I had a squiz at this garden centre when I stopped to get a coffee at Cigana which is just 50…read moremetres away from it. I'm not much of a gardener but I do appreciate a good stroll around a good garden centre. There's always a bit of a serenity about it. And this is exactly what the Sunhill Garden Centre is like. As soon as I walked in the shop assistant asked me how I was going and if I needed anything. The other staff member was busy helping a man with the best plants for his garden. She obviously was so knowledgeable plants and had so much information for him. There were loads of different plants and a cute gift shop too. I really love my fresh herbs and I was delighted to see they sell three herb punnets for $10! That's so cheap and they smelt amazing. Basil pasta here I come!

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.

If money was no object, Weekend Trader would be my number one stop for furniture and home decor…read more The new location looks like it's come straight of the pages of Architectural Digest. Lots of clean lines, raw metal, marble and rich fabrics. I am particularly taken with their brass anglepoise lamp, which I am saving my pennies for. I'm also a fan of their horse prints, which, dare I say it, are similar to the ones in St Clements. Slowly, as I start to buy pieces for the new house that I plan to cherish for a long time, I predict there trips to Weekend Trader will become more frequent, even if it's only to dream...

I do not know about the 'normal' Briscoes locations, but this outlet store is on and popping! On…read morethe hunt for a quality down duvet under $300.00, I came here on the recommendation of my new housemate. When I first walked in I was not impressed. It resembled a $2.00 store with no style, or quality products visible. Boy do I stand corrected. The first row of bedding not only had exactly what I have been seeking, it also had alternative down, wool comforters as well as other man made materials. All for prices that will blow your mind! There are high thread count sheets for every budget and pillow so fluffy they'd make for an epic pillow fight. Aside from bedding there is nearly everything one needs to set up a bathroom, laundry area and kitchen. Seems to me the only items missing from this place are washer/dryers and bathtubs. It basically has all of the essentials needed to furnish and equip your home for comfort, at prices that will make you smile.

I was under the impression this was an outlet store (as it is so out of the way) but the Briscoes…read morewebsite doesn't have it listed as such, so I must have been wrong. Anyhow last year, when winter struck I needed another blanket for my bed. Off to this Briscoes I went, and I found a Queen sized, coffee coloured, feather down blanket for $80. I think originally it was definitely priced over $100 (maybe even up around $140). This has seen me through winter and looks great on my bed. I'm really pleased with my purchase. If you are in the area and need some new things for your home, I'd recommend you stop and look at this Briscoes.

Hugeeeeeeeeeeede selection…read more Amazing Value Superb service Owner operator plus 4 amazing staff New website www.rogerhuntersgardencentre.co.nz

Felt pulled to write a review after reading others opinions of the owner, Roger himself. It is…read moreamusing to me that others may have found him rude, he has always been immensely friendly, an encyclopaedia of plant wisdom and knowledge, and a remarkable character. Perhaps if you are used to and now demand the bot standard employer that acts robotic, stay paying big bucks at Bunnings. He is the owner, and has clearly poured his heart and soul into this place, perhaps you need these qualities to be able to appreciate him and this phenomenal place. This place is an oasis away from all other plant stores, its an experience, a journey, one that is filled with wonder and awe. You should never come here in a rush, nor should you ever be in a rush to purchase gods gift that Roger has perfected - nature itself. I adore coming here and could easily spend hours pottering about admiring this maze like plant nursery. Thank you for creating this place!

This is a great shop for picking up unique presents that once unwrapped, won't immediately scream…read moretheir price point at the recipient. And if you're looking for a bigger commitment, the furniture is pretty much unique within Auckland. Buana Satu has changed a lot over the years. It's evolved from something more along the lines of The Third Eye, into a more upmarket, modern haven of unique art and homewares like rugs, bags, cushions, and crockery. When I last visited I was completely smitten with the little mermaid sculptures hanging on the wall - glittery, kitsch, and with little moko. So adorable. And surprisingly inexpensive. There are a lot of things with a slight kiwi bent available here, but they're definitely not souvenirs. They're much nicer than that. In sum, it's a kind of "I bought this for someone but on second thoughts I might just keep it for myself" haven.

This store really surprised me. From the outside it looks like it's going to be your typically…read moreoverpriced home-wares store, but on closer inspection, it's actually got some rather nice little Kiwi-centric gifts such as traditional greenstone necklaces and other New Zealand made jewellery. It's a really great gift shop to find things for friends or family abroad and even better for visitors to the country to buy something distinctly Kiwi to take home with them. I also really like the selection of Buddhas they have in the store, made from stone and resin and available in a variety of sizes and styles. It's a spacious store, with nice lighting and relaxing music on the stereo. making for a very pleasant browsing experience and the lovely guy behind the counter really knew what he was talking about when I made an enquiry.

It seems Japanese shops such as this one are growing like mushrooms!…read moreI would rank this one as my second favourite, the kitchen section in particular has lots of pretty soup bowls and pans and steamers. As mentioned in my fellow Yelpers's reviews there are also the stationery and bathroom sections and lots of random cute thingies no one needs... But oh they' so cheap so why not?!

This place is pretty awesome, hidden in an obscure location, you almost miss it. Thankfully for the…read morevibrant orange and black sign to mark the narrow entrance you begin your decent into the lower depths of Queen Street to find yourself in a rather large store that I could not accurately categorise. This is because there is a lot of stuff here, stationary, the gift bags and paper section is great, Hello Kitty and Snoopy are well represented here. There are aisles of all kinds of things for your home, a massive chopstick section, Hello Kitty cling wrap, food bags and plasters. Interestingly a big range of nappies and other baby things. It is fun just to look around, there are some odd things here too, especially in the bathroom and cleaning sections. Good fun I say, you'll walk away with things you didn't need but make are entertaining none the less. (Hello Kitty keeps my food fresh now).

If you're in need of doing some DIY, Mitre 10 Mega is the place to go to. With everything from…read moreplumbing materials, garden materials, cabinets, building tools and materials, there is something there for every handy man. Mitre 10 Mega guarantee's 15% lower prices than other hardware stores. In the past they have been known to match a better price if you can prove another store has the same product cheaper. This great customer service is what entices people to come back and purchase from them. There is also a café and kids playground on premise. While dad is shopping for new tools, mum can catch up on the latest magazine gossip with a coffee, while the children remain entertained in the playground. In the weekends it's not uncommon for Mitre 10 to have a bouncy castle up and a sausage sizzle cooking. They like to make it a family affair.

P2 masks substituted for P1 without my knowledge and the $63 difference was never returned to my…read moreaccount. The Mt Wellington store is an absolute joke of a store that puts the safety of their customers and employees (more to come on that) at risk. I ordered a 20 pack of valveless P2/N95 masks for click and collect, on the afternoon of the 21st, at this store as my local no longer had any in stock and I happened to be closeish to this store that afternoon. When collecting my order there was no mention of the masks having been swapped, I was handed the products I ordered, the invoice, and told to have a good day. Fast forward to yesterday evening and I open the box, put one on and felt that something wasn't right. I checked the box and no where did it say P2, it said it was for dust protection. I checked my invoice and realised that these weren't even the same brand and a quick search on their website revealed this box is only $24 for 50 masks as opposed to $87 for 20. The invoice had nothing on it about a substitution or a credit back but I checked my bank account anyway, no refund of the $63 difference. I tried to call the store at 1700 (2 hours before they close) 25 minutes later and no one has picked up, so I send off a query through the website. This morning I get an email back saying "it was an accident, do you want to keep them or do you want these valved P2 masks?", they took the initiative to put an order for the valved P2s on my account before I could reply. If I'm using these for home DIY, I ordered P2 for a reason, if I ordered these for COVID-19, I again ordered these valveless P2 masks for a specific reason, so either way HUGE health and safety issue for my respiratory system specifically. I advised them that I don't want these masks and I don't want the valved masks, I want my $87 back, I can return the remaining 49 masks to the New Lynn store as that's my local, this was not MY mistake (and I didn't say this, but we both knew I was thinking it, I'm pretty sure you tried to literally steal from me and hoped I wouldn't notice). A few hours go by, I'm told that I can't return it to the New Lynn store due to "safety and hygiene issues" and that the opened box can't be resold, I HAVE to return it to Mt Wellington. Why, if "safety and hygiene" is the concern, am I even returning this 'unsafe' box to the Mt Wellington store? They're attempting to inconvenience me to the point where they hope I give up and that they don't have to do a full refund (note the difference of $63 is STILL not back in my account) by quoting health and safety, but they're apparently okay to ignore the "safety and hygiene issues" for their staff to put this box of masks in the bin. Their other tactic for keeping as much of my money as possible is that the valved P2 order THEY put on my account, which was still 'being processed by store' when I emailed to say I didn't want them, is now awaiting courier collection, 4.5 hours after me saying I didn't want them and 2.5 hours after they replied quoting health and safety. I'm sure they'll 'forget' to cancel the order and quote health and safety again so they can then charge me for these $70 masks when I tell them I'm not doing a 70 minute round trip because they screwed up and their reasoning is contradictory. Note that this and the P1 masks will now exceed the original charge and trust, they'll be demanding their $7. Well jokes on you Mitre10 Mt Wellington, I am LIVID and when I'm this pissed off by being screwed around, I am persistent. I've also sent a complaint to the consumers guarantee comission because, let me reiterate, you put my personal safety at risk by substituting a lower safety mask AND the $63 difference is still not in my account.

What an awesome shop! This is a collection of quirky, fun and interesting pieces of furniture and…read morehome decor items that the owner sources from around the world. The pieces are a mix of French and, Asian and Bohemian, you'll find French chairs upholstered with bright coloured fabrics, Asian styled cabinets in soft duck egg blue with an almost tribal feel to them. They also have a great range of little wood stools and other interesting occasional pieces of furniture that would make for an interesting addition to your place. Home decor items include anything from large glass jars, vessels, cake domes and candles. It is a great place to come for gifts too and with the prices ranging from $20 to $2000, I also think very good pricing. They have some draws and cabinets that I would say are comparable to what Red Current stock but at almost half the price. The layout of the store is really funky too, organised chaos, a great store, something that little bit different.

Zoo Warehouse recently opened along with the launch of Ponsonby Central and what a fine addition it…read moremakes to P Rd. If you love quirky pieces and shabby chic style you'll love the pieces crammed into this little shop - everything from large wooden cabinets to candle holders, vases and large, colourful cushions. I received a lovely glass cake stand from here for my birthday, and it was slightly faulty and the owner was very understanding, in the end giving me a discount which I spent on something else in the shop. They have new stuff coming in weekly and if you follow their Facebook page, as I do, you can even get a sneak peek at the new shipment products. Definitely my kinda place!

Payless Paints is probably the most exciting paint shop in the city, because when you turn up you…read morecan't be sure what they'll have in stock. They import and sell a whole of end-of-line or mistints from America, as well as a line of "new" paint that can be tinted to almost any shade you want. The mistints are the exciting part though, because obviously you just have to go through them and decide what you want. (Don't worry, they paint the tins with the colour so it's pretty easy to look at them) The best part about them though is that they are all incredibly cheap: usually $25 - $30 for four litres. This means you can easily paint a standard bedroom for $50. That is a good deal!

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.

From the owner: Origin Interiors sells quality gifts, furniture and home decor NZ wide to women and men via an…read moreonline shop, plus at an outlet store in Auckland. Origin's returning customers have commented on the ultimate shopping experience because of the unique collection of gifts and love Origin's regular promotions. Origin's email club is popular and every new member gets a special welcome voucher. For anyone looking to buy a gift for Mothers day, or a birthday present, perhaps a Valentines gift for a partner, Anniversary gift and Christmas present, Origin has a large eclectic range of furniture, décor pieces and gifts with attitude.