Venue Spotlight: Queens Wharf

Shed 10

Built in 1910, this heritage-listed Category 1 Historic Place is the last original building on Queens Wharf.

The Ground Floor retains its rugged character with a concrete floor, steel columns, and exposed beams, creating a unique backdrop for events. Level 1 offers a warmer aesthetic with timber flooring, exposed steel trusses, and a gabled ceiling featuring skylights. Both floors are filled with natural light and provide easy access, making Shed 10 an exceptional event space.

Check out the virtual tour to explore this stunning historic space.

The Cloud

The Cloud, located on Auckland's waterfront beside Shed 10, is a striking and versatile venue ideal for exhibitions, dinners, weddings, and large-scale events. 

With its distinctive design, flexibility, and capacity, The Cloud continues to be a standout choice for a variety of occasions, blending functionality with Auckland’s waterfront charm.

Experience The Cloud via the virtual tour.

Renowned for its exceptional waterfront location and striking versatility, both Shed 10 and The Cloud have been the venues of choice for numerous business events.

Scroll through the photos below to see how these versatile blank-canvas venues are transformed into celebrated event spaces.

According to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Queens Wharf, home to Shed 10 and The Cloud, is recognised as a Category 1 Historic Place, signifying its “special or outstanding historical or cultural significance.”

Shed 10 was originally one of four industrial warehouses used to store and export cargo such as beef, lamb, and butter.

Over its century-long history, Shed 10 and Queens Wharf have played pivotal roles in shaping Auckland’s social, cultural, and historical identity. Troops departing for the First World War were farewelled from the wharf, and during the Second World War, over 1.5 million tonnes of cargo were shipped from Shed 10 and neighbouring warehouses to support the South Pacific campaign.

Following an award-winning restoration in 2013, Shed 10 has been transformed into a celebrated venue for gala dinners, dance parties, brand launches, and large-scale events.

Adjacent to Shed 10 is The Cloud, a striking modern designed to reflect the Land of the Long White Cloud. Initially built as a temporary fan zone for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, The Cloud has since become a beloved venue for business events and public gatherings.

Browse the photos below to explore the rich history of Queens Wharf.

Shed 10 also features a collection of specially commissioned artworks by prominent New Zealand artists, each reflecting the stories of the Auckland isthmus—its people, its visitors, and its place in the wider world.

Ceramics, circa 2012 | Amorangi Hikuroa (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toru, Tepopoto, Tainui)

These two large ceramic works, by Tai Tokerau Northland artist Amorangi Hikuroa, refer to punga, or stone anchors, and the importance given in traditional times to the securing of canoes when not in use - an obvious connection with the purpose of Shed 10 as a berth for visiting cruise ships.

Swimming with Sharks, 2012 - 2013 | Andrea Eve Hopkins (Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Whanaunga, Marutuahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toa)

This work by contemporary Māori artist Andrea Eve Hopkins draws upon the mangopare, or hammerhead shark motif, symbolising the risk and complexity of human interaction, from traditional Māori times through to colonisation, settlement and today. It is also a literal reminder that in pre-European times the Waitematā Harbour was home to an abundance of sharks.

Te Haumi - The Joining, 2013 | Will Ngakuru (Te Roroa, Te Rarawa, Ngapuhi)

Talented carver and accomplished sailor, Will Ngakuru’s model waka tētē is a beautifully crafted, to-scale replica of a 12.5 metre-long Māori fishing canoe.

Working with reclaimed and recycled wood, Hokianga-based Will used traditional techniques from his grandfather’s generation to carve the waka’s main hull from pieces of puriri.

Created as a symbol of unity, Te Haumi – The Joining speaks to the sea and of Will’s seafaring ancestors who developed sophisticated technologies to traverse the Pacific and settle throughout the region.

In Shed 10’s ‘cruise mode’, the first floor will act as the passenger lounge, including a processing area, a waiting area and a customs-controlled space, while the ground floor is being used for passenger luggage, security and border agency processing.