Overview
The City of Sails may soon be known as the City of Really Stunning Light Installations if local board members and bigwig investors have anything to do with it. Large scale illuminations are the latest trend in the city centre, including the Bright Nights installation which lights up the Viaduct Harbour year round.
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is next in line to get a considerable dose of fluorescents, joining world monuments like the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower. Through a partnership between power company Vector, the NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council, the relatively plain looking bridge as we know it is set to be transformed into a majestic rainbow gangplank with a new state-of-the-art and sustainable lighting system.
Nearly 90,000 LEDs and 200 floodlights will make up the new display — all of which can be adjusted to suit occasions and festivities around the city. As well as prettying up the gulf, the LEDs will use half the energy and will last five times longer than standard lighting and will only need replacing every 10-15 years. The energy required will be offset by 640 solar panels installed near the bridge where a large battery will store the energy.
The switch will official be flicked on Saturday 27 January, Auckland Anniversary Weekend. The six minute Vector Lights opening show sequence will feature original music and lighting effects to demonstrate the new lighting capabilities. The show will start at 9pm and will repeat every half hour until midnight. The opening show will also be streamed online.
Read more about the project here.