New builds get dirty faster.

Modern cladding, modern problems.

Hobsonville Point is one of the newest suburbs in Auckland and it is built almost entirely in cedar, painted weatherboard and dark render. It looks sharp. It also shows every bit of mould, lichen and airborne grime the moment it starts to settle in.

The dark charcoal and near black cladding that gives the Point its look is the worst offender. Green algae film on a dark wall reads as a dull grey haze long before anyone thinks to call it dirty, so most people only notice once a neighbour gets theirs done and the difference is obvious.

Add the harbour. Wind coming off the upper Waitematā carries salt and moisture across the whole peninsula, and the south facing walls that sit in shade half the day never properly dry out. That is the perfect setup for lichen on the roof and black spotting down the cladding.

Older Hobsonville, over towards the village and Clearwater Cove, is a different job again. More brick and tile, more mature trees dropping leaf litter into gutters, and concrete driveways that have had twenty years to go green.