It was nice to see such a lovely little shop pop up in Birkenhead, since, let's face it, the…read moreshopping area itself is a bit down-at-heel. Crave and a few other little cutesy boutiques are giving this shopping centre a new spark of life, which is fantastic. From the outside the shop is very enticing, with a great mix of funky homewares and a few gift items thrown in the mix. My personal opinion is this shop is a bit over-priced though. I picked up a few items to see the price tag and almost immediately set them back down again. As cute as a box of stripey paper straws is, I'm not paying $12.50 for it. Perhaps if they got in a few reasonably priced options I'd be back.

Crave is a top quality home and gift store that is a new comer to the classic Birkenhead shops…read more Located at the corner of Mokoia Rd in Birkenhead, you will be in for a delightful shopping experience at this stylish boutique. They are award winning as of 2012 receiving a retail excellence award- so enough stated really. If you wondering what to buy a friend or family member who seems to have everything and anything. You might be lucky in finding a few special pieces in this original gift and home store. Stylish cushions and jewellery are my fave's here, because they have flair and style and standout with oomph! The staff are friendly and will help with your needs, all you need to do is call out. If you have found that perfect pressie they will also wrap it up to look gorgeous darling! A real shopping experience with class and sophistication.

Another one of those shops perfect for picking out gifts or goodies for around the house. A while…read moreago I was hunting every last corner of Auckland looking for a piece of jewellery for my 21st. I was after something a little different and not something I'd find draped on every second person across the city. At Spinz I was surprised to find jewellery at all as I kind of thought it was more a tacky trinkety shop. I was quite wrong. There was some beautiful jewellery inside including some different brands, designers and pieces locked away in the sparkly cabinet. The staff were very helpful and eager to play a part in my selection. They did not hesitate in whipping out brochures and designer catalogues and checking with suppliers and stockists. They were also not too pushy which I found refreshing as sales assistants can really grind my gears when they say something looks "PERFECT" on you when you know it looks like S***.

The name "OK Gift Shop" is pretty funny. It's like, "go here for the gifts for people you don't…read morecare too much about but have to get one for." Ironically enough, this is actually one of the better gift shops I've come across. I don't make a habit of gift shopping, but I try to make a habit of gift receiving, and I wouldn't mind if I got one from here - if I was overseas that is. On the day I went they had a weird little promotion where buy a number and they spin a thing, if you win you get a prize. There must have been about 40 Japanese school kids on a trip in the shop all hoping to win big so I missed out on having a chance, but it looked pretty cool. For once, a shop that actually outshines it's name.

You can find OK Gift Shop in Downtown shopping Centre corner of Customs Street and Albert Street in…read morethe heart of Auckland's city. They are on level one, not easy to miss in this small mall. I was impressed by the fact this souvenir shop sold work by New Zealand artists, probably commissioned based, but so are galleries. It is a great way to buy a unique gift for someone without having to trek out into the outer markets or surrounding suburbs if you on a tight time schedule but want to buy that something a little bit different and not mass produced overseas. Their was photographic art, ceramics with Kiwi iconography and New Zealand's natural timbers made into crafty useful objects. I personally picked up a small ceramic plaque with a kiwi bird on it and a nice green glaze over the top, it was by 'Art Locker' and cost me $9.20. I was pretty happy with that, and I hope my friends in Perth will too, since it is intended for them. A lovely little, well quite big actually, store to keep in mind when on the hunt for presents to go overseas.

Don't think this is just a beautiful shop to buy beautiful things for your mum. There's is…read moresomething for everyone here and you'll be surprised by all the unexpected cool stuff you just might want to get for yourself. The lady who runs Kinder Arts is lovely and treats her customers like old friends. The things she chooses to sell are just gorgeous and often you won't see them anywhere else - there's a range of silk velvet handbags in gemstone colours and various shapes that are so stunning I used one for my wedding. There's artworks, jewellery, fashion accessories (a lot of GREAT handbags, I LOVE bags), homewares, toys, even garden features and statuary. There's gift ideas big and small and nothing is ridiculously overpriced as is so often the case in these kinds of boutiques. I particularly love the Kiwiana bent to a lot of the products and the artworks are a really affordable way to put something beautiful on your walls. It's the kind of shop where even the kids like coming. Aside from the toys and other kids' stuff, my boys always talk about how cool the giant wooden spiral tower (for marbles) at the back is. And they are always welcome to play with it even if things get a little bit noisy and overexcited. Nice.

Even though this store is aimed toward older women, I often find myself returning to browse (the…read morestore not the older women). Kinder Arts easily entices me with busy crowded window displays, where every colour jostles for attention and recognition. This gift store has scarves and jewellery for your grandmother but also children's gifts. They have an outdoor retreat full of water features and concrete statues. The have mass-produced art done by some poor Indonesians depicting everything from Tintin pop art to Renaissance inspired canvases. Kinder Art has an eye boggling amount of knickknacks and gifts, with constantly rotated displays. As they are open most weekends, it is a nice store to waste away a lazy Sunday.

Quite a brief trip in to suss out the Coin Save in my neighborhood, and what a range of things to…read morebuy in one stop really. It is a cheap store to say the least and has a range of bits and pieces that you would find in any two dollar store anywhere in Auckland, something that I have never seen for sale in a Two dollar store though is the range of BB Guns available. I always thought BB Guns were little plastic devices that didn't cost much, however you can pay anything up to 395 dollars for a really good one. Lots of inexpensive unbranded clothes, and some funny t shirts stood out to me, and they have quite a selection of clothing for a Coin Save.

Affectionately named "the best store in the world" by my partner this store is literally a…read moreone-stop-shop for virtually anything! Whether you are scouting for an extension cord, fish slice, nail polish, sewing kit, BB gun or bikini you are sure to find what you are looking for. Okay so the quality of the products can be questionable but you get what you pay for and let's be honest you only walk into a $2 store if you're looking for a quick-fix. The store is reasonably well laid out but with the familiar clutter of a well-stocked bazaar. The friendly and helpful owners have even managed to squeeze a small curtained change room into the corner! Like I said, best store in the world.

This lovely store selling mostly women's clothing and accessories is a relatively new addition to…read moreAvondale. The woman behind the counter has always presented herself with a big smile ready to assist the potential customer. The clothing range predominantly stock bold colours and large print designs. Casual or elegant evening wear to chose from. I am especially taken with her gorgeous bags, casual beach bag styles with lovely designs, mostly modern or ethnic prints - for $10!!! I hope those prices stay the same as I am keen to stock up on some for presents for the many female family members later in the year. The clothing appears to be better quality than anything else I have seen in Avondale retail shops and I hope the business is here to stay. They are situated across the road from the local library a few doors down on Rosebank Road.

This place is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Remuera shops, it has become…read moresomewhat of a landmark for Remas and it reminds me a lot of being young and visiting with my parents. It is quite an expensive store but it has some beautiful items and the ladies that work in here are always incredibly nice and easy to talk to. It's an excellent place to come for a gift especially for someone who is into homewares e.g. your Mum or Grandma. They stock brands such as Le Creuset, Scanpan, Donna Hay and Bodum. If you are into fine chocolates, Trumps is a stockist of Bennetts of Mangawhai (they make amazing chocolates right here in NZ). You can register your weddings gifts too so that your guests find it easy to choose something and they will have the comfort of knowing it is something that you want. They also take really good passport photos here!

Unlike other cluttered and claustrophobic discount stores, The 1 2 3 Dollar Store look almost…read moresparsely stocked. It has supermarket styled aisles of cheap Asian goodies in a corner of Henderson's Westfield Mall. The concentration of $2 shops in this mall is amazing and bargain hunters like myself will want to visit most of them before deciding on an item. The strength of the 1 2 3 Dollar Store is not so much flashy dress-up items, but rather, common household items. There are plenty of cleaning products or handkerchiefs or candles at super cheap prices. An almost sterilized semblance, this store is a place to look for budget items to fill out holes in your ordinary, everyday stock or for a one-off dinner event.

My sister gave me a budget of 3$ here and honestly i was stuck! so much options!! thanks guys love…read moreyou