Visit the Britomart precint - why? No reason except to catch a bus or a train. We went there recently to see first hand what has been created. We were very underwhelmed except for the Ernst & Young building - this looks like it is here to stay and of a lasting quality. We left our vehicle in Fort Street and walked north through Gore or Commerce Streets. This is not a pleasant area and we were very pleased to cross Fanshawe near The Lonely Dog gallery. We love Lonely Dog but had never had the chance to visit the Auckland gallery. We learnt that Lonely Dog was originally a dachshund and having a wire haired as part of our family now we fell in love immediately. The very genial sales person then committed a cardinal sales sin - when I enquired about a line drawing of Lonely Dog peering in through the woodshed window; she said 'no, that particular one wasn't for sale by itself and if I wanted it I would have to spend several thousand to purchase it and 16 others'. What??  

Britomart

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Ersnt & Young Building - Britomart
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CPO - Britomart train station
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CPO - Britomart train station
CPO - Britomart train station
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CPO - Britomart train station
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'The Cloud' - Queens wharf
I have no desire for 17 Lonely Dog pictures and no place to hang them, but would have been happy to pay several hundred dollars for the one I particularly liked. Unfortunately Lonely Dog will not be inhabiting our house.
Moving on from this experience we came upon a pleasant paved open space with the Ernst & Young building to our right. It is a wide squat structure of about 8 or 9 levels with a glazed atrium through the middle giving the whole an open airey aspect. Walking through, the vertical gardens took our eye immediately, a restful, calming feature. At the eastern end we were confronted by the horrible Scene 1 2 and 3 buildings on Beach Road and hurriedly about faced to be calmed by the gardens again. A coffee at Espresso works, in this atrium area, was a very good experience and much happier we continued our walk west, onto Britomart Station, which, of course was developed from the old CPO building. We have Christine Fletcher, when she was Auckland's mayor in 2000, to thank for saving this wonderful heritage building and giving it a new lease of life as the central rail terminus.
As we stand across Britomart Place the impression I have is of engine noise and buses everywhere, pulling out, cutting in, stopping, starting - being a pedestrian is quite fraught.
Entering the CPO is a step back in time; the endless stretch of mail and PO Savings Bank counters have all gone but the former grandeur lives on with the glass atrium additions to the rear, under which you descend to the train platforms, delivering light and 'openair' scope. Below decks the platforms stretch away into the distance with the thrumming of diesel engines filling the vast space. Venting must be very good as there is no discernable fume odour. Auckland's coming electric trains will be a huge advance into the future. Turning back up the stairs we left Britomart with a good feeling.
On to Queens wharf and "the cloud'. Oh dear, what were we thinking - a giant hu-hu grub rising up like Godzilla to devour the CBD! From the outside it's awful, inside I don't know, it may serve it's purpose - I certainly hope so for our $10 million. The best thing that could happen is that it disappears as fast as it appeared, as all good clouds should.
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