Mānawa Bay may have shattered its visitor expectations for its first weekend, but many shoppers left empty-handed as they relayed to the Herald their first thoughts about New Zealand’s newest outlet shopping centre.
The new retail hub, which opened last Thursday, is the latest investment by Auckland Airport, costing over $200 million to build over the last two years.
It has 2000 car parks and, being surrounded by airport land, the airport company opened six more neighbouring lots for spillover during the busy Thursday-Sunday opening period. That more than doubled vehicle capacity, providing 4500 car parks.
However, shoppers inside the centre had plenty to say about the experience of reaching the centre.
One shopper, who had travelled to the centre on Saturday, said it took them an extra 30 minutes to get there with respect to the journey time Google Maps had estimated over the weekend.
They said the single lane of entry on Jimmy Ward Crescent coming from the north slowed everything down. “It made no sense to me. Like, why not make it two lanes at least?” they said.
Another spoke about the difficulty finding parks over the weekend, with traffic controllers present throughout to ensure the flow of cars was steady.
Many shoppers spoken to on Monday said their experience was much better, with ample parking available and much quicker access to the centre thanks to smaller crowds.
Mark Thomson, chief commercial manager, said the airport had done “a lot of work with road management communication and putting on bus services, so we knew that if we did get a peak, we could respond to that and ensure that our main priority was getting people to the terminals was prioritised at all times”.
Many shoppers thought the entrances into the centre needed changing, although Thomson believed congestion would ease over the coming weeks as dedicated shoppers become the norm.
Inside the building, shoppers were greeted with a brand-new shopping experience in stores never seen before in New Zealand, including Tommy Bahama, Timeless Watches, Guess and Lindt, which had queues out the door when the Herald visited.
It’s also now home to the largest Nike, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger stores in the country, which were very popular during the Herald’s visit.
According to the Mānawa Bay centre manager Linh Luong, the centre currently has 90 open stores, with more set to open in the next few months and a total capacity of 118 outlets.
She said typically, outlet retail centres in Australia generate 1.8-2.2 million shoppers annually, and Mānawa Bay is hoping to generate similar interest.
It also features a 470-seat food court, with 14 food and beverage options for shoppers including Ko Ko Dak, Better Burger, HK Station and Tank, with shoppers giving positive feedback on the options available.
“Mānawa Bay is designed to make the most of its water-facing location, overlooking Pūkaki Creek. The space is certainly not your typical food court,” Luong said.
While plenty of stores were full of potential customers, multiple shoppers within the centre told us they planned on leaving empty-handed.
One shopper said they just wanted to see the new shopping centre.
“It’s a good way to pass the time - we’ve actually got a flight later today!”
The centre also has a figure-of-eight layout, which one shopper said was slightly claustrophobic.
“You can definitely get lost. It does become a bit of a maze eventually,” they said.
A common theme shoppers spoke about was the feeling within the centre itself, with plenty of contradictions between them.
Some described the centre as dark and enclosed, while others spoke highly of the food court’s outdoor area, which brought light into the space. It also featured a playground which was popular with families.
One shopper directly compared it with the largest shopping centre in New Zealand, Sylvia Park, saying it felt much darker.
Notably, Sylvia Park’s interior design utilises an opposite colour scheme and features skylights in prominent areas.
Thomson spoke about how the inspiration for the centre’s design reflected the mangroves (mānawa) featured in the area.
Some shoppers spoke highly of the centre’s amenities, particularly the children’s play areas and bespoke parent rooms.
A highlight for one shopper interviewed as they were leaving was the featured art exhibition by Manurewa High School, saying: “It was a nice area to escape the shops for a bit!”
They, like many others interviewed on Monday, went home without buying anything.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business and retail.