Queens Wharf idea given the bird

With sick and dying pigeons around him, ARC chairman Mike Lee wonders if the Queens Wharf sheds can be transformed into an international gateway for Auckland. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

As Auckland's port company prepares to clear sick pigeons out of Queens Wharf's main "tin shed", arguments have begun over whether it can be turned into an acceptable international cruise ship terminal.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee yesterday expressed strong reservations about a decision by city councillors to include $84.3 million in their long-term budget for a wharf upgrade centred around doing up the two-storey, 2450sq m Shed 10.

Stepping around pigeon excrement and feathered corpses on the disused upper storey, he acknowledged that much of the "footprint" and native timber in the 97-year-old building's floor and roof rafters may be able to be included in a cruise ship terminal.

But he did not believe that Aucklanders and their visitors would be satisfied with such a shape and type of building.

"We need a longer and higher building, ideally with lots of glass and lights ... I don't think this is going to cut the mustard."

Mr Lee denied proposing a high-cost edifice, saying it should be possible to do more for less money than the city council proposed after the Government and ARC jointly bought the wharf this week for for $40 million.

The city's proposed $11.5 million for paving and resurfacing was an example of "gold-plating" not needed for turning the wharf into an acceptable public maritime environment.

"This is going to be the front door of Auckland for cruise ship visitors and possibly a renaissance of passenger ships," he said.

"We at the ARC have always believed this needs to be future-proofed as maritime infrastructure, and not just turned into another shopping mall or something."

Mr Lee also questioned a city council proposal to upgrade the wharf's other large shed, a single-storey structure now used as a banana coolstore.

"In our view it has no heritage value and is just cluttering the wharf, which we want open for more public space and perhaps some more suitable buildings such as cafes, but we don't need two great sheds."

The main shed now doubles as a processing area for Japanese used-car imports, and as a back-up terminal for cruise ships if berths are full on Princes Wharf.

Pigeons were flying in and out of the upper storey yesterday, although one ailing bird was having trouble moving off the floor, and others had already given up the ghost.

Cruise NZ chairman Craig Harris said that although a larger building would be ideal for ships bringing 3000 or so passengers to Auckland, the industry believed the space available would be feasible if the shed operated on two levels. That would require airbridges, missing from Auckland City's initial proposal.

But Mr Harris said the industry wanted a functional wharf and did not believe it needed to be resurfaced, even though it was uneven in places.

He admitted some initial concern on hearing of the city's proposal, but after inspecting the main shed again, accepted it may be able to turned into something "architecturally quite interesting."

City deputy mayor David Hay said the suddenness of the wharf's purchase from the port company meant the city had less than a week to include a proposal in its budget, and nothing definite had been decided.

He acknowledged it may be difficult for people to conceptualise what could be done but said there were plenty of architects with track records of turning "a sow's ear into a silk purse."

"I guess everybody would love to bowl everything and put up an iconic building but can we afford that?"