Mānawa Bay

Forget everything you thought you knew about outlet stores—Mānawa Bay's serving bargains, but make it luxe.

Opening in September 2024, Mānawa Bay (Mānawa being a Māori word for mangrove) is a far cry from any other outlet we’ve ever stepped foot in with an atmosphere that’s part luxury shopping, part friendly shopping mall. 

Packing in almost 100 brands from here and abroad including Hoka, Guess, Gant and Timeless Watches which are making their Aotearoa début. Other heavy-hitters in the lineup include Swarovski, Tomm Hilfiger, Ugg, Huffer, Dr Martens, Flo & Frankie, Adidas, Coach, Michale Kors, Kate Spade, and Helly Hansen—the outlet’s set to become a shopping mecca. 

As any avid shopper knows, one of the most vital elements of a successful shopping mission is food to fuel the spree and Mānawa Bay delivers on this front too including essential food icons like St Pierres, Tank Juice, Better Burger and Wu Cha, as well as crowd favourites like Korean fried chicken slinger Ko Ko Dak and pasta-centric Needo, plus newcomers like Australian fresh food brand Soul Origin which delivers delectable health hits in the form of salads, sandwiches, and smoothies. 

Perhaps the most frothworthy eatery, however, is Lindt. Renowned for its sustainably sourced high quality cocoa treats, New Zealand’s first ever Lindt store comes complete with a truffle pick-and-mix station, decadent sundaes, coffee and all the chocolate our hearts could desire (yep, all of it). 

So Mānawa Bay isn’t your usual shopping mall by any stretch of the imagination, especially when it comes to sustainability. In fact, Aotearoa’s newest outlet is the only shopping centre to have ever received a Green Star Design rating (and Mānawa snagged a cream-of-the-crop 5 stars). Major sustainability-savvy design elements include rooftop solar and a zero gas policy in the foodcourt kitchens. There’s a gorgeous indoor-outdoor flow too, with an outdoor seating area and playground overlooking the surrounding mangroves and some 100,000 plants and trees. 

But the outlet didn’t launch free of controversy, with concerns arising about spiking traffic around Auckland Airport (an area that’s already pretty jam-packed). Soothing some concerns is the knowledge the mall is a short 10-minute walk from the nearest bus stop, plus it’s part of the Airport link orange bus. It’s set to be linked to the airport by a shuttle, too, making for cheeky pre- and post-flight holiday splurges. 

Main image credit: Mānawa Bay | supplied.