Queen Street, Auckland

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 for almost three kilometres in a south-southwesterly direction towards the residential hill suburbs in the middle of the isthmus.

At the southern end of the street, it crosses the largest interchange on the New Zealand State Highway network, known as "Spaghetti Junction" (after its British equivalent near Birmingham) or occasionally "The Great Ganglion", which is the junction of State Highways 1 and 16.

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 which is notable for the number of churches located on it. The southernmost kilometre of the street is officially known as Upper Queen Street.

The street was immortalised in song by The Front Lawn with their song (It started on) Queen Street.

External links

• Auckland City Council: History of Queen Street