On Google Earth there are only two Tauranga buildings in 3D, No. 1 The Strand, the home of The Weekend Sun and SunLive, and the old Tauranga post office.

The 3D modelling is by David Johnson from VisualCAD Limited, who had his models accepted by Google Earth and are now live for the whole world to see.
Seeing them in 3D requires an up to date version of Google Earth and having the 3D buildings layer turned on.
And when you click on No. 1 The Strand on Google Earth, there is a direct link to www.sunlive.co.nz.
The address for www.no1thestrand.co.nz is also included but is buried a bit deeper in the image.
This building and the old Tauranga post office are the only two buildings represented in Tauranga.
'It's all part of Google Earth's intention to model the whole world in 3D,” says David.
Google provides the software which enables the 3D modelling of structures.
'They have a professional version which I use, but anybody using the free version can do what I have done – if they have got the inclination to learn how to do it.”
David has been in the surveying industry 10-12 years and now runs his own CAD design business.
'The Tauranga models were acceptable to Google Earth because they are two of the few remaining historic buildings in Tauranga,” says David.
'They are reluctant to do industrial buildings and there are limitations about signage.”
The models are produced using a combination of floor plans and photographs in a process that takes 6-10 hours per building.
'You bring that down quite substantially if you practice hard. The more you do, the more shortcuts you will find.”
David's also been modelling the Karapiro Domain, the site of the 2010 World Rowing Championships, to show different grandstand options for the site.
The models enable crowd flow to be sorted before anything is built and ensures the buildings and grandstands do not block views of other spectators.

Davids website can be viewed at www.visualcad.co.nz