Hard News: Just don't call it "Party Central"
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recordari, in reply to
Thanks. I will.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Yes, I think I meant that The Cloud looks good inside, rather than out.
I’d say exactly the same thing about the Auckland City Art Gallery 2.0 – much as it makes my inner fiscal dry get all Gollum-y, with minor reservations I’d have to say it’s been a shit load of money well spent. Ditto for the Viaduct Events Centre – from the outside it’s got all the wow of a block of fresh tofu but as a working space I’ve get to come across anyone who’s got a disobliging word to say about it.
(Don't worry, darling, normal Grinch service will be restored soon.)
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There can be quite a lot of 'wow' about a block of fresh tofu, actually.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
’d say exactly the same thing about the Auckland City Art Gallery 2.0 – much as it makes my inner fiscal dry get all Gollum-y, with minor reservations I’d have to say it’s been a shit load of money well spent.
And it's worth noting that the fashionable thing to say at the time the design was announced was that it was an abomination, it should have been down at Wynyard, etc. Sometimes people know what they're doing.
Ditto for the Viaduct Events Centre – from the outside it’s got all the wow of a block of fresh tofu but as a working space I’ve get to come across anyone who’s got a disobliging word to say about it.
And that's really encouraging, because it suggests that there are good systems there -- unlike the licensed establishments it faces.
The RWC deadline has created a fascinating time for Auckland. I really wish some people would embrace that, rather than just carping.
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Sacha, in reply to
it should have been down at Wynyard
You can understand that at the time, a few years back, given the lack of waterfront progress and desire for an anchor venue. Probably helped make the Viaduct Events Centre worthwhile in the meantime.
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Sacha, in reply to
The RWC deadline has created a fascinating time for Auckland
True, but a fair amount of the development was happening regardless. It's that lag in any major infrstructure projects that sees strange things like road-meister Steven Joyce's name recorded opening Auckland's rail stations.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
True, but a fair amount of the development was happening regardless.
Yeah, but this is a bunch of stuff landing in quite a short time period,. I'm not so bothered about when various projects started. In the last two weeks, a major new theatre (Q) and a major extension of the Auckland Art Gallery have launched. The new Outer Link bus route launched last month, Queen's Wharf tomorrow, Wynyard Quarter a couple of months ago. Even the odd whoopsie, like the K Road overbridge, adds to the general sense of excitement.
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Sacha, in reply to
general sense of excitement
no disagreement. maloeleilei
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Sacha, in reply to
Imagine if we'd also finished electric trains and integrated ticketing and real broadband. But voters wanted tax cuts for rich folk. Oh well.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
no disagreement. maloeleilei
Also maximum respect to the entire Tongan community for turning out at the airport to meet their team and turning airport-area traffic to gridlock for hours afterwards. Lolz.
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Sacha, in reply to
Astonishing stuff. John Campbell's report (7 min clip) from amidst the joyous screaming crowd is worth a watch. Auckland truly is, as their skipper said, another Tonga. Proud.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
It’s that lag in any major infrstructure projects that sees strange things like road-meister Steven Joyce’s name recorded opening Auckland’s rail stations.
Yeah, and if I wanted to be bitchy about it Len Brown's been basking in the opening day glow of Q and ACAG that were well advanced before the amalgamation. While that may grind the gears of Messers Banks and Hubbard, I can't really begrudge Brown his photo ops because he and his council are going to be stuck making some hard (and big ticket) decisions about the Saint James. IMHO, we're very quickly coming to the point where kicking for touch just isn't going to cut it any more.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Yeah, and if I wanted to be bitchy about it Len Brown’s been basking in the opening day glow of Q and ACAG that were well advanced before the amalgamation.
Quite. He does bask well, though.
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Rich Lock, in reply to
I really wish some people would embrace that, rather than just carping.
I like the revamped Wynyard Quarter. I'm looking forward to a lot of the events down on Queen's Wharf.
There. You made me say it. You realise I'll shrivel up like a salted slug now, right? Happy now?
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Noone told me we couldn't take pictures of Shed 10 on Saturday.
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recordari, in reply to
I really wish some people would embrace that, rather than just carping.
I think he'd require a desalination plant to catch any carp. But he might catch a red herring.
<droll pa-troll>
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Sacha, in reply to
if I wanted to be bitchy about it
Who's being bitchy? It'd be like Len Brown presiding over a whole lot of slum clearance projects to build new office parks.
And I think you'll find the impetus behind many of the big projects coming to fruition now originated from Hubbard's term, not Banks and his Cheneyesque boss, David Hay - who you could say were dedicated above all to reducing rates and loading the inevitable costs onto their children's generation (but that might be bitchy). You could even describe it as kicking for touch.
Like you, I hope somneone has the balls to restore the magnificent St James, but the government's decision to award the convention centre contract to the casino does not help.
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Sacha, in reply to
pictures of Shed 10
It really is a suburban booze barn. Can just imagine McCully in his beige chinos leaning in a corner.
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BenWilson, in reply to
LOL. What smooth surfaces they have!
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Who’s being bitchy?
Me, basically - since I'm not exactly Len's biggest fan. Since the whole world doesn't sync up with electoral cycles it's part of the job that you may just find yourself doing all of the following:
1) Cutting the ribbon on shit in government you were lukewarm on (if not downright glacial) about in a previous political life.
2) Getting the photo op for things you had little, if anything, to do with...
3) ...which tends to be karmically balanced out by getting third degree burns from stamping out burning bags of dog shit left behind by your predecessors.
Welcome to grown-up politics. If you get a cup of tea and a sausage roll fit for human consumption, you're ahead of the game.
And I think you’ll find the impetus behind many of the big projects coming to fruition now originated from Hubbard’s term, not Banks and his Cheneyesque boss, David Hay
You know what, I'm still not feeling fucking Grinchy. I'll declare an interest here: As secretary of the Auckland Film Society, we've enjoyed modest (but critical) financial support from the late Auckland City Council for a number of years. That's a simple matter of fact, and I don't think it's unreasonable to give credit where it's due. Yes?
There were multiple opportunities for both the Q Theatre and ACAG renovations to be half-arsed, down-graded, under-funded or simply shuffled into the too hard basket. That didn't happen, and I'm glad to put down my partisan whacking stick and be glad that one or two committments were made beyond the next round of rates setting. (And you know that I don't have a particularly high opinion of either Banks or Hubbard.)
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Sacha, in reply to
I don't think it's unreasonable to give credit where it's due. Yes?
It helps to know where that is. And how the governance and operational cycles relate.
There were multiple opportunities for both the Q Theatre and ACAG renovations to be half-arsed, down-graded, under-funded or simply shuffled into the too hard basket.
True.
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Mike Graham, in reply to
And I think you’ll find the impetus behind many of the big projects coming to fruition now originated from Hubbard’s term...
Absolutely - Hubbard took a lot of flak for the Queen St upgrade, which I believe is now viewed quite favourably by many.
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Sacha, in reply to
Do wish they had insisted on rain shelter all the way up the street. Pretty basic in our climate.
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Matt Algie, in reply to
he and his council are going to be stuck making some hard (and big ticket) decisions about the Saint James.
At the Q Theatre opening last Friday I remember being delightfully surprised when Len Brown proudly announced "...and we're bring back the St James." So the wheels are in motion then?
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“ministerial interference”
in an election year would that be termed 'slow running'?
I can't help but wonder just how many drunks are going to end up in the drink all around that area, and just how damned hard it would be to get out of the water if you fell in.
What, no life preservers and ropes? Or even just some boogie boards for flotation tethered to the wharf at intervals...
Mr Whippy would have a field day
Seems to me someone needs to get a posse of cycle-powered vending carts in the area, novel and convenient, the existing businesses couldn't really complain as they sound like they have their hands full anyway...
<droll pa-troll>
hmmm, I like the sound of that, could be a whole comic in that idea...
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