The Lower Bank St intersection with Vine and Walton Streets. What to call it? The "V-Street triangle", "Vine, Walton and Bank", or the "Vine Street precinct"? Photos / Tania Whyte
The Lower Bank St intersection with Vine and Walton Streets. What to call it? The "V-Street triangle", "Vine, Walton and Bank", or the "Vine Street precinct"? Photos / Tania Whyte
LIFE, ART AND EVERYTHING
Vine Street is the K-Rd of Whangārei. I don't mean that negatively, not at all.
I love Karangahape Road in Auckland. Its reputation for prostitution, sex shops and dodgy nightclubs had some truth to it back in the day, but by the 90s and certainly the 2000s, it was allvery tame.
K-Rd was cool because of its crazy random shops, cutting-edge art galleries, second-hand clothes shops (before they existed anywhere else) and cafes like the pioneering Verona.
Vine Street has some of the vibe K-Rd had before its increasing gentrification. And when I say Vine Street, I'm more correctly referring to the triangle of streets that includes Walton Street before the railway bridge and the bottom of Bank Street.
Having recently started work in the city, I've been enjoying this part of town. It has a slightly alternative feel that I associate with K-Rd. And it has places I like.
Auckland's Karangahape Road at dusk. Photo / Getty Images
Gopals has cheap, quality vegetarian food, says Vaughan Gunson.
The Salvation Army in Vine Street. Whangārei. Lots of bargains to be had.
McMorriseys. Between 4 and 6pm, you get a free bowl of fries with your drink, says Vaughan Gunson.
The old Grand Hotel in Lower Bank St.
Ten things to love about Vine Street and its surrounds:
1. Gopals. Cheap, quality vegetarian food. I can't find a better feed in Whangārei that offers so much value for money. The $8 combo with Mango lassi is excellent. I recommend the vegetarian pizza slices and lasagne. Drinking water out of the metal cups is a treat too. Cold water never tasted so good. North facing, you can sit outside on a sunny winter's day and enjoy people watching.
2. McMorrissey's. The Irish pub is still going strong. Character has seeped into the floorboards. There's nothing better than that first Guinness on Friday after a busy week. Between 4pm and 6pm, you get a free bowl of fries with your drink.
3. 4J's Kebab shop. They're extremely popular, including with kids after school. Bubble tea is part of the attraction. It's small and pokey, which is part of its charm. It's painted yellow, inside and out. The rolled kebab combo with chips and drink is a real hunger-buster.
4. The Salvation Army Shop. It's massive, so there's plenty of space to move around looking for that bargain. A diverse and eccentric mix of customers is part of the fun.
5. The C3 Whangārei church. At first I didn't know what it was, with its imposing black exterior and white interior walls hung with large paintings. Not until I was working on a Sunday did I realise the space was a church. Churches aren't my thing, neither is tithe giving, but there's no denying the sounds of happy people of all ages on the street on Sunday. And there's just something about church singing when experienced slightly removed. Ironically, it's situated next to the old "Heaven" nightclub sign.
6. The Piggery Bookshop. A Whangārei institution, I know, but worth continuing to celebrate and enjoy. It's what a second-hand bookshop should be like. Friendly staff and off-street parking that's worth making a tricky turn off Walton Street for. A courtyard oasis in the centre of town.
7. The city bus terminal. It's not quite Britomart, but the central city bus terminal has a steady stream of green bus activity. Paying just $3 to get there all the way from Hikurangi on a Thursday is cheaper than taking the car.
8. Biggie Bagels. Oh-so-cool, oh-so-street. A large spray-painted portrait of New York rapper Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G) hangs on the wall. Stools, not chairs, spill onto the footpath. The music is usually pumping, the staff busy, the vibe is inner-city-anywhere. Bagels rush out of the door for walk-in customers and deliveries. Coffee comes with a complimentary piece of walnut brownie balanced on the saucer. It's well-positioned to get the sun in the morning. You can watch the green buses arrive and depart in front of the Grand Hotel's old architecture.
9. Bank Street Traders. I don't know where he gets his stuff, but the old and sometimes modern furniture is always quality. I enviously look at the designer pieces from different eras, different parts of the world, and imagine filling a spacious inner-city loft apartment with cool furniture.
10. I Love Chicken. A Korean takeaway just opened on lower Bank Street. Another welcome addition to Whangarei's burgeoning ethnic diversity and accompanying food variety. I recommend the chicken burger with coleslaw.
That's 10 already, and I haven't mentioned the wonderful mural by Dave Beazley and Trent Morgan on the wall of the Salvation Army Shop next to the Vine Street car park.
Or the Little Bambo Asian Eatery with nothing priced over $12. Or the Trade Aid shop. Or Journey, home of locally made art and fashion. Or the road crossing they're currently building, complete with planter boxes, opposite Quality Street.
There's lots to love about this corner of Whangārei.
What to call it? The "V-Street triangle", "Vine, Walton and Bank", or the "Vine Street precinct"?
