Historical Music Venues Tour: from Karangahape Road to Aotea Square

The ridge of Karangahape Road has been a major thoroughfare dating back to pre-European Māori. During the first half of the 1900s, it was a busy shopping district, which also led to it having a busy nightlife. However, the surrounding population moved away during the late sixties when motorway construction required the demolition of 15,000 homes.

This led to a new era of clubs, which had a more seedy tinge and saw venues rubbing shoulders with more unseemly entertainment. Yet the rent was cheap, so many popular venues opened here regardless. The top third of Queen Street had more upmarket establishments, though it had its own role to play in the emergence of strip clubs in the city.

Commissioned by Auckland Live to celebrate NZ Music Month 2022, Music historian Gareth Shute created this walking tour with the support of NZ music website AudioCulture, to help people imagine the venues which have gone and appreciate those that still stand.

The tour starts with the changing nightlife district along Karangahape Road. It then weaves its way down Queen Street to Aotea Square, taking time to point out landmarks and decipher clues to where missing venues once stood.