Hospice shops are always a good time…read more Good bargains, decent clothing and accessories, and all the proceeds go straight to hospices themselves. 'Turning second hand goods in to first class care' is the hospices motto, and this is exactly what these stores do. All the stock in hospice stores is donated by locals, and the staff that work in them are all volunteers. It's a great organisation and definitely worth supporting, whether by donating or purchasing items. This hospice shop is located in the Pt Chev mall and though I admit it isn't quite as good as others (the one on Mt Eden road in the Village is great), it's not half bad. I've found a couple of cute blouses in there recently and they've been so cheap - only a few dollars each! Open Monday to Saturday from 10am til 4pm, next time you are in Pt Chev take a moment to have a flick through the racks of the hospice shop and support the local hospices.

The best night market I've been to! I've been to multiple night markets and I always felt…read moreeverything was overpriced. But I've heard good things about this night market and I'm so glad I decided to give it a go! This is the first night market that I've been to and I actually thought everything I ate was delicious and food was reasonably priced. My favourite was the Korean food stall by the big battery. They sold a large box filled with either rice or noodles (or fried rice for additional $1) and three different meat dishes of your choice for $13. This was such a great deal. I'm glad I had someone to share it with because the portion was huge! Tip: walk around the entire night market (it's not too big) before you buy anything. There are a couple stalls that sell the exact same thing but the portions/pricing are slightly different. I would definitely come back and would recommend it to anyone in Auckland on Sundays :)

I love Glenfield night markets as they bring all the different flavours of culture in Auckland. I…read morelove eating from the different food stalls and walking away satisfied. Unlike restaurants at the markets you can nibble on this and that while you walk around and shop or you can sit down with your selection of goodies and enjoy the live music. Apart from the food, the night markets have stalls with clothing, phone accessories and bling bling. My favourite purchase to date is chunky beads that were hugely discounted. The night market is a must visit, for a bit of flavour and selection. Don't forget to try the pineapple with the ice-cream!

I love craft markets and thoroughly enjoyed this one. So many unique products that are made with…read morelove. I particularly loved the little stall that offers girls' dresses. All the designs looked so sweet. Nice, high-quality products and a great atmosphere with a crafting area for kids and a small band outside in the food area. The "fine food" part of this market was also made the trip to Devonport worth it. I tried the gelato, the crumpet stall and the taco truck -- all very good. Had the Strawberries and Cream gelato and it was just so perfect -- reminds me of the ones we had in Italy. And the single scoop in a cone that I got for NZ$5 was really big! Had the chili con carne taco from the taco truck, that was very tasty and had a refreshing cilantro-lemon twist to it. It was my first time to try a crumpet so I picked the one with hummus and sun-dried tomato -- also very tasty.

This sweet handcrafted market is hosted in the Devonport Community House the last Sunday of every…read moremonth! There's children's toys and clothing, jewellery, art, beautiful soaps and candles and delicious preserves. Perfect for finding one of kind gifts or treasures for the home. Unfortunately, when I went, I didn't have much cash on me but managed to scrap together some coins to buy two small jars of chutney (mango and one that's similar to Branston) from Thelma, the lovely lady who makes a fabulous ranges of preserves, jams and chutney. Oh, and if the juices/smoothie stall is there it's not to be missed. At only $5 a pop they are an absolutely steal!

At the end of the Western motorway is this rather odd mall I actually hesitate to call a mall. It's…read morean interesting, rectangularish strip of shops (mostly chain stores), cafes, takeaways, a bar, a medical centre and another Event movie theatre. Can't say I've spent a lot of time here, but when I have done, it's actually been pretty good. Ample parking and you can see all the shops there are, so can't get lost really. There's also a nice park at the back of it. I remember grabbing some food from the Hollywood Bakery and venturing out with my friends on a cloudy day to picnic there. Unfortunately, the ultra violet rays were not that friendly, causing me to get a tad burnt and crispy. Woops.

Located in an old black villa in the middle of the Kingsland shops, is one of my favourite shops in…read moreAuckland. Full of fantastic, eclectic gifts, furniture, jewellery and cards, The Cat and the Fiddle is the perfect place to find a gift for that special person, or just treat yourself! I've been shopping at this store for years and am still in awe every time I step through the door. The owner is a friendly woman who is happy to tell you about each of the pieces. The whole Cat and the Fiddle experience is a delight. From the creative arrangement of scarves, jewellery, furniture, candles and fairy lights, to the soothing foreign music that wafts around the store as you shop, you'll never have a bad or boring experience in this store. Tip: Get your gift beautifully wrapped at the store for free.

The Cat and The Fiddle is a Kingsland gift store making the most of the converted villa businesses…read morein Auckland that are supposed to create a warm, welcoming environment. They use almost every available space to display their wares in this dazzling display of trinkets. The amount of candles and jewellery and religious iconography is intense and I was hoping for a little respite in a courtyard or garden after the assault on my senses. The store feels like a library of monotonous authors: after browsing everything you're disappointed nothing actually tickled your fancy. You also have the typical Kingsland retail shop greeting where the staff don't want to be the first to break the silence. My partner described it as "Just another old lady shop".

Who would have thought a small clearance store in Parnell would have lasted long? Years ago, when M…read moreClearance first opened, I was convinced it was just a pop-up store. To see them still trading today is like watch a uplifting Disney under-dog story. M Clearance stock housewares and glassware, so is a great place to buy cheap but quality wine glasses. And you don't have to know the difference between Swarovski or Zwiesel. Just honest and decent products, with cheerful service usually reserved for outside of the Parnell suburb. If you are growing up and moving from being a student into "in a relationship" M Clearance is a great place to get some reasonable kitchenware. Or if you have recently moved into the fancier side of town and have just been made aware of the difference between a red wine glass and a stein, you can step up your game here without breaking the bank.

Chambers offers a good mix of luxury gift and homeware items with relatively affordable pieces. The…read morebusiness is actually split in two, each store a few steps apart on the same side of Ponsonby Road: one offers candles, glassware, bowls and furniture etc while the other focuses more on linen and bedding. I can always go in with a gift or occasion in mind and find something that will fit my budget... as well as a lot of things that won't! Regardless, on a road where things tend to ere on the side of over-priced, Chambers is a good starting point for homeware and gifts.

Ran in here on a Sunday afternoon to grab a present for a one year old. Not the cheapest place to…read morego but the range in here is special and gorgeous and The Garden Party are a passionate supporter of Kiwi-made products. All the bases are covered and this is where I would prefer people shop for me : ) You won't find any of these items stocked at The Warehouse or K-Mart and I am happy to pay more for the local designer items - they are really beautiful. There's funny stuff, cool stuff, pretty stuff, home stuff, kids' stuff and more. Oh yeah and garden stuff. There's art and jewellery and a range of special cards. After a quick browse I asked the nice lady for some help and we settled on Baa Baa Smart Sheep, an award-winning book about poo by Mark and Rowan Sommerset, along with an Alphabet Wall Chart featuring such child-genius words as Astrophysicist. Not everything is crazy expensive (these two items weren't) and in future I'm going to try and get here for all my gift purchases because why wouldn't you? Everything about it is better - no plastic crap from China and the pleasure of giving something just a little bit different.

More than anything else here, the fact that you can always find friendly and helpful service in a…read morePonsonby gift store astounds me. I have consistently been greeted in a cheery fashion by the staff at The Garden Party, whether browsing or gift hunting. And this is certainly a great gift shop to browse in, combining the fancy gift stores of Parnell with some great Kiwi flair, so they don't have the tacky "New Zealand souvenir" feel. A fantastic store, showcasing New Zealand talent, nostalgia and humour; a brilliant shop for impressing friends overseas with something other than postcards of Cape Reinga. A big hit are tea-towels designer by Melina Martin and the Lynskey sisters (yes, cool tea-towels).