Xpress Stationery is a proper stationery shop; it's not your usual chain store full of one type of…read morepencil or pen. They have things here you won't find in those places (good pastels; patterned papers), as well as a decent range of magazines. They're also helpful if you don't know quite what you'd like, and are happy to spend time with making sure you're getting what you need. Unlike those other chain stores, this place also has a small gallery space; whilst I've never seen any art here I really like, I applaud them for using their space for supporting artists.

Xpress Stationery has items that you can't get in the "mall" shops. The owner is knowledgeable and…read moreif they don't happen to stock what you need, they happily get it in for you. The personalised service is great and the art/craft supplies make gift buying very easy - gets those creative juices flowing.

Bookshops are my haven…read more The Women's Bookshop is filled with biographies, gender studies, spirituality, health and well being, business - you name it! I purchase (a lot of) cards from here too: quirky, arty, unique and fun. They have a notice board from ceiling to floor regarding what's on, hot articles, reviews and items of interest. Nothing is too hard for the staff, they will order the book in, if necessary! Fantastic. Late night on Thursday and Friday, until 8pm! They have brilliant gift ideas, loyalty card and monthly newsletter. Just love!

The Women's Bookshop is perfect. It's one of those rare places you can go to and be treated as both…read morea feminist AND a normal person. They even welcome men (who they also generously acknowledge as normal people). What's next, equal pay for equal work? The end of domestic violence? A living wage?! It's all a bit exciting really. At the Women's Bookshop, they get that you might be interested in reading Backlash while you're baking cupcakes. It's okay if you'd like to learn more about lesbian politics and pick up a children's book too, by golly. Plus, they're always present at the Auckland Writer's and Readers Festival, being all up to date with their stock and still not doing the hard-sell. I think this might be more than a crush...

In my opinion, the single greatest bookshop in Auckland and I'm loath to tell anyone about it…read more Brazzers jokes will not be tolerated. I'm secretly happy this place isn't open often and it used to be the highlight of my morning run, where I could disappear for an hour in unkempt literature luxury. Leather bound books with gilded edges and embossed titles everywhere. That musty, bookish smell. This shop is the epitome of the TV series Black Books. If you have seen the show you, will know the chaotic, wonderful displays and service to expect. If you haven't seen it, you don't deserve to know and will never fully appreciate this place. (This store is opened sporadically on the whims of the owner.)

Have you ever seen the British sitcom Black Books starring Bill Bailey and Dylan Moran? Because it…read morewill give you a far better idea of what this place is like than anything I could write. For those of you who haven't seen it, imagine the stock of several normal-sized seconhand bookshops all crammed in to one room. Organise the books less around subject or the alphabet and more around the concept of the pile, and then use those piles to prop up other piles. It's incredible. There are treasures here, if you can find them. The biggest downside about Brazier's, and for me this is a fatal flaw, is that the owner and his friends smoke inside the shop. Firstly, books are very flammable. Secondly, they absorb smells and retain them forever, so a smoked-over book is a smoked-over book forever. Thirdly, it's a very small and poorly-ventilated shop and it reeks of cigarettes and I can feel lumps growing through my lungs just going past the door. I like books but I'm not willing to die a slow, timorous death to find them. Sorry.

I buy books online because they are cheaper but every so often when I am in Newmarket I will come…read moreand take a look at what Book Barn has because it is a book bargain bonanza! My mum goes through books like crazy and I she picks up paperbacks here for around only $5 each which is so good. They have cook books too and for those who like to cook from a book and have a picture you can pick up some cheap ones here. I got a couple of vegetarian cookbooks a while back and some baking books for my mum, hard covers and all under $15 each. Sure the range is not huge but like all stores like this you don't expect it to be like Whitcoulls or anything. There is still a good variety and with stock that changes frequently a store to check out every once and a while.

It's almost ludicrous the amount we pay in New Zealand for books. If you are anything like me, you…read morewill have 3 or 4 books in you arms within the first five minutes of walking into a bookstore and have to sort through your stack via process of elimination. Book Barn has rows of books, all seemingly on special tables to save you the heartbreak of having to discard chosen books. Fantasy, cooking, kids (sadly not all three together), a great classics section in the gorgeous Collins Classics covers and plenty of murder thrillers. The genres are diverse and the reduction in retail price makes it economical. Run by a friendly couple, The Book Barn maybe the single best place in Auckland for cheap and contemporary books.

Well stocked book store on Hurstmere Road with the added visual bonus of colour coordinated…read moredisplays. There's a good range of gift cards and it's stocked with a fairly decent range of cookbooks. Good for Sunday browsing when the parking's free.

Askew is the epitome of designer goods: hand-picked items including children's school bags, Alessi…read morekitchenware, timeless gift cards, luggage, clutch purses, jewellery, moleskin notebooks etc... When I want a unique or quirky present, I always go to Askew. On the quiet, I have purchased a lot of secret gifts for myself too (love my kimono key ring). Great, personable service, who talk to you like a human being. Hurrah! Parking all around, open long hours. I encourage YOU to check Askew (Ponsonby) out if you haven't already...super stylish store that offers luxury, and you 'feel' valued! Quite uncommon in modern life.

This place sells some funky furnishings to brighten up your home. They also stock some great…read morefurniture, jewellery, and gift ideas. The bright colours and textures of items spilling out around their small entrance is what drew me in for the first time. I have shopped there several times, and although I love their stuff I do have to mention that the service has not always been so great; staff are often too busy socializing, or have little knowledge of their own stock; once I left my phone number, wanting the price on a particular item that they couldn't quite get at, physically, and they never phoned me back.

This shop is a regular life saver for me. Be it a Kiwibank transaction, paying a car registration,…read morebuying a last minute birthday card (some are only $1 or $2 - wow!) and a pen to write in it with. The number of times Mitchell's Paper Plus has come to my rescue is countless. I don't know the names of the family that own this business (I'm pretty sure Mitchell moved on years ago) but they've been here at least 10 or 15 years and they are always lovely and polite to deal with. The pile of jigsaws/cookbooks etc out the front which are permanently on sale also make a good last minute Xmas or birthday gift.

Today, the worst experience happened to me in this shop. A salesman was not satisfied with my…read morelittle girl who is just 2 yrs touch the stuff in the shop and come to complain to me. His voice is so loud and his attitude is so impolite, even not say 'excuse me'. Children are naturally curious, I could not completely stop her but I already tried to. My daughter is not a naughty girl, and she just touched gently. Although she is not right, do you need so badly to us? In the past 7 years, I usually went shopping in northcote shopping center once a week. Most of time I went to this shop for paying the bills or a car registration, or buying some books for me and my daughters. But today's bad memory makes me will not go to that shop again.