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Story: Shops

Main street, Upper Hutt, 1950s

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Main street, Upper Hutt, 1950s

The main shopping street of Upper Hutt in the 1950s was typical of many small New Zealand towns or suburbs. Small shops lined both sides of the street. Visible here are McKenzies (a chain variety store), Tomlin Watchmaker, Gibbs Chemist, a real estate agent and a hardware shop advertising Taubmans paints.

Using this item

Upper Hutt City Library Heritage Collections

Reference: P5-80-797

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Shops – Small-town and suburban shopping, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21212/main-street-upper-hutt-1950s (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 6 April 2010, updated 19 February 2026.