Shopping
Shopping Hours
Most shops and businesses are open 9am
to 5pm, Monday to Friday, as a minimum.
Many stores also open Saturdays and some
open on Sundays. In resorts you will find
most stores open in the evenings. Banks
are closed at weekends.
What
to Buy
New Zealand offers a huge variety of
shopping from arts and craft markets,
galleries and museum shops to exclusive
designer stores. For traditional New
Zealand souvenirs look for examples
of superb Maori carvings in wood, bone
and pounamu (greenstone or jade). You
can also find jewellery and ornaments
made from the iridescent paua shell
(abalone), treasured by Maori for centuries.
New
Zealand potters are recognised as among
the world's finest and today many fine
artisans are also working in stone,
wood, glass and metals. The country's
vast wool industry makes it possible
to find wonderful handknitted wool sweaters,
beautiful wall hangings, homespun yarns
and top-quality sheepskins.
Alongside
top international fashion in boutique
stores in the main city areas, you will
also find New Zealand's own award-winning
fashion labels, including Zambesi, NomD,
Karen Walker and World.
Credit
cards with "Smart Card" technology
Smart cards are payment cards that carry
an embedded microchip allowing them
to store encrypted, confidential information,
and carry multiple applications from
different industries alongside debit,
credit, or prepaid payment applications.
Please note these cards, which often
have no magnetic strip, are not accepted
everywhere in New Zealand. You may experience
problems using these cards, and we therefore
recommend you contact you card provider
for further information before arriving
in New Zealand.
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