Source: Auckland Council
The Karangahape Road Business Association welcomes everybody to celebrate Matariki and the fresh new look of Karangahape Road at Te Karanga ā Hape, a progressive street-long party on Saturday 26 June from 3-8pm.
In collaboration with Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, Link Alliance and Bike Auckland, a team of local event planners have worked alongside Karangahape Road businesses to create a packed schedule with more than 60 events and activities, full of sensory delights.
The event theme Te Ao Mārama / The Enlightened World, acknowledges the Matariki star cluster, plus the 1930s community project that first lit the strip with electric lighting, and the inclusive vibrancy of the area we love today.
Karangahape Road Business Association CEO, Michael Richardson says the street is stronger than ever and ready to celebrate.
“Te Karanga ā Hape offers our businesses and community an opportunity to celebrate the street and the new beginnings we have here – both with Matariki and post the street upgrade – after two years of pretty challenging times.
“Karangahape Road has long been known for its diversity, its progressive communities and its creative thought, so all of that is celebrated in this event.”
From lighting and fashion installations in shop windows to live music across multiple outdoor stages, markets and kai, bespoke street art, free workshops and walking tours, exhibitions, outdoor screenings, bicycle valets and guided rides, as well a smorgasbord of special offers from local shops and restaurants – this is an event to experience.
Te Karanga ā Hape will call together more than 100 local artists, DJs, performers and designers – including electronic musicians Samara Alofa, Imugi and Dubtext; DJs Andy ‘Submariner’ Morton, Empress Naima and Diesel; street artists Component, Serval Fandango and Shelley Botticelli; and fashion designers Adrian Hailwood, Lela Jacobs and Jimmy D – all surrounded by the individual contributions of local bar, restaurant and shop owners.
Te Karanga ā Hape marks the completion of the Karangahape Road enhancements project which has revamped the street, ready for everyone to enjoy.
The Karangahape Road enhancements project was delivered by Auckland Transport, with funding from Auckland Council and Waka Kotahi. The upgrades make the iconic street more pedestrian and cycle-friendly, attractive and environmentally sustainable.
The project included widening footpaths supporting a better outdoor dining experience for local cafes, two rainbow crossings, native planting, safe separated cycleways on both sides of the street, bike parking, and improved bus shelters and bus lanes. Learn more about the Karangahape Road Enhancements project here.
Waitematā and Gulf ward Councillor Pippa Coom reflects on the special place Karangahape Road is, and the importance of the upgrade for the future of the street.
“All Aucklanders have a connection to or memory of Karangahape Road at a certain point in time because it is such a unique and iconic place. For me, it is from when I attended Auckland Girls’ Grammar School and we would always look forward to Thursday late-night shopping along Karangahape Road; it was the place everyone shopped and the street was always buzzing.
“This has never really changed for Karangahape Road. It is still a place that draws many people in, and so the enhancements project is pivotal in ensuring Karangahape Road can continue to be a place that can welcome many, especially when the City Rail Link’s Karangahape station brings thousands more people onto the street.
“I am looking forward to the chance to celebrate both the project completion and Matariki, with typical Karangahape Road flair on Saturday. It is also a wonderful opportunity to support the amazing Karangahape Road businesses, who have faced challenges through the construction and of COVID-19,” says Cr Coom.
A pop-up Matariki hub inviting creatives into an interactive public space to share their skills and knowledge, will also be set up at 211 Karangahape Road until Sunday 11 July. The hub will be host to a photographic exhibition of Karangahape Road through the ages, alongside a series of wānanga and creative workshops.
To find out more information about Te Karanga ā Hape visit our event listing.
