Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn into Living Lights. It's a beautiful candle store with a…read moregorgeous assortment of different colours and designs. There are a few things I LOVE about Living Lights. Firstly it's all Kiwi owned and manufactured. There are no 'made in china' stickers to be seen. All the candles are designed and created in Golden Bay. Secondly, the smell! It really is divine. When I mentioned this to the lady in the store she told me that their 'Soy' candle held onto aroma more than usual wax, hence the glorious scents. These candles are big and bright. The bulb shape ones are my favourite and would make a funky centre piece for the table or mantel. For around $40 they also make an excellent gift. Living Lights is really a gorgeous store and I think has given a whole new life to the humble candle.

Arazzo is Mum & I's go to for gifts. They stock a beautiful range of candles, gorgeous body…read morelotions, silk scarves, jewellery, cookbooks and more. But the best thing about this small shop is that they turn over their stock at lightning speed, which means for a regular like me there's always something new to fawn over. It's obviously as popular with the other Milford locs as it is with our family. The other fabulous thing about Arazzo is that, compared to many other independent home decor stores, it's affordable. I love candles and so they have become somewhat of a price indicator for me and at $40 (they have quite a range), Arazzo's are an absolute steal! Try their beautiful handmade ones from Devonport. I forget the brand name but they come in a stylish black and white box and are stunning. They also currently have some fabulous christmas decorations, which the owner tell me are flying out the door. Cute wee reindeer and fairy lights galore - it certainly put me in a festive mood!

Retreat is a fantastic little store located within the Rialto mall that is wall to wall candles,…read moreincense and oils. Retreat also have their own brand of soy candles that smell amazing, there are 15 scents of which you can buy in jars, tins, votives and tealights. I love the caramel, vanilla and coconut, French pear and fig and melon the most, there is nothing better than having spaces in your house that smell like dessert. One a service note, you are able to get your candle jars refilled by Retreat. They don't even have to be their jars either. The equivalent of a large Ecoya metro jar is $30 to buy and if you want a refill it is only $15, so any jar of yours around that size would be the same which is fantastic. They also have a candle personalisation service which are popular for weddings and dinner parties, they make nice guest gifts. The service here is always friendly too.

Mmmm this place smells sooooo good. I always like to stop in here and have a wee browse even if I'm…read morewell stocked with candles at home. I went there recently to buy some candles and walked away with the Coconut Lime soy candles (this was their fragrance of the week and it was a special price) and their French Pear candles. Both just make our place smell divine. The Coconut Lime one reminds me of a pina colada and the French Pear smells almost like a freshly baked apple pie. I bought their pack of 6 tea light candles and the cool thing about them is instead of the holder being metal like normal tea light candles, it's made out of a special polystyrene that doesn't melt under heat. This is very cool because when the soy wax melts the candle becomes transparent and in the dark the whole candle lights up, not just the flame at the top. I love this place, go there, give it a go!

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.

Amaze is Ponsonby's one stop gift shop. You can literally walk in there and walk out five minutes…read morelater with a funny and funky gift, complete with quirky card and gift wrapping. Amaze is that good. With numerous stands housing a seemingly infinite number of gift cards, regardless of whether you're after one for your best friend, mother, uncle, grandmother, for a friend's wedding, an anniversary, bereavement or baby shower - there are dozens of cards for every occasion to pick from. And they're all quirky and perfect in their own ways. I love just perusing the cards, let alone the rest of the store! Though, that's not to say the rest of Amaze isn't equally as AMAZING... It's the perfect place to find funny hens night-type products with candy G-strings, penis straws, and naughty dice stocked by the dozen. Amaze also stocks an array of journals and diaries, and as a real stationary lover I find I could spend hours just ogling over these products, let alone the choices of wrapping paper they also possess! Talk about overwhelming! It's like a dream come true in this store, sad as that may sound!

'Amaze' is just that. A shop that offers every type of card you would ever need - plus quirky gift…read moreideas. There are a few card stands outside to tempt you or you can go in-store and be spoilt for choice. I have purchased many birthday cards from 'Amaze', unique wrapping paper and gift fillers. Service is friendly & always sincere. Nothing can ever replace a fantastic card, from $5-$8 to say it with words! I love cards - writing in them, gifting them & especially receiving one too! Yelp, yelp, yelp!

You always feel good about buying stuff from here. You know that by doing so you help support…read morevillages of people in third world countries whose standard of living is improved by you being a Trade Aid customer. The prices are very reasonable too. They sell a wide range of items from woven baskets and kids toys to bedding and food, the dried mango and papaya is seriously good! The soaps which come from India are really good, many scents and one of the few places to find neem soap which is really good for your skin which is what I come here for all the time. The staff here are very friendly too.

Love love love Trade Aid stores. It is a business / organisation that helps those which provide the…read moregoods. It is an ideal shopping scenario, not only can you purchase amazing and non-expensive items, but a massive chunk of the proceeds go to the people who helped make them, and others. Trade Aid deals with several products, from candles, chocolates and teas, to blankets, jewellery and pillows. You can also purchase stationary and musical instruments, it really is an all out there kind of store. And everything is absolutely authentic, which is wonderful. This particular Trade Aid store is quite on the smaller side of things, but they still offer a lot of great things for purchase, I particularly like their collection of candles and scarves here. The staff are also very friendly here, and are always up for a chat, especially when you ask them about the organisations they help, and the places they've traveled to, to find the goods, it makes for a very interesting story.

I ventured into Mecca for the first time last weekend and left feeling amazed/annoyed that I hadn't…read moredone so earlier. Firstly, they have a fantastic range of smaller international brands, all of which have been hand selected not only because they produce great products but also because they are in line with Mecca's ethical stance again animal testing. Secondly, they have wonderful staff. I was looking for a new foundation having used Mac since forever and they happily talked me through the options then tested two on each half of my face so I could compare (don't worry, they did end up removing the reject and reapplying the winner to my entire face). Not once were they pushy with extra products but they did tell me that you can get your makeup done in store for $90, which is redeemable on products. They also have a great loyalty scheme and since I ended up spending a bit I got a free goodie bag with a whole bunch of testers.

I visited Mecca in Ponsonby a few weeks ago and had GREAT customer service from a lovely worker…read morecalled Karla. She helped me find exactly what I needed and left me very satisfied with my purchase.

Candlewick Village sells all kinds of handcrafted soy candles in cute little containers. There are…read moreunscented candles, but the scented ones are the real treat, with some scents that are less mainstream. Have the days of candles as the ultimate generic gift gone by the wayside? Well, if they have, I think they should be revived. This is the perfect stall to buy something as a emergency gift to tuck away the next time you're caught short for a pressie. The travel candles in tins are particularly tasteful. Sharing the stall with Candlewick is a lady who sells those funky soaps that look like cake, fudge, slice, and other sweet things you might not normally shower with. The stall is always charmingly decorated with tiered cake stands and the soaps are beautifully presented on pretty porcelain plates.

Yesterday was the first time I've visited Sunhill in 20 years. Amazing and beautiful, and really…read moregreat service from helpful and knowledgable people. I'll be back! Rose, Epsom

For being located on such a busy road, Sunhill Garden Centre is surprisingly peaceful. Perhaps it…read moreis the tree-bound setting combined with the trickle of the water features that distracts you from the sound of traffic, I don't know. But what I do know is that Sunhill Garden Center has a really great wide range of plants, from perennials and succulents to dwarf shrubs and citrus, which are all clearly labelled and well organised in the garden out the back. You can also pick up Oakdale Organics vegetable and herb seedlings starting from 3.99 each or 3 for 10, which seems to be a good deal. Inside you will find all sorts of gardening supplies and also plenty of gifts, such as potted plants, ornaments and various gardening accessories. And if you have a little one with you, then Sunhill has arranged for that too, with a small playground at the back overlooking the Apirana Reserve.