Viaduct Basin

Viaduct Basin (now Viaduct Harbour)
Lighter Basin area, at the western edge of the Viaduct Basin
The quarter seen from the Sky Tower, with approximate boundaries shown marked in red
Basic information
Local authority	Auckland Council
Date established	1990s (redeveloped as a residential / entertainment area)
Surrounds
North	(Waitemata Harbour)
Northeast	(Waitemata Harbour)
East	Auckland CBD
Southeast	Auckland CBD
South	Freemans Bay
Southwest	Saint Marys Bay
West	Western Reclamation
Northwest	(Waitemata Harbour)

Viaduct Basin, now known as Viaduct Harbour, is a former commercial harbour on the Auckland waterfront that has been turned into a development of mostly upscale apartments, office space and restaurants. It is located on the site of a formerly run-down area of the Freemans Bay / Auckland CBD waterfront in Auckland City, New Zealand. As a centre of activity of the 2000 America's Cup hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the area enjoyed considerable popularity with locals and foreign visitors.

Designed along the line of the basins common in London, the Viaduct Basin is so-called because of a failed scheme by the Auckland Harbour Board in the early years of the 20th Century. As the size of ships was increasing dramatically, rather than build new wharves or dredge the harbour channels, it was proposed that cargo ships moor out in the Waitemata harbour channel and be unloaded into "lighters", small barges that would then ferry the goods to shore via the specially built wharves in the new "Viaduct Lighter Basin". The shipping companies refused to co-operate and forced the Harbour Board to engage in dredging and construct new wharves.

This left the partially completed lighter basin without a real purpose, so it was used to berth the various fishing boats and thus tidy up the appearance of the Auckland waterfront further east. Next to the Viaduct Basin a fish market and various warehouses were constructed, including Turners & Growers Ltd, the city's main produce wholesalers. The far side of the area was connected by a mechanical bridge that was able to be raised to allow passage into the basin to the fishing vessels which used it.

Timber mills had occupied the edges of Freeman's Bay prior to the construction of the Lighter Basin and Victoria Park these continued to be a feature of the area for most of the 20th century along with other industries such as foundries, many of which were associated with ship building in one way or another.

The redevelopment of the Viaduct Basin in the late 1990s as a mixed-use area of apartments and restaurants has been an uneven success. Some of the resulting buildings are considered very handsome, and the area was provided with a good selection of public, and semi-public spaces. In the basin itself are moored a colourful array of working boats and yachts, some of which are available for charter. The Auckland City Council has initiated a programme of public artworks for the area.