Karangahape Road
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is a famous street in Auckland, New Zealand, known for cafes, boutique shops, nightlife and formerly, for being a red light district.
It is located close to the CBD and runs mostly west-east, perpendicular to Queen Street. At its intersection with Ponsonby Road in the west, Karangahape Road becomes Great North Road, at its eastern end it connects to Grafton Bridge.
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[edit] Etymology
The word "Karangahape" is from the Māori language. The original meaning and origin of the word as a street name is uncertain, but there are many interpretations - ranging from "winding ridge of human activity" to "calling on Hape". Hape was the name of a Māori chief of some importance living over on the Manukau Harbour, thus the name probably indicates the route that was taken to visit him.
[edit] History
As it was a travel route used by the pre-European Māori, Karangahape Road is actually an older thoroughfare than Auckland's main street Queen Street which was only developed by Europeans in the 1840s.
From about 1900 to the early 1960s Karangahape Road was Auckland's busiest shopping street with many clothing shops large and small along with several Department Stores. Most retail chain stores had branches on K Road often in preference to Queen Street. During the interwar period most of Auckland's main shops selling furniture, musical instruments, radios and other household appliances were located here.
After 1965 K Road lost most of its local customer base when construction of the inner-city motorway system resulted in over 50,000 people having to move out of the surrounding areas. The downturn in trade lead to many shops closing and the relocating of businesses to other areas of Auckland. By the early 1970s the very low rents meant it had acquired a rather seedy reputation as Auckland's red light district. Since the early 1990s there has been a move away from this image due mainly to newly constructed apartment blocks attracting residents back to the area. There are currently over 400 businesses in the K Road area, and only nine of them are connected with the adult industry. The 'Las Vegas' is New Zealand's longest established strip club, and its nude 'Vegas Girl' sign has become iconic.
Alongside the few remaining shops and venues catering to the sex trade, K Road currently boasts an eclectic collection of shops, cafés and art galleries. At night its restaurants, bars and nightclubs make it a major part of Auckland's social scene. K Road has become a centre for much of Auckland's bohemian scene, with many venues for alternative music (see the music channel Alt TV) and fringe art as well as the LGBT community. It is also home to many trendy Op shops, the most well known of which is 'Paperbag Princess'.
[edit] Buildings and attractions
[edit] Heritage past
Popular guided heritage walks are conducted along Karangahape Road.
Notable buildings include:
- The Baptist Tabernacle 1884 , Edmund Bell architect. Corner Queen St and K Road. This brick and stucco structure was designed in the Imperial Roman style. Based upon the London Metropolitan Tabernacle located at the Elephant and Castle.
- St Kevin's Arcade 1924 and 1926, Walter Arthur Cumming architect. A shopping arcade in the 1920s Neo-Greek style. Incorporates the K Road entrance to Myers Park.
- Rendell's Department Store 1904 and 1911, William A. Holman architect. Brick and stucco retail building in the late 19th century italianate style. Holman was a relative of William Morris.
- George Court Department Store1924, Clinton Savage architect. Cnr K Road and Mercury Lane. Proto-modern building showing the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright and Otto Wagner.
- Pitt Street Methodist Church 1866, Philip Herepath architect. Middle English Gothic Style building in brick with stone sculpture and detailing by Anton Teutonberg, the first European sculptor in New Zealand.
- Mercury Theatre 1910, Edward Bartley architect. The oldest surviving theatre in Auckland. This English Baroque styled building was constructed in 1910 as the Kings Theatre. When it was converted into a cinema in 1926 a new entrance on K Road was built [now the Norman Ng building]. Between 1962 and 1990 it was the location of the Mercury Theatre Company. Currently owned by a church, it is occasionally used as a theatre.
- Hopetoun Alpha, Beresford Square, 1875. Philip Herepath architect. Built as the Beresford Street Congregational Church in 1875, this Greek Doric Revival building is one of the earliest examples of poured concrete architecture in the country. Currently an event centre, it has been carefully restored to its original appearance both inside and out.
- Former Auckland Central Fire Station 1902 and 1912. Goldsbor'o & Wade architects. Late Queen Anne - Arts and Crafts - English baroque building. The 1902 facade on Pitt Street has been altered and its polychrome brick construction concealed under stucco. The 1912 addition on Beresford Street has recently been beautifully restored to its original appearance.
- Grafton Bridge, At the eastern end of Karangahape Road is Grafton Bridge, a large concrete structure spanning Grafton Gully. When it was completed in 1910 it was the largest concrete single-span bridge in the world.
- Symonds Street Cemetery, This is one of the oldest in Auckland and the first official burial ground. Here are located the graves of many of Auckland's early settlers including Captain William Hobson, the first Governor of New Zealand who died in 1842. The cemetery was officially closed in 1905 when it was handed over to the Auckland City Council as a park. When the motorway system was constructed in the mid 1960s, it required the moving of over 4100 bodies. These were reinterred in two memorial sites within the cemetery.
- Myers Park. On the slope of the Karangahape ridge facing north towards the Waitemata Harbour is a natural gully now the site of Myers Park. This is, or rather was, the start of the Waihorotiu Stream also known as the 'Queen Street River'.
[edit] Media connections
K Road is rapidly developing as a film and audio visual precinct. It has six independent film-makers, three screening venues, an independent television station, a radio station and New Zealand's only television arts channel.
Descarga Cubana screens its Cinechico international short films monthly.
The Moving Image Centre (MIC) promotes a dynamic and growing culture of media-arts practice, supporting an environment of innovation, in which fusion of art and technology is developed and nurtured. Interdigitate is an essential part of its annual programme. Artists selected reflect and share an artistic vision of screen based work that is at the cutting edge of new media art, installation and performance.
The New Zealand Film Archive has three principal functions — to collect, protect and project New Zealand’s moving image heritage. Established in 1981, the Film Archive is an independent charitable trust overseen by a Board of Trustees representing film, archival, Māori and community interests. The Film Archive's constitution and kaupapa express a unique commitment to collect, protect and project New Zealand’s film and television history.
Karangahape Road is also home to K FM Radio, Alt TV and the Twisted Radio network.
[edit] Art connections
Subversive, emerging and fine art are found on K Road. 11 contemporary art galleries as diverse as Aotearoa's finest[citation needed] urban graffiti art to leading[citation needed] contemporary New Zealand artists are now located there.
Karangahape Road Online hosts an 'Arts Openings and Events' calendar and a brochure and map, ARTWALK K Road.
Recently additions included Disrupt Gallery & Disruptiv - home of emerging urban and aerosol art exhibitions and the offices of professional graffiti writers of Disruptiv. Artists include Askew, Pest5, and Deus.
K Road is also the home of Illicit and Misery Boutique which grew from the Illicit HQ tattoo studio.
[edit] In popular culture
The song "Verona" by New Zealand rock band Elemeno P - from their album "Love and Disrespect" - refers to the cafe/restaurant/bar of the same name on Karangahape Road. Verona can be found at 169 Karangahape Road. The current Verona building dates from 1923 and gets its name from the Victorian house that previously occupied the site; Mrs Bishop's "Verona" Boarding House.
[edit] References
- "The Lively Capital, Auckland 1840-1865" Una Platts, Avon Fine Prints Limited New Zealand 1971.
- The Heart of Colonial Auckland, 1865-1910. Terence Hodgson. Random Century NZ Ltd 1992.
- Colonial Architecture In New Zealand. John Stacpoole. A.H & A.W Reed 1976
- Decently And In Order, The Centennial History of the Auckland City Council. G.W.A Bush. Collins 1971.
- Auckland Through A Victorian Lens. William Main. Millwood Press 1977.
- Heritage Walks-The Engineering Heritage of Auckland. Elizabeth Aitken Rose. Tourism Auckland & IPENZ; Auckland Heritage Engineering Committee. I2005
- Karangahape Road Heritage Walk, Edward Bennett. Karangahape Road Business Association, 2005
