Waterfront Auckland ponders race-village options

Auckland's Wynyard Quarter is a preferred location for a possible race village. Photo / Richard Robinson

Wynyard Quarter and a wharf extension to Halsey St are shaping up as the preferred waterfront locations should the America's Cup come back to New Zealand.

Waterfront Auckland has started thinking about where the team compounds and a race village would be for a possible Cup challenge, with an eye to triggering some new development.

The Weekend Herald understands there are two frontrunners - extending the Halsey St wharf to create a new sheltered piece of water north of the Viaduct Harbour, and the northern end of Wynyard Quarter.

This would involve moving storage tanks to create a headland park and using Wynyard Wharf on the eastern side. Queens Wharf, which includes the Cloud and Shed 10, would probably play a key role as an entertainment and spectator zone.

Other locations include a new marina within Westhaven marina and Captain Cook Wharf, although this would depend on the port company releasing it for public use.

The Viaduct Harbour, which hosted Team New Zealand and racing syndicates for the 2000 and 2003 defences of the Cup, has no space for syndicates. Even the Team New Zealand base, in Halsey St fronting the Viaduct, is earmarked for a hotel development.

Waterfront Auckland chairman Sir Bob Harvey said should the positive results continue, the council body was looking forward to working with Emirates Team New Zealand and the Government to ensure the Auckland waterfront hosted the event.

At this stage, there is no funding available for any of the options.