NZ +9: At the Mall

People said before I came here that NZ was just like Britain, but in the 50s. It's actually not. The streets are laid out in a grid pattern in Christchurch, there are long straight avenues with stores, diners, motels on either side, there is a Dairy on every street corner, the road signs are yellow diamonds, and then shopping centre is called a Mall. That all sounds more like somewhere else.

And yesterday, we went to the Mall. Let me introduce you to some of the shops...



Now, don't go in here and expect to buy pick'n'mix, a Sindy Doll and an over priced CD. Woolworths over here is basically ASDA. In the corner, you can make out the $2 Shop, which is the Pound Shop and sells stuff that is identical to the stuff they sell in the pound shops in Shirley.

Now, this is Farmers...



This is Debenhams. You can see from the picture that you have to run the gauntlet of the heavily made-up women at the Revlon counter who have to tip their heads back to get their eyes open before you can get into the shop proper...

Noel Leeming is the kind of local electrical store that Jeremy Spake advertises...



A sort of Rumbelows, if you like.

K-Mart is where you go if you want to buy some jelly babies, some engine oil and some slippers all in one trip.



Very classy. Very upmarket clientel. (Is that how you spell that?)

And Hallensteins is Next. I bought a fleece in the sale. Only $19, which is less than £8. I dread to think what it would be like earning the Kiwi dollar and having to tour round the UK for a month. you would be destitute when you got back...



And of course, wherever you go...