Auckland’s Cracker Bay is an exciting new waterfront precinct where top-notch marina and dry stack facilities meet Winton Hospitality, new event spaces and even a private club.
Winton, the people responsible for such stunning developments as Northbrook and Ayrburn, have revealed their plans for the former Pier21 Marine Precinct, located 15 Westhaven Drive, to complement the well used dry stack and marina. Spaces are still available in both the marina and the drystack, but as the development progresses, demand is likely to soar.
Winton’s vision is to create a marine-focussed precinct connecting the existing marina and boat park with a range of excellent hospitality venues in a breath-taking, sun-soaked setting people can enjoy.
Winton was founded by Chris and Michaela Meehan, world class sailors in their own right. Michaela is a three-time Olympian in the 470 class, while Chris has competed in a series of world championships in 470s, Farr40s and Dragon classes. With this development, their love affair with the water continues.
Chris has called the new precinct ‘Cracker Bay’ – an expansive offering set on a spectacular piece of land between Beaumont Street, Westhaven Drive, and a long stretch of waterfront. It will combine the vibrancy of a multifaceted hospitality precinct open to the public, complete with new restaurants, bars and casual eateries, with the exclusivity of a private yacht club.
The development will also add much-needed event space, suitable for a variety of functions, including weddings, and extend Auckland’s beloved promenade walkway which, currently, abruptly veers off the water by Westhaven Drive.
Chris has entrusted this development to a team of marine experts, including Wayne Avery, who runs the Cracker Bay Dry Stack and Marina, and Shaun Niven, one of the precinct’s Development Managers.
“Wayne grew up sailing racing dinghies and was a professional superyacht captain for 30 years, sailing around the world three times. He’s the perfect fit for Cracker Bay,” says Chris.
Shaun, a luxury boating designer, brings his attention to detail to Winton’s operation. “Shaun’s responsible for redeveloping the marina and helping create the food and beverage precinct,” explains Chris.
Shaun is excited about Winton’s plans: “Auckland has allowed parts of its downtown waterfront to languish in obscurity, but Chris and the team at Winton are creating a development that promises to unlock the value of Auckland’s waterfront in a way that has never been done before.”
Wayne Avery feels the same way: “Cracker Bay is the perfect evolution of Winton’s ground-breaking and multifaceted vision and perfectly complements what we are already doing at the boat park.”
Cracker Bay’s 42-berth marina offers berths for boats from 10 to 18m in length, while the dry stack facility offers parking for 192 boats up to 9m in length. The team at Cracker Bay is also offering free trailer parking for a limited time only (conditions apply).
“Spaces in both the marina and the covered dry stack are available now for those who want to enjoy their days on the water, and afterwards, take advantage of the world-class hospitality and facilities Cracker Bay will offer,” says Wayne. But get in quick!
