Pedestrian-friendly ideas for wharf

The Auckland City Council has issued more images of Queens Wharf to show how it plans to "open up the waterfront".

City development committee chairman Aaron Bhatnagar said the images showed how pedestrian-friendly the council wanted to make Queens Wharf.

One image (Image 1) shows one of the 1912 wharf cargo sheds restored with extensions - a nod towards the sheds' verandas in the 1920s - and extensive new glazing.

"Think of it as accentuating the character of Shed 10 (the eastern shed) rather than a strict restoration," Mr Bhatnagar said.

Other features include a hole in the wharf so people people could view the sea underneath and stepping to overcome the uneven surface of the 2ha wharf.

In the distance is a boxy-looking structure - a hypothetical building that could be built after the 2011 Rugby World Cup, when the wharf is expected to become "party central" for tens of thousands of rugby fans.

Another image (Image 2) shows a general view of the wharf area from Quay St.

Renovating the two sheds is part of an $84 million city council plan to upgrade the wharf and build a cruise ship terminal.

The council revealed its first image for the wharf five days ago in the Weekend Herald.

At the same time, the Auckland Regional Council released preliminary concept drawings showing a new glass-clad cruise ship terminal as the "centrepiece" for the Auckland waterfront.