Parking

(Scroll down for information on parking for Mass on Sundays)

Car parking is a significant logistical problem at the Cathedral. For over 100 years, a road surrounded the Cathedral and provided a large number of car parks. In 1975, Auckland City closed the road, cobbled the area and created a pedestrian mall. In terms of creating a new open space in the centre of the city, this was a wonderful, positive makeover. In terms of car parking immediately adjacent to the Cathedral, capacity was immediately reduced and this has been a subject of aggravation now for over 25 years.

Current situation
There is capacity to park approximately 12 cars, on church property, immediately adjacent to the main doors of the Cathedral. This area is clearly marked by white lines on the cobbles and self-serve parking tickets are available in the porch of the church. On special occasions, such as funerals and weddings, Cathedral staff may reserve these few carparks. Staff may also have cars towed that are parked in this designated area and whose drivers are not visiting the Cathedral, Cathedral office or The Catholic Shop.

The balance of the cobbled Square, on both the west and east sides of the Cathedral, is Auckland City land that is designated as a pedestrian mall. The City will ticket or tow people who decide to park on the non-church, cobbled area.

The small parking area (10 car capacity) in front of Liston House is reserved space for the tenants of the property. The tenants may tow people who decide to park in this space.

Options

Walk
The Cathedral is a short walk from Auckland's major downtown hotels and local apartments.

Cycle
Bicycles can be secured against the stone walls on either side of the main doors of the church.

Taxi
Taxi's are not inexpensive but they do save the hassle of trying to find a carpark for a private vehicle.

Bus
The Heart of the City is well served by bus transport from all outlying Auckland suburbs.

Ferry
Ferry transport is available from the North Shore (Devonport and Northcote), the eastern suburbs (Half Moon Bay) and Waiheke Island. Ferries arrive at the downtown ferry terminal, a five-minute walk to the Cathedral.

Public transport information can be found at www.rideline.co.nz.

Street Parking
Street parking is available on Wyndham Street, Federal Street and other surrounding streets.

Parking Garages
There are two parking garages, with a total capacity of over 1000 vehicles, located within 100m of the Cathedral.

Sunday Parking for Mass
On Sundays, Wilson Park on the corner of Hobson St and Wyndham St (the old Farmers Carpark) offers a $1.00 deal to people who attend Mass at the Cathedral. Simply validate your parking ticket with the 'validating machine' at the back left hand side of church as you enter or leave the church. This allows two hours parking from the time you enter the park (your ticket can be validated at any time during the two hours). When you place your ticket in the exit machine you will be asked to pay $1.

This parking deal is only available on Sundays, and on occasion for major events at the Cathedral (e.g. Christmas and Easter). We are not able to offer this service for baptism, weddings, funerals etc. We are grateful to Wilson Parking for their assistance with parking at the Cathedral.

The Future

There is no easy solution to the car-parking situation at the Cathedral.

Investigations have been done with the City regarding increasing the parking capacity on the site but this proposal conflicts with the District Plan and the City feels that the area is well served with existing commercial capacity.