Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Auckland City Nights

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  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    a half-hour queue

    That'll impress our foreign visitors

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Christopher Dempsey, in reply to JordanTCarter,

    Now how long is it going to take to run the tram all the way to Britomart?

    Tis a question on everyone's lips. Answer: Not long (comparatively speaking in Auckland speak). Give it three years or so.

    Parnell / Tamaki-Auckland… • Since Sep 2008 • 659 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Christopher Dempsey,

    I would have thought cigarette vendors to be a sunset industry.

    I wish the same could be said for folks who profiteer off self-inflicted alcohol poisoning while blithely flouting licensing laws, but I won't hold my breath waiting...

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Christopher Dempsey, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    folks who profiteer off self-inflicted alcohol poisoning while blithely flouting licensing laws

    In all cases I've seen, the majority of such folks don't flout the licensing laws. The licensing laws, as I've described before, means that it is very very easy to get a liquor licence and extremely difficult to lose one, and the law is sufficiently 'wide' enough to the point such folk hardly need to flout the law in term of hours of sale or discounting in supermarkets, or the development of alcopops.

    Neo-liberalism delivered self-inflicted alcohol poisoning (it's a free market after all and your choice) while protecting the profits of those who merely enable such poisoning (it's a free market after all).

    Parnell / Tamaki-Auckland… • Since Sep 2008 • 659 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Christopher Dempsey,

    Given the number of submissions to the Waitemata LB draft Plan asking for smokefree public places I would have thought cigarette vendors to be a sunset industry.

    It's a terrible thing, I know, but not actually illegal, and you'd think outside tables, at night, would be a permissible setting.

    But it's not just ciggies. Where do you buy a newspaper, or a snack for the kids? I honestly think a convenience store would be of service to families, and I'm not that bothered as to what Waterfront Auckland thinks about it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to Russell Brown,

    You really have to wonder what's going through the heads of those ministers.

    What's in their heads is they a) never expected Rodney to be able to force it through in one term so they didn't properly prepare for it, b) when they saw that it was actually going to happen, set it up for Banks to be the steward of central government policy for Auckland because, well, born to rule, natural order of things yadda yadda, and c) faced with an actual elected council that isn't a puppet for the Nats, have no real idea how to deal with it so automatically say "no" to anything proposed.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Christopher Dempsey,

    In all cases I’ve seen, the majority of such folks don’t flout the licensing laws.

    With all due respect, Christopher - bullshit. You know as well as I do that licensed premises are not supposed to serve alcohol to intoxicated persons, or allow such persons on their premises. We both know that happens routinely, and I personally have little sympathy for police or politicians (local or central) who wring their hands about "binge drinking culture" while being unable, or unwilling, to enforce the laws already on the books. Put it in the too hard basket, if you must, but let's just stop pretending it isn't an issue.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    licensed premises are not supposed to serve alcohol to intoxicated persons

    Define "intoxicated"?

    - over the youth limit for driving?
    - over the adult limit for driving?
    - obviously affected by alcohol?
    - sufficiently annoying to other bar patrons as to drive a number of paying customers away that isn't offset by the inebriates own consumption?
    - vomiting?
    - unconscious?

    I suspect that most bar owners draw the line at point 4.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Mike Graham, in reply to nzlemming,

    +1, especially:

    c) faced with an actual elected council that isn’t a puppet for the Nats, have no real idea how to deal with it so automatically say “no” to anything proposed.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 206 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to nzlemming,

    What's in their heads is

    ideology. and that's all

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Russell Brown,

    You really have to wonder what’s going through the heads of those ministers.

    Red Ken vs the Iron Lady, methinks? It'll look horribly spiteful if they actually do take a leaf out of the latter's book.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Cheese on Toast has a good bunch of B Street photographs.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Cheese on Toast has a good bunch of B Street photographs.

    What a great collection. Makes me wish I'd ventured out, rather than opting for the alternative, which didn't quite go to plan.

    He seems to be using jAlbum, which is my pick for making online albums in a hurry too, in case anyone's interested.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Christopher Dempsey,

    And there is a massive Starmart at the base of the Crab – the old AHB building – anyway, about a 10 min walk away.

    Which would be a pretty acceptable solution *if people could find it*. Dairies just aren't the sort of thing that end up on maps. (Plus, overseas visitors aren't even going to know what a "StarMart" is if it was marked somewhere.) If you could find some way to convey that information to the people who needed it - or, I'm not familiar with the geography of the area, the place is one people are inevitably going to pass on the way there - that's fine, but otherwise...

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    *if people could find it*

    The Starmart mentioned is back over the pedestrian bridge; not even in the same conceptual area.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Russell Brown,

    who then explained to his friend that I hosted “a kind of underground TV show”. Yeah, that’s me: an urban media guerilla.

    All the more so when TVNZ7 sadly gets unplugged by tunnel-vision. Where to after that?

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    Which would be a pretty acceptable solution *if people could find it*. Dairies just aren't the sort of thing that end up on maps.

    I just entered 'convenience store' in my phone and google pointed me to a bunch of local 7-elevens (and one Star Mart - they're not as common but they exist). I'd imagine it would do similar things in Auckland?

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Simon Grigg,

    I just entered 'convenience store' in my phone and google pointed me to a bunch of local 7-elevens (and one Star Mart - they're not as common but they exist). I'd imagine it would do similar things in Auckland?

    Star Marts I'll grant you, dairies I'd be doubtful of - Google Maps tends to be a lot dodgier the smaller/more local the store. Besides, unless things have changed a lot in the past year, smartphones still aren't *that* common in NZ. If they had that free WiFi everyone's wishing for....in a few years, maybe. And it still does sound like there's a call for a convenience type-store in that particular location.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    *if people could find it*

    Auckland City Council, meet the widely known phenomena of the “Kiosk”

    http://www.prestigekiosks.com/information.php?info_id=5

    they sell newspapers, ciggies, lollies, chippies, postcards and stamps – all that sort of stuff that the punters want, AND they can be moved if they don’t work out.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    smartphones still aren't *that* common in NZ

    I suspect they'll be the norm amongst our relatively wealthy rugby tourists ..

    postcards and stamps

    .. though maybe not all of them.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    People (by which I mean a sample set made up of me) still like to send postcards.

    Mind you, I like writing letters when I am on holiday as well. Half the fun is finding the local post office.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • nzMM,

    Regards the K rd over-bridge, I saw it Saturday night for the first time as well. Seriously! What the hell!! Why would any architect take that view from us.? Architecture 101, lesson 1 should definitely be: Don't obscured great views for no reason?

    The people who conspired to steal such a beautiful vista from the people of Auckland should be tarred and feathered and made to walk the length of K-rd so people can subject them to the humiliation they deserve.

    2 steps forward, one step back... hopefully this can be remedied sooner rather than later.

    Auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 15 posts Report Reply

  • Glenn Pearce,

    +1 on the service at Wynyard. The Fishmarket guys are trying to cope but struggling, they've gone from having no business because the road was viturally blocked off while the work was going on to being absolutley inundated now. Hope they can get up to speed.

    The queues in the Gelato shop were horrendous when we were down there, where's Mr Whippy when you need him.

    Also those stainless steel sea eggs and the rusty iron shell in the playground look fantastic but they were hot to the touch on a sunny late winter's day. In Summer someone will get burnt on those. Many playgrounds have removed the old stainless steel slides for exactly that reason.

    The kids loved rolling down the grassy hill and paddling in the pond under the *clothesline* scuplture.

    The tram has absolutely got to get extended to Britomart as soon as possible or it runs the very serious risk of being a white elephant.

    Great to have a space on the CBD waterfront suitable for families.

    Auckland • Since Feb 2007 • 504 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to nzMM,

    Regards the K rd over-bridge

    AKT blog has a post with photos of the problems - which apparently include lack of basic protection from rain, something repeated across Auckland's transport network that should be a source of shame for designers. Compare with the earlier artful renderings.

    Inevitably, there's a Bookface page.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    Google Maps tends to be a lot dodgier the smaller/more local the store.

    For sure. I just searched for "dairy" on my phone and it came up with one that's 2 km away, missing the 3 that are much closer. Tried "convenience store", and it got about 10 hits in the CBD, none of them vaguely close to the Wynyard Quarter. Which, incidentally is not marked on Google as having a pedestrian bridge, so if people wanted to use Navigation to get to them, they would be doing the old scenic route.

    I've also noticed that it's not much good at finding cheap places to eat. Anyone who has gone to the trouble of making sure they're in Google is likely to be expensive.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

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