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.

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First things first.

We’ve got to go back to Thursday’s visit with my cousin, Brad Heald, and his wife, Sapi (and dog, Watson). The storyline is a bit complicated, since here in New Zealand, we’re a day ahead of the calendar back in Hawaii.

There’s another whole part of that day’s story I skipped over in the first telling.

In a large shed attached to their small home, Brad is building a boat.

Not just any boat. This isn’t a “hook-it-up-to-your-truck and tow it to the boat ramp for a day of fishing” kind of boat.

It’s a 52’ trawler he is building by hand. Mostly alone. From the conceptual drawings, to plans, to design details, he’s pushing forward by force of will. It’s probably half completed right now, but what a sight! Here are a couple of his many drawings. Click on any picture to see a larger version.

Right now, the boat is taking shape. The hull is upside down during this phase of construction, its bottom facing the sky. Inside is a sign reminding you of this orientation. “This side up,” it announces, with a large arrow pointing down.

Brad is a genius. He seems to be able to get almost anything from concept to creation.

Although only about half completed, this boat-to-be is an amazingly impressive sight.

Sometime soon, it will be time to turn the hull right-side-up. It currently weighs about 6-1/2 tons. I asked if it will take a crane. No, he replied. How many people? Two, he said. He explained how it would be done, a bit at a time, but I still don’t quite understand how two people will manage all that tonnage as it is flipped over. It’s all over my head.

Here are a few photos that give you a feel for what’s going on there in the shed.

When the boat is done, they plan on living on it and traveling far and wide. The first test will be a trip of about five days to Australia. Then on to the rest of the world.