Cuba Street, Wellington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cuba Street is one of the most prominent streets in Wellington, New Zealand.

1 Location and Origin
2 Local People and Activities
3 Music and Venues
4 External links

[edit] Location and Origin

Named after an early settler ship to New Zealand, the Cuba, it is to the south of the CBD, but still in the inner city. Cuba Street was once the route of the Wellington trams. Following the removal of the rails, the northern half of the street was closed to traffic in 1969, and is one of the busiest areas of pedestrian activity in Wellington.

[edit] Local People and Activities

It is one of the more bohemian areas of Wellington, and is the home to an eclectic collection of cafes, small fashion stores, art galleries and music shops. It is the centre of one of the four 'quarters' of downtown Wellington, the Cuba Quarter (the others being centred on Lambton Quay, Courtenay Place and Willis Street). The northern end is more commercial, and the southern end (known as the 'top' of Cuba Street, or upper Cuba) is more sparsely occupied.

Cuba Street is also one of the main hang-outs of Wellington's homeless community, including the Wellington icon Blanket Man. He can often be seen (when not in his more traditional hang-out of Courtenay Place) in Cuba Mall, at the intersection with Ghuznee Street. Also due its proximity to the Te Aro campus of Victoria University and by its very nature, it is heavily populated by students.

The street is regarded by most New Zealanders as a nexus of creativity and artistic production, featuring buskers, exhibition spaces, protests, stone carving, and other forms of expression. In 2005, the new Wellington Arts Centre was established in Abel Smith Street, a half block from upper Cuba Street. Within a few blocks are Enjoy Gallery, the Moko (Tattoo) Museum, Thistle Hall, Mary Newton Gallery and Access Radio.

[edit] Music and Venues

The Cuba Carnival is a biennial street party, founded by impresario Chris Morley-Hall, and culminating in a wild night parade along the entirety of Cuba Street.

Fat Freddy's Drop's first album, Live at the Matterhorn was recorded at the underground-style bar Matterhorn. Other venues in the area include San Francisco Bathhouse, Valve, Bar Bodega, and the Blue Note. The lower end of Cuba Street ends at Wellington Town Hall, Civic Square, Michael Fowler Centre, and Wakefield Street.