Karangahape Road
Karangahape Road from the intersection with Pitt Street.
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| Length | 1 km (1 mi) |
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| Location | Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°51′28″S 174°45′35″E / 36.8577935°S 174.7597039°ECoordinates: 36°51′28″S 174°45′35″E / 36.8577935°S 174.7597039°E |
Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is one of the main streets in the central business district (CBD) of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area – and subsequent flight of residents and retail into the suburbs from the 1960s onwards – turned it from one of Auckland's premier shopping streets into marginal area with the reputation of a red light district. Now considered to be one of the cultural centres of Auckland, since the 1980s–1990s it has been undergoing a slow process of gentrification, and is now known for off-beat cafes and boutique shops.
It runs west–east along a ridge at the southern edge of the Auckland CBD, perpendicular to Queen Street, the city's main 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.
Karangahape is a word from the Maori language. Before Europeans appeared Auckland was occupied by several Maori Iwi each of whom apparently used the same name for the Karangahape Ridge but with slightly different meanings.
The original meaning and origin of the word is uncertain; there are several interpretations – ranging from "winding ridge of human activity" to "calling on Hape". Hape was a Māori chief (or mythical personage) of some importance living over on the Manukau Harbour in a place also called Karangahape. As the ridge was a walking route and was known as Te Ara o Karangahape – The Path of Karangahape – the name possibly indicates the route that was taken to visit him.
Until the mid 20th century Karangahape Road was the only street in central Auckland with a Maori name, undoubtedly due to its use as a thoroughfare in pre-European times. Its Maori name proved difficult for many European settlers to pronounce and as it was the only major thoroughfare in the central area demarcated as a "road" (as opposed to a street) during the 19th century it was apparently often referred to as "The Road".
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