Heroes for Sale is the type of store we don't see enough of in Auckland. I don't want to use the…read morediminutive term "Geek Shop" but "Adult Toy Store" definitely conveys the wrong meaning, especially being situated on K Road. "Comic Book Store" may be the best description for this shop, and they excel in stocking up-to-date comic books, from shiny, plastic-wrapped comics to ambiguous manga characters. The skillful staff will be happy to help you out. They also stock a great range of games- board games, card games, dice games. Purchasing a good board game is like an investment for a really memorable summer, especially if drinks are involved. One of the better places, other than a pub, where a guy can spend his allowance in Auckland.

My favourite thing about Heroes For Sale is that it is run by a guy called Stuart, just like the…read morecomic book store in The Big Bang Theory. My other favourite thing about this store is how truly happy it makes every comic book nerd in the central city. Picking up the latest Walking Dead comic is a regular ritual at my flat, at which point the brown package will be passed around aggressively fast, with no one offering anyone else any spoilers. Heroes For Sale is moving from its current home further down K'Road to the corner of Ponsonby and K on April 1. Look out for it at 582 K'Road soon.

St Kevin's Arcade holds a superb little book store, unobtrusively sitting between K Road and Myers…read morePark. The shelves are laden with second hand books and your eyes will be racing around the walls faster than your brain can process all the information. Personally, the fantasy/sci-fi and the horror sections just inside the door are my favourite. I can always find something to tickle my interest or some missing book for an incomplete trilogy I own. The staff will quietly let you browse but know their store remarkably well and can answer most, if not all, of your questions. There is also a fantastic comic book section and an AHEM adult section. Book lovers should have this cluttered little shop clearly on their radar.

I like this place a lot. I like that they have comics strung up in the window, and I like that…read morethey're terrible Marvel comics from the mid-nineties because that's when I started reading Marvel comics as a kid and so I will always have time for steroidal men with glowing eyes and too many shoulder pads. I also like that this place is tiny. There's something about small, cluttered bookshops that's just so appealing. And there are more comics inside and they're a cool mix of old ones and new ones, and they're all only a few dollars, and there are obscure books about old TV shows and I'm pretty sure they had a copy of the first Tintin book in there once plus there's even a dirty section behind a curtain and that's probably got comics in it too because that's just how awesome this place is ... I think I've only ever bought like two things from this place. But I just like that it's there.

always has the manages I want and staff are friendly and helpful. 10/10 , love seeing that they are…read moreat different cons

The Television show 'The Big Bang theory' has almost made comic books and sci fi collectibles cool…read moreagain, I said almost okay! This awesome little shop located in Takapuna is bringing it back for the nerds man! Whenever my little brothers birthday rolls around again, I begin to panic, he is without doubt the hardest person to buy for, but this shop makes it easy for me. They have almost everything you could ever want in a hobby shop, collectibles, DVD sets, plush- stuffed animals, posters- the list goes on. This year I opted for the 'Firefly' DVD box set, and also brought one for myself while I was there, and the present was met with raucous applause. I did good for once! Online shopping is also available for your convenience, but it's worth it if you can actually make it into the store itself because the people who work there are just so knowledgable and really excited to help you be able to track down that (nerdy) hearts desire of yours. Let it all out in this store, you are among friends! E.T phone home

The best nerd shop in Auckland! Retrospace is on par with the best websites in New Zealand to sate…read moreyour secret nerdy desires, but they now have a physical store where you can get your calloused XBOX thumbs and square eyes all over the merchandise without having to wait or without leaving a credit card trail your significant other could follow. The "significant other of a nerd" may sound like a contradiction but this is the 21st Century. BBC sci-fi like Dr Who, TV series remakes like BSG and books turned into series, like Game of Thrones, are all becoming that little bit more mainstream than they used to be. That means posters, novelty toys, die-cast figures, fan fiction, knickknacks and thingamajigs and flummery- most of these can be found here. Staff also stay up to date with events like Armageddon Expo and gaming events in the Auckland Area. A great place for gifts- or a least that's what you can tell your self when you're in there. (They have a life-sized Dalek in-store).

The perfect way to relax and unwind is sitting in a big comfy chair with a good book and great…read morecoffee in hand. At the recently reopened The Book Exchange Glen Eden you can do exactly that! Serving the absolutely delicious Refined Wesite Mt Atkinson Coffee famous in West Auckland all you need to do is search through the abundance of pre loved books to find that perfect read. My long black was on point and there is a great selection of coffees on hand to meet most requirements. They also have a few counter top treats if you like a wee snack with your book and coffee. This place screams old school awesomeness from the old books to the big old vintage armchairs you can sit and relax in. This place is a real gem for young and old and a place you would happily enjoy on your own. "The more that you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go." - Dr Seuss

What an inviting ,warm ,cosy find on one of the coldest mornings in Auckland. Not Nottinghill or…read moreNew York but Glen Eden. A very well organised second hand book shop with great Mt Atkinson coffee and baking ,tucked along the road from the Glen Eden library. A surprise find in one of Auckland's old Western suburbs. We enjoyed good coffee while browsing through the huge collection of books even finding the James Mitchener novel we were searching for.We will be returning.

I am all about independent bookstores these days and this one is an absolute gem! Doris, who owns…read morethe store is kind, knowledgable and most importantly passionate about books. When I last went in they didn't have the book I was after (City of Thieves by David Benioff - if you haven't already, you should read it - it's fantastic!) but were happy to order it in. They are also happy to host other people's book clubs after-hours complete with wine and sweet treats for FREE, which I think is pretty cool! Doris goes through some of the new and interesting books they have in-store and then you share with you B.C comrades what you have been reading of late. Book swaps are also allowed! I think it's important that we support small independant stores like this and am happy to make the extra trip over the bridge to do so!

I'm into a lot of historical books, so this book store isn't one of my favourites. However, I do…read moreadmire all independent bookshops like this one that still operate, especially when it's so easy to get stuff online. This bookshop in particular has a great selection of cookbooks and children's books, which means it's perfect for gifts. They seem to keep pretty up to date with all the latest new releases, and they can also order something in for you if they don't have it in stock. One of the bonuses of coming to a bookstore like this one is that you get good service and advice from the person who knows a lot about the products that she sells. Definitely ask if you are stuck for gift ideas.

Service was fast and friendly, called to put a book on hold and showed up about 35 minutes later…read more They had it ready to go and were very nice.

I love bookstores: the smell, the colors, and the possibilities for adventure and escape. Where I…read morelive there aren't many left, so it's exciting to visit as wonderful as Unity Books. In Auckland there are quite a few places to go, but this one is independent and probably the best. Unity Books has its main store and children's book separate on the same street; both are fun to browse through. I came here both to browse and with a mission. I wanted to purchase the complete Lord of the Rings and Hobbit filming locations books. They're printed in New Zealand and cover places we visited, and others we'd love to return to. Their prices were what I expected; with the exchange rate, I was happy. The store was organized and they were easy to find, but one of the books' spine was broken. I asked a friendly clerk and they quickly went to the back and got another copy. It made buying them there easy. They had so many happy customers, it's easy to see they're doing well. I will definitely stop here on our next visit.

This is Auckland's best (and probably biggest) second hand bookstore. It's musty in a good "old…read morebooks" kind of way, and sprawling and welcoming at the same time. Set over two floors of one of Onehunga's old buildings, it's like a house full of books. Most rooms have a comfy old chair or two for reading, and visitors are encouraged to sit and do just that. The subject range is huge and varied, and the prices are of course, excellent. The staff are knowledgeable and will point you in the right direction if you are after something in particular. Which is helpful because if you haven't been here before you could get lost and never come back out. Sadly Onehunga has been on the decline in the last few years despite there being a number of really great businesses here. I would recommend coming for lunch at Luscious, followed by a fossick at the Hard to Find and then checking out Look Sharp Discount Store. This historic Auckland suburb has suffered from mismanagement for too long now but as while these unique places cling on, it's still worth a visit - there is so much character and potential.

What do you buy for the person who has everything? Something fun, interesting or ridiculous;…read moresomething they've never seen before. Hard To Find Bookstore is the place to go for the person who has everything - spend enough time in amongst the weird little nooks and crannies and you're bound to find something for that awkward person who requires a gift. Ohe of my most lovely memories of Hard To Find Bookstore was a Christmas morning, when the small family of academics I was sharing breakfast with handed out presents. All three of them had bought each other gifts from Hard To Find, and all were so appreciative of their gifts. Some of the books still had their HTF price tags pencilled inside but nobody cared - gift-giving isn't always about how much it costs, but how much it means. And to these bookworms, the gifts were priceless.

It's no secret that I've got a thing for independent bookstores. They remind me of a time gone by…read more(which is strange because I am still in my 20's), when people weren't glued to their phones or the television every night but instead conversed or read books in happy solitude. Perhaps this is why I find it hard to go into a bookstore, like Timeout and not walk out with a book. Seriously, every time I find some excuse for buying a book. I also just love hearing the staff's recommendations. More often that not they lead to the discovery of a brilliant new author or reading a book you would've otherwise never picked up. Timeout seems to have more fiction than say, Novel in Herne Bay but they do also have a good number of design/architecture coffee table books as well. If you can't find what you're looking for, don't despair, although it's jam packed - floor to ceiling with books - the staff seem to miraculously know where everything is.

So first of all I'll confess that I am friends with the manager here. Her name is Jenna Todd and…read morewhen she's not in this very cool independent bookstore, she is being a very talented photographer and doing many other fabulous things. Really. Sometimes I want to BE her. Timeout though, even before Jenna, is its own legend. Battling in an industry where the littlies were mostly squashed a long time ago, this place is still here and I think that's so important. It is the antithesis of the big faceless corporate-owned bookstore; Timeout is small, perfectly formed, filled with personality and personalities. It has its own most awesomely cool cat Lucinda (I love you just the way I am) and the owner's dog often hangs out here too. Even the Facebook posts are actually funny and informative which is a real achievement when most social media is just CRAP (not Yelp of course, we're critics providing a service. Big difference.) These are no doubt just some of the reasons Timeout is constantly winning awards. The back room is given over entirely to children's books and the staff (all of them) are knowledgeable and can recommend something for every age group. I think that Timeout is one of Mt Eden village's key assets and one of the primary reasons the place actually feels like a village. It's bustling, buzzing and bursting with character and I find such a strange and profound pleasure in going in there and fondling the pile of brand new books stacked on the table. Does that make me weird?