Subscribe to RSSInside Wynyard’s Silo Park
Silo Park on the corner of Hamer and Jelicoe Sts in the Wynyard Quarter is an intelligent use of what was the embarrassing tank farm which occupied the valuable harbour land.
It’s turned into a a grassed public space bordered by a 12 metre high 110 long steel gantry, celebrating the area’s industrial heritage and incorporating the Golden Bay Cement Silo 7 and six-pack with excellent view over the area.
The park will also be used in summer for outdoor cinema screenings.
It incorporates the Wind Tree sculpture by Japanese artist Michio Ihara which was in QE Squate between 1977 and 2002 -removed during the Britomart rail station development.
The 22 metres long stainless steel work, 5.5 metres high has trusses designed to swing in the wind.
Let’s just remember how awful those tanks were.
Nearby is North Wharf on the north side of a well-landscaped Jellicoe Street where new buildings and a refurbished old Harbour Board “red shed” has 9 new restaurants and bars.
WYNYARD QUARTER PREVIEW CONTINUES
Preview of area starts here
Inside the Wynyard Loop trams Video & Photos
Te Wero Bridge-= video and photos
14 Comments
Why on earth are there so many cars parked there in that second to last photo - I hope they’re all the cars from the construction workers, because if not that’s a pretty bad start to what should be a public area.
Otherwise, this development is fantastic!
Pretty sure they are contracters cars
Contractors cars - lots of last minute work to be done!
Ah, I’d missed the Wind Tree. We need a little more public sculpture and art in the city, but very glad to see good use has been made of this object.
What has happened to fuel storage, if it’s not there anymore? I presume the tanks had more than a symbolic function.
George - the fuel storage is still there on the peninsular but the gantry is to help block it off a bit. I believe they can’t move them on until they find somewhere else to put them and also they still have leases to use the land for many years to come.
Jon - I believe the steel gantry is designed to allow creepers to cover it so eventually it is meant to be a bit like a green wall, most likely to block out the view of the tanks
The tanks aren’t needed for fuel storage any more, because it gets pumped down directly from Marsden Point in the pipeline
Luke - It is more than just fuel as I believe there are other industrial chemicals there as well.
@ Jon, can I ask why it was dubbed “embarrassing”?
At some point in time, New Zealand required (and still does) goods and services by sea.
It really annoys me that a lot people think that it use to be “wasted” land.
its a Harbour, what else do you do in a harbour but unload ships, stock, store containers, have cool stores unloading and loading areas.
I’m sorry but comments like that, are just like the comments of people who buy apartments in harbour areas then moan and try and protest ship hours, fog horns and lights for when people work at night.
Yes what is being done is really nice, I hope to go and visit it myself.
but a tank farm, or whatever the situation maybe once existed for a reason. But one thing is for sure it was never “embarrassing” or even as far as out of place.
Sorry Jon, great article but its just strange how I read this and look at other websites and reports from years ago , where people rubbish the crap out of it and just expect these things to go away somewhere, where we can’t see them.
On a different note one thing I am surprised is that the area doesn’t have any wind turbines down there for power generation…with all the amount of Silo’s and tall structures that are still their I thought they could have built some into the designs somewhere.
Hopefully Aucklanders will understand why the heritage shed was important to keep, once they see North Wharf.
Carl is right re the importance of the economic port, but these tanks were largely not needed, and some companies are still hanging onto leases to avoid the costs of remediation, when they give up their leases. So the “embarrassing ” bit is probably the amount of time/negotiation its taken.
Having said that, Auckland’s property demand is limited, so a staged release is sensible anyway.
It really annoys me that a lot people think that it use to be “wasted” land.
its a Harbour, what else do you do in a harbour but unload ships, stock, store containers, have cool stores unloading and loading areas.
I’m sorry but comments like that, are just like the comments of people who buy apartments in harbour areas then moan and try and protest ship hours, fog horns and lights for when people work at night.
Yep. Just like the people who complain when they buy beside the rail lines
The port is among the most economically productive land in the entire country. Clearly, as this demonstrates, there’s room for both in Auckland’s waterfront.
Carl, small wind-turbines are generally very inefficient, and in built up areas which produce turbulent air, even more so. Many produce less energy than that required to build them, and thus are toys for people who want to ‘feel’ green. The Auckland region needs more, but they should be in Awhitu or Kaipara, where they make perfect sense. Clear, fresh air coming off the Tasman almost every day of the year.
@ george d, lol we have the same problem out there,
“they don’t look good”
again, sorry you can’t have affordable power and not have wind towers or wave things sticking out of the ground.
slightly off topic (sorry jon) but the same thing happened when vector built that vortex thing out that way, but it actually rusted to pieces =( but people hated what it “looked like”.
Carl - Yes ports are important but have a look at the picture on google maps which is from a few years ago, the majority of the land down there was completely empty, hardly being productive. Going back further on the councils GIS viewer shows that even in 1996 there wasn’t great deals of activity going on with it still mostly. Interestingly some of the tanks you can see were clearly there or under construction in aerial photos from 1940.
The sheds look great, has a real rustic ‘wharf’ vibe down there. The silos, which I thought were going to be in the way and destroy the whole atmosphere by being overbearing, however I think the blend in perfectly and complement the whole development. I can not wait until summer, the whole area is going to be humming!
I love the gantry, but what is it for? What will it be used for? is it a work of art?