NZ visual diary - entry 69

silo park vibe - Wynyard Quarter

The most planned community in New Zealand, the Wynyard Quarter district of Auckland's harbour front is my siren call. I may wander elsewhere in Auckland's central business district, but I am always drawn back to the silo cliffs of Wynyard Quarter, as are countless other Kiwi every weekend.

It was not always so.

The western border of Auckland's water front was first an enclave of marine-related industries and petrochemical concerns, the northwest point of Wynyard Quarter being the former home to a farm of petrol storage tanks used by the likes of BP and Mobil, among other petrochemical giants.

By the time Eke Panuku, Auckland Council's development agency, undertook the monumental task of planning and executing the transformation of Wynyard Quarter, much of the district was a petrochemical wasteland. By dint of prodigious vision, collaboration, energy and financial underwriting from Auckland Council, Eke Panuku has realised a remarkable achievement in urban revitalisation.

The history of the district's transformation is nicely documented in a set of videos produced by Chris Farhi and found in entry 16 of my NZ visual diary.

I am very proud indeed to be a resident of Wynyard Quarter and have dedicated my WordPress blog in large measure to a visual celebration of its prominence in Auckland's built environment.