K Road’s Murals & Festivals
Karangahape Station Manager Johnathan Hill pictured with Kita Mean and Anita Wigl’it
Engaging with businesses and our communities is at the heart of what we do, and perhaps the most vibrant example of this can be seen around Karangahape.
There on the city fringe where Pitt Street and Mercury Lanes converge, our Link Alliance contractors at the Karangahape Station are busy teaming up with locals to add to the technicolour spark of the neighbourhood, from activations to murals.
First Thursdays:
The Karangahape Road Business Association and Link Alliance have teamed up to put on a monthly music and market extravaganza, First Thursdays, throughout Karangahape Road.
On the first Thursday of the month, from 4-9pm, you’ll find live music and performances at the Pitt Street Pocket Park and a market at Beresford Square in collaboration with Alpha Market KRD. As well as several events held by our station neighbours.
During the June edition of First Thursday, in true Karangahape Road style, the amazing Kita Mean and Anita Wigl'it hosted a fabulously energetic and colourful runway competition (won by Tangerine Queen) at Pocket Park. You can see Karangahape Station Manager, Jonathan Hill pictured with the drag queens.
The next First Thursdays, on Thursday 5 August, has the theme ‘Dance For Dessert’ – an exploration of music and food.
DJ Faber Morrow will be taking over Pocket Park between 6-8pm playing a variety of electronic, funk, hip-hop and world tunes.
We also hear treats from K Road dessert experts The Pie Piper and The Caker will be handed out on the night.
The Pocket park stage came to be after the original layout of Beresford Square was impacted by Karangahape Station works earlier this year. A troupe of locals considering the layout of the public space suggested it could be turned into a public stage area for performances and our station team obliged.
To find out more about First Thursdays click here.
Mercury Lane Mural:
Another colourful addition to K Road has been established! The hoardings along the Mercury Lane entrance for Karangahape Station became instantly more vibrant this month with the installation of Margarita Vovna's new mural.
Margarita’s artwork pays homage to the tattoo culture of the neighbourhood, telling the story of Karangahape Road through key motifs:
The heritage of the iconic Mercury Plaza, highlighting New Gum Sarn supermarket and the Ng family who opened their first fruit and vegetable shop in 1960 just around the corner on K Road.
Tāmaki Makaurau is acknowledged with reference to its place as a key city in the Pacific region.
The new purpose for the site, being Karangahape Station, is also captured through the inclusion of a vintage steam engine.
The female figures are a tribute to the NZPC (New Zealand Prostitutes Collective) and the advocacy work they have been engaged in since 1987. A key member of Karangahape’s not-for-profit community, their Auckland office sits directly opposite this mural.
The nostalgic style and colour palette ties it into contemporary Karangahape through its alignment with tattoo culture within the community. Karanga Ink, Otautahi, Dreamhands and The Tattooed Heart are Karangahape tattoo studios that contribute towards the cultural identity of the precinct.
Make sure to check it out next time you find yourself on K Road.