Surroundings
The Edwardian Auckland Town Hall is at the Queen Street entrance to the square. It has a main concert chamber with excellent acoustics, and was extensively restored and upgraded in 1994.
To the south of the square are the Administration block of the Auckland City Council and the entry to Myers Park.
On the western side of the square is Auckland's main conference and theatre venue, the Aotea Centre. The foyer contains art works by many New Zealand artists including a full length portrait in bronze of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa by Terry Stringer.
To the north of the square is a cinema/theatre complex including the 1929 Civic Theatre, in the atmospheric theatre style. The ceiling within the main chamber is illuminated with lights placed to correspond with the constellations of the southern night sky.
Aotea Square was originally the location of a swamp fed and drained by the Waihorotiu Stream. The stream was turned into an open sewer canal and eventually bricked over and the swampy area drained. A three-story underground parking garage accessible from Mayoral Drive and Greys Avenue was constructed in the 1970s.
Read more about this topic: Aotea Square
Famous quotes containing the word surroundings:
“Children’s lives are not shaped solely by their families or immediate surroundings at large. That is why we must avoid the false dichotomy that says only government or only family is responsible. . . . Personal values and national policies must both play a role.”
—Hillary Rodham Clinton (20th century)
“I am I plus my surroundings and if I do not preserve the latter, I do not preserve myself.”
—José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955)