First site visit (11:22am - 11:31am, 28/04/26):

weather: sunny with some clouds

• people’s movements:
  • group of two people walked between buildings in the centre
  • two other people used the alleyway itself, one in a high-vis vest
  • some lingering outside the entrance on the Shortland St side, eg. on phones
• atmosphere:
  • smells:
    • sections (including Chancery St entrance) smelled like a public toilet
    • further along smelled like cooking food
    • some parts had no distinct smell
  • structures:
    • tall surrounding buildings, midday sunlight shining through them
    • narrow corridor, claustrophobic feel, not as narrow as expecting though
    • centre throughway between buildings felt more open and sheltered with the glass roof overhead
    • different textures and materials on walls, some windows (almost all unable to see through), some doors alongside which were either unused or inaccessible to the public (excluding centre throughway)
    • evidence of some cleaning (power washing) on ground, but some sections still dirty
    • uneven ground but gentle slope (lowest elevation at centre)
    • written markings (assumed city construction or maintenance related) on ground coming out towards Shortland St
  • city livelihood:
    • Freyburg Square on Chancery St side, but O’Connell St a closer and more used throughway to Shortland St
    • Construction alongside Chancery St plus parked vehicles and few shops discourages foot traffic along Chancery St towards Cruise Lane
    • on Shortland St side, many business building entrances with modern exteriors or use of historic buildings, much more lively, not as discouraging to foot traffic especially coming down the street towards Queen St (more lingering around Cruise Lane witnessed here)