Old Bank Arcade

Set in the historic Bank of New Zealand building, the Old Bank Arcade brings together the latest in fashion and beauty in a unique shopping experience. Browse for designer clothes, jewellery, and linen. Pamper yourself with specialist lotions and soaps, then sit down for a coffee at one of the on-site cafés. 

The shopping arcade is in a prime position on Wellington’s Golden Mile. The distinctive wedge-shaped building lies where Lambton Quay, Willis Street, and Customhouse Quay meet. There are many hidden secrets inside, including a subterranean access way to other shopping arcades. Head to the basement floor of shops and continue your travels underground to the food and entertainment offerings in Willis Lane and on to the Grand Arcade on Willis Street. It’s a great hack if you want to cover a city block, shop, eat, and avoid the weather on a grim day.

For serious fashionistas, the Old Bank Arcade delivers a considered selection of boutiques. You’ll find Sills & Co, Vigi, Standard Issue, Ruby, and I Love Ugly. Kathryn Wilson and I Love Paris will keep your feet fashionably clad. Workshop and Taylor (more Kiwi fashion labels) are accessible through a separate entrance on Customhouse Quay. You can also indulge yourself at Devonport Chocolates, Tory & Ko Jewellers, and several beauty shops. 

The main arcade level (formerly the BNZ banking chamber) is bookended by cafés. Grab a drink and snack from the Mojo Coffee kiosk or a cooked lunch from Smith the Grocer. Both utilise dedicated tables in the arcade. Sit in Edwardian splendour beneath ornate neo-classical columns, wooden panels, and an animated, musical clock.

The basement level shops reveal more surprises. Look through glassed floor areas to the remains of an old three-masted sailing vessel — Plimmer’s Ark. The vessel has remained mired there since it was left high and dry in an 1855 earthquake. It was unearthed when the bank building was renovated in the 1990s.