Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on the launch of the new Mānawa Bay outlet mall

Travellers and companions with time to spare will have opportunity to explore the new shopping mall opening right by Auckland Airport this week.

The new $200-million-plus premium outlet centre Mānawa Bay opened on Thursday, with launch celebrations running from September 19-22.

BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton says this might seem like an unusual spot to set up a mall - but it gives people staying in the nearby hotels something to explore without going as far as the city.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks EDB Travel with Wendy wo Tours unique
fully inclusive tours.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Around the world, and our travel expert Megan Singleton joins us. Now,
good morning, good morning. Now, not that I am grasping
for material possessions after reading my life Hacks from a Buddha,
but I am quite interested to know what you discovered
at Marnaba Bay because this is the new Auckland Airport
outlet mall. They've been promoting it for quite a long time.

(00:39):
It looks like there's amazing sort of shops out there
and things. And I believe you took a trip.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Well, I'm actually out here as we speak. Hi.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
How's traffic? Is it really busy?

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yes, it is really busy. Look, there's fourteen hundred car
parking spaces. So while I would say from where I'm
sitting in the car right now, it looks absolutely packed,
there are still some spaces around. You can't come in
from Puenui Road even though that where you see it.
So where it's located and it wasn't quite where I
thought it was. It's right down by the estuary of

(01:12):
Puanui Road past Butterfly Creek if you were leaving the airport,
so it's a bit of a hike. You wouldn't walk
here from the airport. But I do think it does
create a great layover opportunity because I don't know if
you've ever you know, well, I've certainly got friends and
family that come through and then they've got several hours
between their international fight and their domestic flights and there's

(01:33):
really nothing much to do unless you go all the
way into the city or into Manacaw or something like that.
So there's a hundred shops out here. There's sort of
all the main ones that we know and love, but
including there's Tommy Hill, Figure, There's Calvin Klein, Hokers, Shoes, Huffa.
People are walking around, I mean, honestly, what costs living?
Cross Screen Chesca. People are walking around with their rollin

(01:56):
guns bags and the cafe for Lint, the Lint Chocolate Cafe.
The line never died down. I've been out here for
aroun an hour and a half. There's still huge, Like
I don't know, people are just keen as mustard to
be out here shopping, eating. There's a food court, there's
an outdoor play area as well, which would be quite good.
If you've had kids on are playing for hours an hour.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Now that's sage.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
You give them a bit of a run around.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
It's really interesting the way you're talking about it, because
I thought this was just another outlet like the big
Dressmartin Onni Hunger that was available for shoppers, and I
was thinking, what an interesting place to put it. We
don't want lots more traffic going towards the airport because
we want to be able to get to our flights,
you know, we want You don't want a lot of
traffic going out there. But I see what you're saying.
So many hotels out at the airport. Now, we often

(02:40):
have family coming up from different parts of the country.
They have a night at a hotel, then they fly
out the next day. I get that. Now, this then
provides people with something to do, somewhere to go.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, but it's only open ten till seven. But it
is seven days. But I still think we're lacking out
here an evening restaurant kind of situation, like when you're
dropping people off for late flights, or as you say,
people have gone an overnight unless they're eating in their
hotel to a restaurant, and not all the parts have them.
We're still a little bit lacking out here. I think

(03:11):
somewhere you know, to go to for dinner, there's a
food court, there's a say the More closes at seven.
So yeah, but that's what that's what I think. The
whole the whole angle is for me and for travelers
and stuff. You're sort of they're off. You'd come down
past Jk's Gulf World. You wouldn't go all the way
into that airport road, but you'd Yeah, you still are

(03:32):
causing a bit of at the moment, you're causing a
bit of a rackets with the traffic getting here, but
you know, it's quite doable for a pleasant day and yeah,
lots of reasons to get out here. I think.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Well, I'm pleased to hear Megan that obviously it's it's
going off with the bang and that they're having a
good owing weekend. Are you just going to are you
just is in the car and recover now or are
you going yes, no, I'm gone, I'm done.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
I've done. No, there's a lot of people. I mean,
if you don't like crowds, you don't come today. Anyway,
they're actually running really especials until today, so they hasn't
had a soft launch from Thursday to Sunday and then
I think it sort of kicks into regular gear from
next week. So we'll see how if it sort of
cools off a little bit. But you know, as i'd say,
with fourteen hundred car parks, they expect it. And I'll

(04:22):
tell you what. The design of the building. I'm looking
at it right now. It's so fantastic. It looks really
really good right on the edge of the estuary. They've
planted it well, it's just going to be a great
little spot.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Megan, thank you for heading out there and checking it
out for us. That was Manama Bay.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.