This week, we have an image supplied by Jeff. We got last week’s correct, Ellie was at Prospect Point, Vancouver.
First thoughts: Looks like this photo was taken next to a populous harbour judging by the cargo ship in the background, possibly New Zealand?
Analysing the size, shape and colours of the traffic cones placed next to the suspiciously pristine cabin we can identify that this is indeed New Zealand. The fact that they haven’t been stolen lets us know that this photo wasn’t taken in Dunedin.
There are some strange neon wiggly lines within the windows, could this mean that this is related to an art project? Or has a toddler been let loose with paint inside this building? The only place in New Zealand where a potential art project could inhabit a whole ass house would be Auckland, so I will start my search there.
Looking around the Auckland oceanfront there is an area, Devonport, that looks similar to the landmass that we can see in the background. Due to Auckland’s size, it is incredibly difficult to pinpoint areas in the background precisely, which is why we turn to ship routes. Auckland has many ferries and cargo ships entering its ports, which means it has dedicated areas for both categories. It seems the vast majority of ships enter Princes Wharf. Scouring the wharf from head to toe I see what looks like the building we’re looking for off in the distance.
Due to some level of ineptitude on our part, we could not manage to get over to the building. After some time spent seeing our goal within rock-throwing distance and manifesting our ability to get there, Google Earth decided to finally let us place the little orange man next to the building. Thanks to Claude Clark of Google Earth for being a real one and taking a photo just for us.
This building is oddly placed and incredibly suspicious. Searching google for “Auckland neon house” we find that this building is actually used for the world's shittest pun, “The Lighthouse”, those neon lines are lights hence “The Lighthouse”. It is also definitely an art project, one made by Michael Parekowhai. Controversially there is a statue of Captain Cook in the centre of the 1:1 scale 1950s family home. Luckily it was built as a dig at Cook and Jeff isn't directly supporting his colonial efforts!
The background matches up, and it is indeed Devonport. Thanks to Claude Clark of Google Earths' perfect timing there is also a cargo ship in the background ticking every box off for this to be “The Lighthouse”.
Final answer: Jeff is in Auckland, Queens wharf, taking a photo of the infamous Lighthouse.
Want to send in your own picture? Send an email to maps@critic.co.nz and we’ll give it a shot. Correct answers will be published next week.