaboration of Sydney architects Lawrence Nield and Peter Tonkin.

The Port of Everett is a public seaport district located on Possession Sound in Everett, Washington, United States. Founded in 1918, it operates a small cargo terminal, a public marina, waterfront real estate, and public recreational lands. The Port of Everett is the third-largest container port in the state of Washington, behind Tacoma and Seattle.

Quay Street is the northernmost street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand. The Auckland Ferry Terminal, which has ferries running to Devonport, Waiheke Island, and other places in Waitematā Harbour; the Hilton Auckland hotel; and Ports of Auckland are on the north side of the street. The Britomart Transport Centre, Queen Elizabeth Square and Grand Mercure Auckland hotel are on the south side.

CentrePort Wellington (CentrePort) provides land and sea infrastructure and manages port facilities in Wellington Harbour in New Zealand. The company is the successor to the Wellington Harbour Board, and was formed as one of the outcomes of the 1989 local government reforms. This article is about both the company and the port.

References

↑ "Matthew Bradbury: Vision of a clean green harbourside". The New Zealand Herald . 4 January 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
↑ Dearnaley, Mathew (16 July 2009). "Queens Wharf won't repeat past 'mistakes'". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 28 February 2010.
1 2 3 4 Jones, Les (2011). "Development of Auckland Ports". In La Roche, John (ed.). Evolving Auckland: The City's Engineering Heritage. Wily Publications. pp. 87–104. ISBN 9781927167038.
1 2 3 Information plaque at the end of Princes Wharf, as of 2007
↑ "Spectacular cruise ship season begins". Ports of Auckland. 25 October 2006. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008.
↑ Gibson, Anne (31 January 2007). "Photos: This apartment could all be yours for just $10m". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 4 November 2011.
↑ Gibson, Anne (13 February 2010). "Leaky hotel shuts best rooms". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 February 2010.
↑ Rudman, Brian (26 August 2005). "Brian Rudman: Heavies down at Princes Wharf to be reined in". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 4 November 2011.
↑ Rudman, Brian (13 February 2008). "Brian Rudman: Waterfront for Auckland, and the cruise visitors". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 4 November 2011.

External links

Photographs of Princes Wharf held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.

36°50′27″S174°45′54″E / 36.840752°S 174.765015°E / -36.840752; 174.765015

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[NZ_Herald_10362329-1] "Matthew Bradbury: Vision of a clean green harbourside". The New Zealand Herald . 4 January 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2011.

[MISTAKES-2] Dearnaley, Mathew (16 July 2009). "Queens Wharf won't repeat past 'mistakes'". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 28 February 2010.

[EvolvingAuckland3.1-3] 1 2 3 4 Jones, Les (2011). "Development of Auckland Ports". In La Roche, John (ed.). Evolving Auckland: The City's Engineering Heritage. Wily Publications. pp. 87–104. ISBN 9781927167038.

[SIGN-4] 1 2 3 Information plaque at the end of Princes Wharf, as of 2007

[5] "Spectacular cruise ship season begins". Ports of Auckland. 25 October 2006. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008.

[NZ_Herald_10421676-6] Gibson, Anne (31 January 2007). "Photos: This apartment could all be yours for just $10m". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 4 November 2011.

[LEAKY-7] Gibson, Anne (13 February 2010). "Leaky hotel shuts best rooms". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 February 2010.

[NZ_Herald_10342524-8] Rudman, Brian (26 August 2005). "Brian Rudman: Heavies down at Princes Wharf to be reined in". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 4 November 2011.

[NZ_Herald_10492139-9] Rudman, Brian (13 February 2008). "Brian Rudman: Waterfront for Auckland, and the cruise visitors". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 4 November 2011.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]