}

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Chelsea Sugar Refinery

I hadn’t planned on just posting photos this week, but I guess it’s sort of a Christmas present—taking a break from serious subjects to show a little of my Auckland this time of year.

Today’s photo is of the Chelsea Sugar Refinery taken from Northcote Point last week. In the middle distance is Birkenhead Wharf, which is a ferry terminal.

The refinery’s 18-month construction began in 1883 on a site chosen because it was flat, had a fresh water supply from Duck Creek and because the Waitemata Harbour (also called Auckland Harbour) is at its deepest a few metres offshore. 1.5 million bricks were made by hand from clay on the site, one million for the refinery itself and another half million for a damn across Duck Creek.

The site eventually consisted of 450 acres, and today much of it is kept in park-like condition that the public is welcome to visit. It’s a lovely site, and maybe one of these days I’ll go and take some photos there.

Anyway, for more on the refinery and its history, the company has a page I excerpted above.

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