Cuba Street through time

Wellington 1883–2025 6 photos of this spot

6 photographs taken at the same spot in Wellington, spanning 1883–2025 — 1 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

Known as 'The Old Shebang,' this modest building on Cuba Street in Wellington, New Zealand, was photographed around 1883, when the street was already developing into one of the young colonial city's commercial thoroughfares.

"The Old Shebang", Cuba Street, Wellington, ca 1883 Known as 'The Old Shebang,' this modest building on Cuba Street in Wellington, New Zealand, was photographed around 1883, when the street was already developing into one of the young colonial city's commercial thoroughfares.

Bucket Fountain 2011 The Bucket Fountain on Cuba Street in Wellington, New Zealand, photographed in 2011. Installed in 1969, the kinetic sculpture empties its tilting buckets in sequence and has become a landmark of the pedestrian mall.

Cuba Street 2013 A further stretch of Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand, captured in 2013, illustrating the street's role as a focal point for the city's cafe and retail culture.

Bucket Fountain with flowers 2018 The Bucket Fountain on Cuba Street, installed in 1969, is one of Wellington's best-known and most whimsical public artworks. This 2018 photograph shows it decorated with flowers.

Farmers Building 2021 The Farmers Building in Wellington, New Zealand, seen in this 2021 photograph, has housed the Farmers department store, a retail chain trading across the country since the early twentieth century.

The Matterhorn Building 2025 The Matterhorn building on Cuba Street in Wellington, photographed in 2025, in a street known for its bars, cafes and alternative culture.