Nick stayed late to help us find the perfect boards, matched to our individual skill level, and…read morewithin our budget. Brought an engineering mindset to tailored board and fin choice. Great new, used, and demo selection. 10/10 recommend.

Genuine surf shops are hard to find in Auckland. Most "surf shops" are really just stockists of…read moreanything Rip Curl or Billabong and the sales assistants don't know the difference between a short board and a SUP! That's why I consider Ultimate Surf Shop so... well, ultimate. If it's anything surfing orientated you're after, Andre or one of the other knowledgeable staff will certainly be able to suss you out. Whether you want to go all out and buy yourself a brand new board or just stop in for a chat about what the surf is doing and grab a new block of wax this is the place to go. They cater to nooby as learners, eager grommets and old grumpy long boarders. The custom J Dub quad fin board I got from the boys at Ultimate has showed me some seriously good times in the surf. A new addition to Ultimate surf is the Ultimate Skate shop upstairs. Absolutely anything skate will be stored up here and Jesse knows his stuff! He recently put together a board for my boyfriend. I was so thankful he could make the process so simple for me because if I was asked to choose a deck and bearings and wheels and all the other crap going on I wouldn't have known where to start! Ultimate also puts on some awesome events to get involved in from skate jams to movie nights! Lots of good times to be had so I'd recommend getting involved!

Queen Streets Rip Curl store is better than most inner city surf stores. They don't take themselves…read moreas serious as some other stores, who think street wear is high fashion. Also, unlike some other brands, Rip Curl actually stock boards and wetsuits aside from their clothing label. While this might not be super important on Queen St, it's nice to see a surf store that is more than a label. The front half of the store usually stocks the latest fashion and current sales, then the store bottlenecks at the counter and sunglasses section. Upstairs houses the majority of the surf related paraphernalia. Staff tend to be quite clued up and friendly. A great spot to pick up some cheap but sturdy jandals during summer or look at the latest big production surf video.

The team at Watersports South Pacific are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable type of folk…read more They specialise in kitesurfing and I bet most of them do it too, as they have a bit of sports-specific knowledge to offer. They also sell Stand up Paddleboarding, Kitesurfing and Wakeboarding gear, so if you're into watersports this is a good place to visit. Unfortunately they don't offer rental equipment, so if you're a beginner look elsewhere. But if you're a pro looking for the best of the best, Cabrhina and North are tocked here. They also do lessons for those wanting to learn the sport, with equipment included.

On the wide pavement outside the store is a coffee table, couches and magazines like my…read moregrandparents beach house. Somewhere inside the shop smelling of old books and wood comes some funk music laid over a surf film. I'm sold. Sitka looks like the refurbished New York loft so popular in the 2010's. This Canadian business produces some excellent quality men's and women's clothing, surf boards, cruisers and long boards. What's equally exciting when you enter the shop, and reaffirms the affiliation New Zealand feels with Canada, is the company's environmental awareness. The shop, the product, the decor is a feast for the eyes and for NZ "greenies".

Underground Skate have been the go-to local shop for nearly 20 years and they know their stuff…read more Always have the best product and the best advice for any fashion and board sports enthusiasts.

Hey they must be right when they claim to probably be the closest surf shop to the surf! You'll…read morefind them just up from Lion Rock and next to the Piha Store. We eyed up the rack of wetsuits outside just in case we found our size. We'll go back to have a good look at their surfboards because they have quite a range of new and second handy. All your label brands for t-shirts, boardies, dresses, sunglasses an essential beach gear. Owner "Ratso" Buchanan is also your contact for the surf school at Piha which my teenagers checked out this summer. Ratso knows a thing or two about this because he's many time national NZ surfing champion & 2011 ASP World Grandmaster Champion.

Owned by 'Ratso' (Ian) he's the grand master of surfing - best over 50 in the world. So you know…read morethis guy knows what he's doing and selling for that matter. Its right next to the local Piha store. This place is great for all things surf. They rent and sell surfboards and wetsuits so great for purchases or travellers stopping in for a visit and wanting to try it out (be weary of the Piha waves). They also sell all the wax and grips - classic surf store gear downgraded to a local scale shop. There's a little chalk board outside which gives you the surf and weather report for that day to which is handy and shows how generous the store owners are. There's a little seating outside too. It's a pretty good little surf shop.

Abigail's was the first gift-store I ever knew..we used to go and spend our pocket money on the…read morelucky dip bags they had then spend the rest of the day squabbling over the booty. They also used to have flowers and a little outdoor courtyard with plants and even an upstairs! However none of that is relevant now (sorry) because it has now moved premises and somewhat downgraded..or maybe just simplified. Nowadays you'll find a small, tidy, upmarket giftstore where everything is nice but nothing is too stand-out. The most useful thing for me personally is they seem to have branched out into baby wear and gifts - very helpful when every second person you know is having baby every second day. Oh and their gift-wrapping is exquisite!

I think I've got a new favourite shop. I'm such a sucker for anything cute, kitsch and quirky and…read morethat's exactly what this shop is. Brand new to K Road, this store embodies everything I love about the area. I think their selection of necklaces is actually even nicer than the similar ones in Monster Threads just down the road, and I looove those! It's clear the owners of this store really think about what they're selling and who they're trying to sell it to. This is only a tiny little store but everything in here is covetable, from the tea sets to books to the array of vintage-inspired sunnies and dresses. It's out of the ordinary, beautiful clothing, jewellery and homewares. I've got my eye on a necklace and the super-cute stick-on animal wall decorations.

Everything in this store is scrumptious. You know the kind of stuff that you could just eat up…read more These girls know what's good out there and now they've got it for us to buy. There's everything from clothes, to candles, to sunnies, and little knick-knacks that you probably don't need, but must have. It's the perfect place to go if you're trying to buy a present for someone who has everything. My favourite product they stock is the ceramic crinkle cups. They're so cute and everyone who sees them thinks they're so awesome. Having just moved from their old store the Bread and Butter Letter is looking seriously suave. I love the new branding and the light boxes out the outside of the store. Best thing about the new place is that you can now buy a cup tea there too. Love it.