Directly across the street from our hotel is the scene of a disputed historic building caught in the tension between historic preservation and redevelopment. It’s the first thing you see when walking out the hotel onto Albert Street.

Link House was of three adjacent buildings once considered together for historic preservation purposes. The neighboring Yates Building was demolished several years ago, although the planned building slated to be built has not materialized.

This is Google’s AI Overview:

“Link House,” located at 15 Albert Street in Auckland, has a history of neglect and deterioration. Originally the home of Henry Berry & Coy, salt merchants, the building is now an “eyesore” with graffiti, broken windows, and loose plaster, according to a 2010 news article, NZ Herald. It has been unoccupied for 15 years and suffered from vandalism and damage from squatters. The building’s condition has been a point of contention, with some advocating for its heritage status and others pushing for demolition and redevelopment.

On Monday, we wandered around the central business district again. First stop was Commercial Bay, a large mall that fills most of a city block including a large food court featuring a wide variety of cuisines, restaurants and lots of shops on several floors of a high rise building just down the block from our hotel. One side faces the harbor. The mall connects through a walkway on the second floor to another building across the street, where other restaurants await.

We ended up down the street at Viaduct Harbor where we had lunch before exploring a bit more.

Later in the afternoon, we ventured out again, this time in search of a new sweater for Meda. The sweater she has been using for travel was found many years ago in a thrift store, but it has fallen victim to moths while in storage at home. She has been patching the biggest holes on this trip, but I suggested that it was time to be indulgent and go shopping.

So we walked over to Queen Street, one of the main streets in central Auckland, and went into “Great Kiwi Yarns,” a shop featuring NZ wool products.

Mission accomplished!

We made one other stop in the Queen’s Arcade, another small shopping mall in a historic building. I’m afraid that I encouraged Meda to check out Gallery Pacific, a family-owned jewelry store that has been in business for 50 years.

She didn’t buy anything, but we’re going back this morning to get at least one beautiful bauble. Then off to a couple more thrift stores a short bus ride away.