WHAT IF

Yesterday I came across this amazing photo / plan on Lew Redwoods fb – it originally appeared in the NZ Herald on 7th December 1955.

Up there with the ‘how come we missed out on a waterfront sports arena a few years ago – probably see answer – stifled by small minded Auckland City Council bureaucrats.

In 1955, plans were being discussed to turn the Meola Reef, Westmere, Auckland area into, well, basically the Western Springs version of the Wynyard Quarter.

Shipbuilding firm Roy Lidgard Ltd proposed to the City Council and Auckland Harbour Board “a beautiful marine base in the Waitemata Harbour between Westmere and Pt Chevalier.

There would be no big boat building on the site, and buildings put up to service yachts and launches would be of pleasing design, surrounded by trees, shrubs and lawns.” There would have been American-style jetties, parking for 220 cars on the peninsula, at least six tennis courts, a club pavilion, and a small beach on the opposite side of the boat installations.

It fell through, of course, and has wound up in the collection of “Ideas that never quite made it off the drawing board” in Auckland’s history.

Inaugural Southern Lakes Classic & Historic Boat Gathering

Proud owners of proxy. 40 historic and classical boats from all over the South Island gathered in Queenstown at the weekend for the inaugural Southern Lakes Classic & Historic Boat Event, which included a mass cruise behind the TSS Earnslaw.Click out this ODT link to view / read a report on the day https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown/boat-event-lake-wakatipu-%E2%80%98huge-success%E2%80%99