Queen Street, Auckland
From Open Encyclopedia
Queen Street, Auckland, New Zealand, is the major commercial thoroughfare of the country's main population centre. It rises from the waterfront, close to the terminal of the Devonport ferry, and extends uphill for almost three kilometres in a south-southwesterly direction towards the residential hill suburbs in the middle of the isthmus.
It is known by repute all over the country, even by people who have never seen it. It gives its name to one of the most pricey squares in the New Zealand version of "Monopoly" and to a somewhat disrespectful description of businessmen with rural investment interests: "Queen Street farmers".
The main commercial district of the street is in the first 1500 metres, immediately south of the waterfront. Beyond this lies Aotea Square, and then a stretch close to Myers Park. Beyond Karangahape Road the southernmost 500 metres of the street is officially known as Upper Queen Street.
Upper Queen Street crosses the largest interchange on the New Zealand State Highway network, known as "Spaghetti Junction" (after its British equivalent near Birmingham) which is the junction of State Highways 1 and 16, before terminating at Newton Road.
The street was immortalised in song by The Front Lawn with their song (It started on) Queen Street.
There are several other 'Queen Streets' in the greater Auckland area, mostly in suburbs which were once separate towns before being swallowed by urban sprawl.
