The World’s Most Southern Starbucks

I wrote this in 2016 or 2017 during the two years I lived in New Zealand. Some details — prices, hours, what’s open — may have changed, but the experience and my love for this place haven’t.

Just about every city in the known universe has a Starbucks and New Zealand is no exception. The reception from Kiwis is mixed though, and it varies pretty dramatically depending on where you are.

In Auckland, especially in the tourist areas, Starbucks is busy. Lines are long and the places are crowded. Aucklanders seem fairly indifferent — drink Starbucks or don’t, no one particularly cares either way.

Wellington is a different story. Wellington is becoming known for exceptional coffee and craft beer, and the locals take both seriously. On the few occasions I went to Starbucks in Wellington there was no line at all and the place was practically empty. The first time I walked into the office carrying a Grande Vanilla Latte with the green logo showing, I got teased by no less than three people before I got to my desk. The last one was less teasing and more sneering — they called me a tourist and told me Wellington had far better coffee than that!

They weren’t wrong.

I like Starbucks and I’m from Seattle where it was founded, so there’s nostalgia involved for me. But Starbucks is so thoroughly American that one New Zealand newspaper described the name as a broad put-down of “the perceived American habit of commodifying products while hollowing out their worth” — a brand held up as a warning sign when arguing for protecting local culture from global chains.

That tracks. It explains why Starbucks does better in Auckland — a more globalised city — than in the rest of New Zealand where local culture and independent businesses are the norm and big chains are viewed with some suspicion.

And then there’s Invercargill.

At the bottom of the South Island sits what the store itself claims is the world’s southernmost Starbucks. It’s on Esk Street and inside you’ll find a signpost with distances to Seattle and other cities around the world — a nice touch. The store celebrates the title and it’s worth a stop if you’re passing through. I haven’t been yet but it’s on the list.

A small caveat on the southernmost claim — Starbucks has been expanding in Chile in recent years and depending on where they’ve opened stores the title may be contested. But Invercargill is still claiming it and I’m not going to argue with them.