Cuba Street is one of the most prominent streets in Wellington , New Zealand . The section between Dixon Street and Ghuznee Street is a pedestrian mall . Despite the number of older buildings in the street , there was little building damage from the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake . Named after an early ( 1840 ) settler ship to New Zealand , the '' Cuba '' , it is to the south of the CBD , but still in the inner city . Cuba Street was once the route of the Wellington trams . Following the removal of the rails , the middle section of the street was closed to traffic in 1969 , and is now a pedestrian mall and is one of the busiest areas of pedestrian activity in Wellington . Since 1995 , Cuba Street has been a registered Historic Area under the Historic Places Act 1993 , with numerous buildings being of historic significance , the Bank of New Zealand building being one of those
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
Cuba Street, Wellington