When I had arrived here as an immigrant, I decided that a raincoat in Auckland's inclement weather was an essential item. So I walked the length and breadth of Newmarket, I called almost every store in St Lukes, to be told 'It's not the season for raincoats, try again in winter.' or 'No we don't do raincoats, we do snow gear!' Yes, some sports, and camping shops had raincoats as I was kindly asked if I wanted waterproof or light shower raincoats? The fact that neither were in stock made this question virtually redundant.
From this vantage point I thought there appeared to be a very big gap in the market NZ but I did not know the fact that all Kiwis are habitually walking around soggy because of Auckland's tendency to have 'four seasons in one day'. Therefore I suspect a raincoat is just not practical if we end up carrying it around most of the time in the heat. Sunglasses, sunblock, a scarf, a woolly hat and quick drying clothes are standard for many Aucklanders for three quarters of the year. Rightly or wrongly, raincoats or umbrellas in Auckland are regarded as things 'people from out of town' (tourists, rural folk) or 'dodgy individuals' (homeless old men, dotty old ladies) wear as they are aesthetically never cool unless we are at Eden Park during rugby season.
