Christmas On Queen Street
Auckland's Queen Street has been the centre of the city's Christmas celebrations for decades. So, hop on a brightly decorated tram or trolley and join us on a ride down memory lane!
For decades, no Aucklanders' Christmas season would be complete without a visit to brightly-lit Queen Street. From the colourful shop windows, footpaths crowded with shoppers and carolers, to trams and buses decorated for the holiday, Queen Street gave you that special feeling of Christmas spirit in the air.
MOTAT's collection has heaps of wonderful "Christmas on Queen Street" photos from the 1950s to the 70s, so hop on a brightly decorated tram or trolley bus...'cause Christmastime is here!
![Graham Stewart. 30 Apr 1954. [Farmers Free trolley bus 215 and tram 178 outside Farmers Department Store at Christmas], PHO-2020-19.685. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).](https://images.ctfassets.net/mplktqcfflsk/7AprOYbpswSPzbSh9gEIhX/7521f94a38900f587090c4c007ee13f1/eea90d9b907b24e5af84cc85db9bdee71063de46_1954.jpg?w=800&h=594&q=85&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
![Graham Stewart. 1955. [Queen Street at Christmas], PHO-2017-5.11. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).](https://images.ctfassets.net/mplktqcfflsk/7rWdH0E42oGUTlrWUj0uFV/9adfbcb315ec34fe1af39ea0143d80db/a962fa4b31e3dee80f7d36876ab465b4534b25ea_1955.jpg?w=800&h=639&q=85&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
![Graham Stewart. Dec 1956. [Tram 13 at night on Queen Street], PHO-2020-19.1. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).](https://images.ctfassets.net/mplktqcfflsk/60fkXNO5YyvKxkHTJ7HKLN/441eeddc2ac1d9d664b98cd5f04f9c15/e5963fda70167430c7e2bd7939298e30dacd078b_1956.jpg?w=800&h=645&q=85&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
![Unknown. Dec 1956. [Tram no. 181 in front of Milne & Choyce's Christmas decorated building on Queen Street], PHO-2017-5.12. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).](https://images.ctfassets.net/mplktqcfflsk/5Cp4fPcspeJB6cDYLHSvoc/6f36053611791e2a67ba36d61ed3b9e5/b226e9f99606714381fac349021c93fddbb40ba8_1956.jpg?w=657&h=800&q=85&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
![Graham Stewart. Dec 1958. [Trolley bus 110 on Queen Street at night], PHO-2020-19.620. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).](https://images.ctfassets.net/mplktqcfflsk/6dKbMsBSrlKrrYmXWT5zCs/6b9478c418a356d22a850176b5315c55/39d78840032a2a125e1ce10fa366c7e33899d1ad_1958.jpg?w=600&h=800&q=85&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
![Graham Stewart. 31 Dec 1970. [Trolley bus 133 outside Farmers Department Store at Christmas], PHO-2020-19.630. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).](https://images.ctfassets.net/mplktqcfflsk/3zpNXMlSZ4fIGOHb1pOa0B/ca65a315c0b11b499bcbe537ba89e520/187dec6cdb52714602943ad141255d0821bbeaad_1970.jpg?w=800&h=583&q=85&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
![Graham Stewart. Dec 1953. [Tram 198 in front of Smith and Caughey's Limited on Queen Street], PHO-2020-19.148. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).](https://images.ctfassets.net/mplktqcfflsk/3Ef6VhjbmkIU3ie3VW7Tq4/618e5cba7e1999e1db3594cc4895aed0/52b5d2c791d4a9aacf4fb54f491c08042b5c9f1f_1953.jpg?w=898&h=1199&q=85&fm=webp&bg=transparent)
Graham Stewart. Dec 1953. [Tram 198 in front of Smith and Caughey's Limited on Queen Street], PHO-2020-19.148. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
For more Christmas items from MOTAT's collection, click here.