I didn't know this place existed - just happened to stumble upon it in the heavily South African…read morepopulated capital of Highland Park. The owner, Isak, was especially nice, offering to describe each of the delicious meats that were on offer - everything from boerewors (cheese, garlic, etc) to spare ribs. He handed us a sample of their shop made snack sausages, which were delicious and clearly fresh as you can get. My eyes landed on their rusks (also shop made - basically these guys must have a small carbon footprint! haha) and a few imported snacks, such as fizzers and ghost pops. Truly a good selection of the best South African goodies. There's another branch out in North Shore if you can't make it out East, and really if you appreciate this sort of ethnic food, you will appreciate them.

Farm Cove Superette gets four stars for the way they've turned their customer service around. The…read moreservice here used to be awful, really some of the worst I've come across, to the point where I avoided it altogether. But a massive change has happened, and good on them, because now the service is professional and always friendly. I don't think I've been in once lately and not been greeted by a big smile. There's everything you'd expect at your local dairy here, plus Lotto and lots of postage stuff, like prepay bags and stamps and things. And most importantly, there's a good selection of those little $1 and $2 prepacked paper bags of lollies at the counter. Hurrah! Get one for your glovebox.

A small shop for your immediate needs if you're driving through Gossamer drive to connect with…read moreeither Pakuranga Road & Ti Rakau Drive. I popped in here to grab some Eclipse mints (can't go anywhere without those) and found the shop attendants to be very aloof. When I walked up to the counter, I got no smile or greeting. Just '$3.20', the price of the mints. That was all he said to me the entire time. Didn't get a 'hello' or 'thank you', despite the fact I could've gone to a stack of other places, as mints aren't exactly a speciality item. If you're looking for a lotto ticket or some food item urgently, this place is fine. Just don't expect amazing customer service, because you will be disappointed.

Being miles away from home, I quickly get cravings for the good old South African things, like…read moreboerewors sausages, Simba Chips, Rusks, Melk Tart - the list goes on. The great thing is, you can find all of this here at Inside Africa. Now, it doesn't really look like Africa inside, but an extremely patriotic shrine to the wonders of SA. A large South African flag (and a few small ones to buy if you'd like to stick it to your car), a few pieces of beaded jewellery, isles of your childhood favourites, like Zoo Biscuits or Jelly Tots, and a good old Cape Coloured man to give you a hearty welcome. He's always keen for a good chat and remembers you if you walk in more than once. It's a cure for home sickness and a great adventure for those with a taste for different cultures.

It's truly remarkable the variety of items they've fit into this compact space!…read more You'll be able to find anything from canned beans to raw cashews to frozen dumplings (in addition to their vast array of fresh fruit and veggies, of course!). Prices are very reasonable and they always have good specials (most times I can even afford blueberries ;)) I'm so glad to have a local grocery in the neighbourhood - convenient and WALKABLE for local Kohimaramarians (yes, AKL, you don't even need a car!). Side story: The other evening, I stopped by to grab some fresh fruit, only realizing once I arrived that they had already closed. When the owner saw me outside, they reopened the door and let me pop in to get what I needed. As they had closed 25 minutes prior (and were 75% packed up for the day) they preceded to hand deliver the required grocery items to me -- talk about customer service! I look forward to continuing to support this friendly local establishment! Pro tip: they're open until 7PM during the week and around 6PM weekends. No credit but EFTPOS welcome.

This is actually quite a big dairy. They have all the usual supplies, like milk and junk food and…read morebread and things like that, but they also do Lotto, and have a massive fresh flower selection, and even have quite a decent grocery selection. And sewing and craft emergency supplies. Friendly staff as well who are keen for a chat. They have eftpos, and until recently have been the eftpos cash out service for the takeaway next door...

A great (former) local dairy. The family of staff are always friendly and up for a chat (mainly…read moreabout how bad my hangover is). This is particularly pleasant when a quick trip to the dairy can be made even easier. Offering a range of services including a post shop and post boxes, Lotto ticket sales, dairy and partial grocer, the store is of the utmost convenience. It is ideal when you have forgotten those last few ingredients for dinner and need to pop down the road. Parking is usually fairly easy although walking can be better for you, particularly if late in the day.