The 10 Largest Shopping Center in Hamilton, New Zealand

5 Replies to The 10 Largest Shopping Center in Hamilton, New Zealand

1. The Base with its many outdoor shops and eateries is a plentiful feast for shoppers; however, the onsite indoor shopping mall Te Awa is my favourite. A hub of activity on the weekends and surprisingly quiet on any given weekday before 3pm especially on Mondays lends towards a slower pace and a pleasant experience. At times quiet enough to roll bouncy balls down and not collide with anyone.

   The food court is reminiscent of a camp canteen; loud with conversation but filled with quiet thoughts. People vying for the their favourites from the golden arches to KFC and Pita Pit to Shamiana; there is something for everyone. The best place to get a hot beverage is Dunkin’ Donuts…why? their drinks are hot not cool or lukewarm but hot, well priced and the customer is very good but the added bonus is the scrumptious, delectable and addicting donuts at under $4 they are the cheapest snack you can get unless you like $6-$8 muffins. They offer a great deals including a medium hot drink and two donuts for under $11. The food court is open late on Thursday and Friday nights.

   Te Awa boasts Jago Town an indoor play centre for kids which hosts birthday parties.

   A big welcome to JB Hi-Fi we are glad you finally made it. Awesome store!

   Hoyts with its Hoyts Xtremescreen cinema for extra large viewing, a Hoyts D-Box cinema with motion recliners, 3D capable cinemas and a Hoyts Lux with an option of special dining and drinks with comfy recliners but it comes with an over the top price tag so maybe opt for it on date night or for really long movies. Don’t let the websites photo’s lull you in unfortunately all the cinemas on offer do need some loving attention and visible staff. The range of cinemas or the excessively expensive food with $10 candyfloss and over $5 a bottle water is not the best thing on offer. Lower your expectations. The best thing about Hoyts is the view out their windows. It’s a very quiet place during the day and it’s FREE.

   An array of stores are on offer in Te Awa including Farmers Department Store, Huffer, Typo, Cotton On, Glassons and Just Jeans but you can find North Beach, Lovisa, Mr Minit, Smiggle and countless jewellery chain stores and beauty parlors just to name a few.

   Pop in and take a stroll through, enjoy a hot or cold cuppa and a donut, see a movie or just come in from the cold and rain. Te Awa has something for everyone under a canopy of natural light and where time does not exist because clocks like Las Vegas aren’t a fixed feature. Having fewer items that remind you how long you’ve been in the store gets people to shop for longer periods of time.

   If you are wanting to expand your shopping experience while getting some exercise have a gander around The Base which brims over with countless big stores such as Chemist Warehouse, The Warehouse, Crackerjack, EB Games, Mitre10 Mega, Rebel sport and Adairs plus multiple banks, coffee chain stores, Burger Fuel, New Save Supermarket, Nando’s and Subway to name more than half a dozen.

   Be warned! On weekends go as early or as late as possible to avoid the rudeness of some shoppers relentlessly looking for a car park and the heaving thong of people walking aimlessly. The walkways with overhead shelter do not functions as such but lean towards a design fail and cosy nests for cute birds who have figured out when it’s best to come out and when to stay home. A cautionary tale.

   Enjoy!

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2. We called into the mall to get some food at “Foundation” which was OK. The staff member was friendly but everything was ordered and paid for on a tablet.so you didn’t get that personal feel. They had some more unusual foods which were appealing eg…pulled pork, mushroom and cashew pizza with BBQ sauce… Worth trying, but make sure you’re really hungry as it’s big ! (well for me, anyway).

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3. The Base is a busy consumer hub in an expanding industrial part of the city and it has long since superceded the city center so far as shoppers are concerned. While there are plenty of places to eat, you’ll find more big box stores than serious restaurants. It’s a good place to take the kids during school holidays as they always have some fun activities organised.

   There’s an awful lot of parking and this necessitates a shuttle service for helping people get from one end of the area to the other. I understand they have some marked walking tracks for those who like the easy exercise but I don’t think they amount to much more than laps of the complex. The bright side is a number of bus services run right into the car park making it easy to get here from other parts of town.

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4. Loads of different shops and stores, always busy, especially now leading up to Christmas. Would pay to be there when it opens to get a park and beat the crowds. Is hand to go tonall the different shops you may want to go to. Be prepared to walk a bit, also has underground carports.

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5. I loved this place when I first came here in 2013 – now to come back and see that it’s so much bigger with so much more there was awesome.
   Only complaint really would be traffic however that can’t be helped.

   The base is still one of my favs for a lifetime.

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