Crowded house

If it wasn't for the din of jackhammers and the thundering trucks, you could almost hear the sneering from the city.

On the outskirts of New Zealand's major metropolitans, a sea of partially-paved streets, wrought-iron lamplights and double-height porticos is spreading. This is the official flop of the nation's pavlova paradise, a place where the largest house is erected on the smallest site for the lowest price in the shortest time. The critics call it McMansion land, mock-palaces for the masses.

Read More - Opens in a new window