Don Croot Street

Don Croot Street is one of the most unusual and notorious streets in Auckland, New Zealand. The winding 0.55 km street connects Western Springs Road and Finch Street. In contrast to the surrounding streets of weatherboard villas, the housing on Don Croot Street is primarily made up of clusters of 1960s and 1970s units, many of them constructed from concrete block.
Don Croot Street was once named one of the worst streets in Auckland, and it was well-known for being littered with residential rubbish. To this day it is not uncommon to see discarded TV sets and couches abandoned on the sides of the road, and the street boasts a feral cat colony that has been firmly established in the neighbourhood for over 20 years. Auckland Council records show that Don Croot Street was the source of many noise control complaints up until the early 2000s.
Don Croot Street is variously recorded as belonging to the suburbs of Kingsland, Morningside and Western Springs.
History
The street was developed in the mid 1960s and named after Mt Albert Borough Councillor and deputy Mayor Don Croot. The surname Croot may be of English or Dutch origins.
Residential sections came up for sale from 1968.
was located at the end of Don Croot and Finch Streets until the land was taken by the council for the Northwestern motorway in the late 1970s.
Amenities
Don Croot Street is a short walk from the Kingsland shops, the Morningside shops, Grey Lynn's Surrey Crescent, the Morningside and Kingsland train stations, and the transport links on Great North and New North Roads. Nearby parks include School Reserve, Bannermann Reserve and Arch Hill Scenic Reserve. It is also one of the few streets on Auckland to retain a telephone box.
Popular culture
* is the name of an urban hip hop artist on Soundcloud
* The street has inspired the website DonCrootStreet.com
Local personalities
Don Croot Street has a colourful past. Today the street lies at the axis point of several gentrified suburbs, and is home to a diverse community of first home owners, recent immigrants and people who use the support services of St Lukes Community Mental Health Centre, which is located near the top of the street.
Residents have included film maker Paul Scantlebury and photographer Aaron Burgess.
 
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