New Zealand Odyssey: The Auckland Club, Shortland Street, Auckland

'New Zealand Odyssey', published in 1989 by Heinemann, was authored by Don Donovan (who did the text and illustrations) and Euan Sarginson, who did the photography and design. In this series of blog posts, I will publish some of my drawings.

  

The  Auckland Club was founded in 1853, in the earliest days of the colony. 

I drew it for the book in 1987 just before the charming, but tired, old building was demolished to make way for a new glass tower that made maximum use of the site's area.

From then onwards the club was discreetly housed on five floors of the eighteen-level tower until 2010 when, after all those years of existence, it was closed for lack of patronage. After cashing up, the remaining members swapped the proceeds for membership of the once rival Northern Club, an ivy covered sanctuary 'up the hill'. Thus history evolves.

I confess that, in my youth, I misspent a lot of my time on the billiards tables of the Auckland Club!

© DON DONOVAN

donovan@ihug.co.nz