Tāmaki Makaurau Day Two: Karangahape
Karangahape Road has a brand-new glowing sign on the awning above the Lim Chhour Supermarket and Foodhall. Image: Frances Hémon via The Post
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Art Itinerary Day Two: Karangahape Road
Our second day itinerary for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland encompasses the wider community of Karangahape Road, host to at least 30 art spaces. For many years Karangahape Road, referred to colloquially as K Rd, was the only street in the city with a Māori name. It is unsurprisingly the home of culture in the city, however much more than the name of the street reflects the systemic inequality of colonialism and its enduring effects.
Historically Karangahape was a path to the west coast beach of the same name, commonly called by its colonial title Cornwallis, however we will start our journey at the charming suburban end, long after Karangahape transitions into Great North Road, in Grey Lynn.
Remember to check the galleries aren’t in-between exhibitions, and also note that some only open Thursday–Saturday, making Friday a perfect day for this itinerary.
As our first galleries Season and Ivan Anthony open at 11am, we thought to suggest by starting this day at the local bakery Florets, which offers fine coffee and delicious breakfast options, right down the street. While Season offers a fresh contemporary programme, of several promising emerging artists, Ivan Anthony represents some of the country’s more established artists including Bill Hammond, a household name, and Francis Upritchard, who has represented Aotearoa New Zealand at the Venice Biennale.
From Grey Lynn it’s an easy bus ride or short drive to the next hub, here you’ll find Two Rooms, which represents several of Aotearoa’s most esteemed artists, along with Trish Clark, and Fox Jensen McCrory galleries all inhabiting an industrial zone at the city fringe. A 10 minute walk towards the corner of Karangahape is the next cluster of galleries including: Tim Melville, which specialises in indigenous art practices, Bergman Gallery, there is also the gallery of the auction house Art+Object, which often has impressive artworks on display, and a community gallery Studio One Toi Tū at the corner of Ponsonby Road.
Before arriving to Karangahape proper, we take a sidestep down Ponsonby Road, known for gastronomy and shopping, this street also hosts several art galleries along the ridge that frames the center of Tāmaki Makaurau on the east, with dense suburbia to the west, and beaches to the north. Highlights include Public Record, a gallery and gallery shop dedicated to artisanal craft with a focus on Japanese ceramic works, across the road from Public Record is Tuna-Mau, or Western Park, a sloping parkland on each side of a stream where eels were trapped pre-colonisation. At the top of the park is a series of public sculptures TIP - VIC by John Radford, where victoria era colonial buildings appear to be partially buried. According to the artist the “works refer to a loss of our past via the wholesale demolition of parts of Auckland City”. You may want to contemplate this over lunch at Bodega, or while walking to the Plomacy art space and bookstore, or Suite Gallery a few blocks down.
Don’t miss Objectspace behind a carpark at 13 Rose Road, the country’s leading public gallery dedicated to design, craft and architecture. Their courtyard presents large sculptural installations, while the large entranceway offers space for showcasing wall-based artwork, before the main and secondary galleries, which boast exquisite exhibition design framing their highly contemporary programme of exhibitions that draw attention to both local and international affairs.
Our first stop on Karangahape Road is Melanie Roger Gallery, before Tautai Pacific Arts Trust and Artspace Aotearoa, contemporary public galleries, around which, all in a neat little cluster, you can find world-class exhibitions from a range of galleries including Michael Lett, RM, Grace, Charles Ninow and Treadler, with Anna Miles Gallery not much further afield on Upper Queen Street.
In the area there are no shortage of drinks and dinner recommendations – that’s another reason our itinerary goes from west to east! This includes Acho’s, Sri Pinang, Coco’s Cantina, Apéro, Pici, Candela, and Gemmayze Street – booking is recommended for the last three.
Our publishing date, 2 May 2025 marks the inauguration of May Art Fair, next door to Michael Lett in a historic character building at 3 East Street, and will also host the exhibition opening of Intimation of Endless Space Given in a Small Window of Time (approximately 10 minutes) by Ethan Braun and Lina Grumm at Artspace Aotearoa, and Hau – an immersive performance presented by Public Record in collaboration with composer Eve de Castro-Robinson at Silo 6.
Handy links from this article:
Tāmaki Makaurau Art Itinerary by Art Guides World on Google Maps
