It would be hard to imagine a more shopper-friendly city than Wellington.

The capital has a huge variety of stores, conveniently situated in shopping arcades, underground malls and clusters of shops along the ‘Golden Mile’ of Lambton Quay, Willis Street, Manners Street, Cuba Street and Courtenay Place.

Lambton Quay has five shopping centres, numerous fashion stores, large chain stores and the country’s premier high-class traditional department store, Kirkaldie & Stains. Stylish boutique shops line Woodward Street and the historically fascinating The Old Bank – a 102 year old building showcasing New Zealand’s latest fashion labels such as Karen Walker, World, Zambesi and Workshop.

Lambton Quarter is one of four areas defining the commercial heart of Wellington city. The Willis Quarter is notable for its high quality lifestyle stores displaying current designer labels like Voon and Starfish. Sports stores feature here and stylish cafes complete the shopper’s heaven in this part of town. Men’s fashion is catered for with colourful and quirky designs in House of Hank and other guy stores.

Cuba Quarter acts as a powerful magnet for retail therapists looking for alternative clothing, especially urban funk designs, ethnic articles and pre-loved fashion wear. The Left Bank centre linking Victoria Street and Cuba Mall has shops like Fashion HQ, which showcase the current work of Wellington designers. The widely divergent styles found in Cuba Quarter encourage browsing and window shopping and the male shopper can explore new fashion ideas in stores like Mandatory in Cuba Street. James Smith Corner is packed with boutique shops selling jewellery, candles and a host of New Age items.

Courtenay Quarter is renowned as Wellington’s nightlife and entertainment centre, but is fast becoming a boutique retail hotspot as well. Contemporary furniture and designer fashion wear shops are making a big impact here. The Wellington Market on Wakefield Street makes an interesting browse to view the eclectic mix of second-hand furniture and goods.