KEY POINTS:
Now the Government has backed away from a waterfront stadium and Prime Minister Helen Clark talked of "exciting" projects for the waterfront, urban planners have their own wishlist for the city's harbourside.
Auckland architect and Britomart designer Mario Madayag:
Likes the idea of an "urban tramp" stretching from Wynyard Wharf in the west to Queens Wharf in the east. A day out might start with breakfast at one end and dinner at the other. In between could be outdoor cinemas, new ferry services, shops and cafes, and water taxis and buses.
Auckland architect Gordon Moller, a member of Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard's urban design panel and the architect of Sky City:
A strong critic of a stadium as he believed it would create a barrier between the waterfront and the city, he would like an open waterfront with residential accommodation, a ferry hub and perhaps a convention centre.
"'There's a whole lot of ferry services we haven't got such as up to Hobsonville or to East Coast Bays, then you introduce other activities."
Associate professor of urban design at Unitec, Dushko Bogunovich:
Wants Queens Wharf, at the bottom of Queen St, opened up "tomorrow".
It was ideal for an expanded ferry terminal on the western side and an ocean liner terminal on the other, shifting the giant ships from their alternative berth on the western side of Princes Wharf.
"That's a bit complicated in terms of customs and biosecurity but we all like to see huge ships there, they are such a spectacle and they are too close now to the apartments on Princes Wharf," he said.
It would have a park - not a green one - up the middle, with mobile food outlets, comfortable public seating and shelter for ferry passengers.
Captain Cook wharf directly east could be commercial and residential development but "less overbearing" than the Hilton apartments and hotel on Princes Wharf.
On Marsden Wharf, the farthest east, he would create an "eco tech" marina showcasing the best of New Zealand engineering and design skills and commemorating the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior along with New Zealand's boating industry.
"But it would only celebrate sailing boats," he said. "You could have things like a wind turbine. It wouldn't have to be huge but it would symbolise innovation and design."
City planners often forgot Auckland's harbour stretched from Point Erin, west of Westhaven, to St Heliers.
"Auckland has an exceptionally beautiful harbour in world terms.
"You would have skating, biking and walking right along with maybe a tramway. I have a thing about trams."
Auckland architect Julie Stout, a vehement opponent of the waterfront stadium, said a working port was an important part of her vision.
"You don't want to throw things down there just for the sake of it, I love seeing the ships coming in. Many cities don't have that any more."
Too many food and beverage outlets could also mean unwanted migration from the Viaduct.
"This is seriously a long-term picture, it would be stupid to rush in and say, 'Give us the wharves now'. Everyone has to work together."
