One group had taped blue tarps together to create a flimsy wind-break, or perhaps to give a sense of privacy, something hard to achieve on the street.
Many had staked claims beneath overhangs, others had settled under a tree, only to worry about the birds and possibly other wildlife above.
"I had to borrow a friend's sleeping bag," said DDB ad agency chief Justin Mowday, of Waterview.
"I've got a few layers of clothes on," he said, pointing to the two woollen tops and one cotton T-shirt he was wearing. He had an overcoat, a beanie and a pair of track pants in reserve.
Why does he care about homelessness?
"A few years ago I went to Sydney and Melbourne and was surprised by the number of homeless people on the street. Unfortunately in central Auckland it's starting to look a bit the same."
"We are a modern city with pretty good welfare systems so it doesn't need to be that way."
Morgan Browne, a social community support worker at telco Spark said her motivation for taking part was: "Because I think together lots of us from big corporates can make a difference. On the personal level I really want to see change ... and I think we can do that."
"Lots of people walk past homeless people every day and they become part of the furniture on the street. We are hoping to show that they are really people like us, with ambitions and desires, and that just like everyone else in the world they deserve a comfortable home and bed to go to each day."
Lifewise chief executive Moira Lawler said $250,000 had been raised so far - well up on last year's tally of $177,000 - but donations tended to continue for several days afterwards.
The money was important, she said, because Lifewise did not receive any Government funding for its work in homelessness.
"There's just a massively growing profile for the issue. There's a huge concern in New Zealand around homelessness."
New Zealand was at risk of becoming accustomed to having people without a home, but it didn't have to be that way, she said, citing a programme in Canada which showed that "you can take people off the street and sustain them in tenancies".
Rika Rosli, a 21-year-old mother who came to Lifewise homeless and a pregnant teenager, visited the rough sleepers at AUT.
She said she was homeless off and on for about five years since she was 15, sometimes sleeping in the Symonds St cemetery, sometimes in cars, sometimes on friends' couches.
But now she lives on Waiheke with her partner, caring for her baby son and making art.
She appealed to employers to consider hiring a homeless person, "giving them a chance", and for churches and other community groups to watch for the signs of homelessness.
It's 5am, the mercury's hit a new overnight low - 7 degrees - and the soft snoring of a nearby company executive has stirred me from my slumber. Another guy is watching YouTube videos - laughter echoes from his smartphone.
After a patchy four hours' sleep on a strip of cardboard on cold concrete, we've essentially made it - all 140 of us, camped out overnight in central Auckland to raise awareness of homelessness.
A few metres away, Dr Tony Fernando has struggled to sleep. "I tried to imagine it was business class - with a lie flat bed, but that didn't work," he says.
Bodies are aching as we make it to breakfast - and to hear the news that total funds raised from Lifewise's Big Sleep Out have hit $264,000, well past the $250,000 target.
"I don't think people understand how many are living so close to the breadline," says sleepout participant, Ateed external relations general manager Steve Armitage.
Singer Lizzie Marvelly has seen an increase in the number of homeless on Auckland streets. "I believe everyone deserves a roof over their heads - I feel lucky to have a home. Fifty per cent of homeless are under 25, and I'm 25 - I can't even imagine being homeless."
The best part of the night? Hearing directly from those who have lived on the streets, and who have turned the corner. Hearing the hope.
John was living on the street for four years, before moving into a home this year. "I lay down on the floor and did snow angels."
Rika Rosli, a 21-year-old former homeless woman, spoke from the heart. She now lives on Waiheke, with her partner and baby son and makes art. She firmly believes in Lifewise's goal to end homelessness in the next five years.
"We are going to tweet about looking forward to the next one (sleepout). But why should there be a next one? There should not be a next one."
