Nick stayed late to help us find the perfect boards, matched to our individual skill level, and…read morewithin our budget. Brought an engineering mindset to tailored board and fin choice. Great new, used, and demo selection. 10/10 recommend.

Genuine surf shops are hard to find in Auckland. Most "surf shops" are really just stockists of…read moreanything Rip Curl or Billabong and the sales assistants don't know the difference between a short board and a SUP! That's why I consider Ultimate Surf Shop so... well, ultimate. If it's anything surfing orientated you're after, Andre or one of the other knowledgeable staff will certainly be able to suss you out. Whether you want to go all out and buy yourself a brand new board or just stop in for a chat about what the surf is doing and grab a new block of wax this is the place to go. They cater to nooby as learners, eager grommets and old grumpy long boarders. The custom J Dub quad fin board I got from the boys at Ultimate has showed me some seriously good times in the surf. A new addition to Ultimate surf is the Ultimate Skate shop upstairs. Absolutely anything skate will be stored up here and Jesse knows his stuff! He recently put together a board for my boyfriend. I was so thankful he could make the process so simple for me because if I was asked to choose a deck and bearings and wheels and all the other crap going on I wouldn't have known where to start! Ultimate also puts on some awesome events to get involved in from skate jams to movie nights! Lots of good times to be had so I'd recommend getting involved!

Underground Skate have been the go-to local shop for nearly 20 years and they know their stuff…read more Always have the best product and the best advice for any fashion and board sports enthusiasts.

This is such a hip skate and snowboard store located in the Botany Mall, which funnily enough sells…read moreskateboard and snowboard equipment and clothing; and not a bad selection either. But like any store that sells new season and top of the range gear, this store is sort of on the expensive side. Even so, it is probably one of my favourite snowboarding stores to visit. The guy who works in here is a really friendly person who was only too happy to offer help and advice. We spent ages having a yarn about the different snowboards that they stock as well as the advantages of some of the different boards that he has ridden. Good advice from firsthand experience.

If you're looking for a bargain and a great day of shopping then Dressmart is the place for you!…read more Dressmart is a mall that houses over 100 stores and offers up to 70% off the normal retail price, all year round. No need to wait for end of season sales to be able to spend up large! My last trip to Dressmart I was looking for work clothes and ended up buying three dresses, a blouse, and a singlet top for $60 - a feat that just wouldn't happen anywhere else. However, my real find of the trip was the chunky wedge sandals I found in Glassons. Down from $59.99, I ended up purchasing them for $10, and when I took them to the counter found out accessories were buy one get one free, so ended up walking away with a great black flower hairclip for free as well! Talk about a happy shopper! Though predominantly a clothing outlet, Dressmart also houses eateries, sports shops, shoe shops, health and beauty stores and book stores. The only thing that is missing is a jewellery store, but when you're saving so much money on everything else I guess paying full price for jewellery isn't so bad! Located near Auckland transport stations and with lots of customer parking and a free shuttle service operating Monday-Friday between the mall and Auckland CBD, despite being in Onehunga Dressmart is easily accessible.

You can get some real bargains here I've found. I love my Nike running shoes and shorts which I…read moregot from the Nike shop. The shorts were about $30 and the shoes, I think were not much over $100 and are so comfortable. Since I've had them, I've kept up regular running which is an achievement! My flatmate also got a really good new outfit for a wedding at Working Style and saved a lot of money on good quality clothes. The service here was also excellent. Also Dress smart Onehunga is home to the only outlet shop for Peter Alexander in New Zealand! Dress Mart really is the place to visit if you want to save money on branded items. It gets really busy on weekends though, so either be prepared, or come early. Sometimes I find myself getting a bit disoriented inside trying to find a particular shop, but that might just be me!

Is one of my favourite stores to shop for anything to do with the outdoor. I love that Kathmandu…read moreTakapuna has everything from clothing, to shoes, tents, and sleeping bags, baby carriers, baby clothes, and so many cool accessories and knick knacks for your outdoor adventures. A visit to Kathmandu for me cannot be complete without spending a good hour roaming the store, looking at the sales items, and fining out the latest gadgets for camping. The cheerful and helpful staff make your shopping experience a memorable one, even though the staff may not know completely everything about every single product in store, they make you feel like they do or want to learn more about it anyway. If you join up as a member for a small fee, you are kept in the loop of the latest sales, and also get sent a catalogue once every few months. I really think Kathmandu staff are a really active and positive bunch and always enjoy my time in store.

I would like to mention the great service which I recieved whilst shopping here. I was preparing…read morefor a backpacking holiday, the kind of thing which Kathmandu caters for beautifully. The lady who was working asked me a few questions about what I planning for, she then walked me around the store showing me what she thought might be helpful. I ended up buying quite a lot stuff, and she managed to negotiate a bit of a bargain. Somehow or another I got my compact windproof unbrella for free, and she signed me up for the Kathmandu club, which actually cost me money, but resulted in an overall saving.

This is by far my favorite outdoor gear shop in Auckland. It's independently owned and the people…read morewho work here really care about their business and know their stuff. I bought a tramping backpack here after much hemming and hawing and trying every pack at every shop in Auckland. What I loved about this place was how not pushy they were, how willing to suggest things in every price range (though honestly they don't stock merchandise they don't believe in), and when they could see I was undecided, they were happy to have me go away and come back when I was sure, AND they offered me a small discount, which was enough to woo me away from buying my bag overseas and having it shipped to me. They care about selling you good, sustainable options that will keep you in good gear for a long time. They'll order for you if they don't have something in stock that you want, and they rent gear if you're not quite ready to commit (or you're visiting). Bottom line - good quality stuff, amazing service, get in there and get outdoors!!

Bryan of Nike Britomart is a rare breed. He is one of those Nike People that walk that extra mile…read morefor the customer . I was that customer. Living in the UK I wanted to arrange a nike gift voucher for a friend as a birthday present, this was 6 years ago. I sent an email to who it may concern at Nike Britomart requesting help. Bryan replied and helped me achieve the impossible . This has happened for the past 6 years. What I can say if Bryan is anything to judge the store by, it must be one of the best Nike stores on this planet. People make a company, and Bryan is certainly a Nike person. He just does it, and reports back Done. Thank you Bryan and Thank you Nike Britomart

Nike is Nike. Everyone knows what Nike is so if you're going into the store, you'll have some idea…read moreof what to expect. The Nike Britomart store is the biggest and nicest Nike stockist in my opinion. The staff are friendly and athletic looking (as to be expected), all the experiences I've had in there have been good - they're pretty knowledgable and I feel like they know their shit. They stock a lot of the Nike running gear, and some of the Nike Sportswear range, but you won't find any Tier 0 stuff in there, or any of the special collaborations. It's more the generic Nike stuff. And you know what? It's actually not that badly priced. I'm a bit of a spender so maybe my opinion is skewed, but I got some full length tights with zips and panels and everything, for like, $80. Every week they've got the Nike Run Club which leaves from this Britomart store. It's free and basically they provide a bit of entertainment and take you on a run with pacers and people to encourage you, then you come back and they've got water and Gatorade and more people congratulating you. There's a real community vibe. Monday at 5:30pm is women's only which is kind of nice because sometimes it's stressful running with boys. There are options for 3 and 5km runs. Wednesday is unisex and there's also Run Club on Saturdays too.

If there's one thing I love, it's polar fleece. I would be so happy to be rich enough to be able to…read morehave an entire wardrobe filled with stuff from places like Bivouac Outdoor. Just jackets and polar fleeces and trousers with zips and boots and everything. All in really nice primary colours. All waterproof. And I'd never get wet for the rest of my life. That's how friggen waterproof I'd be. Bivouac is a typical outdoors shop where you can spend hundreds of dollars on jackets and sleeping bags and tents etc. It's pretty great to browse around at all the stuff. The staff are extremely knowledgable and friendly which is useful when you're wading into the somewhat confusing and technologically swelling world of outdoor apparel. Really great shop.

I came to Auckland and immediately regretted leaving my Nalgene Bottle and beanie in the States,…read moreand saw this place as a keen shop to look around in a couple days later. I went in and a man was there basically waiting for my question, and he pointed me right to the Nalgene bottles, which are 3X more expensive here than in America. He knew other brands with the same type of plastic and kindly pointed me to different options. I still went with my trusty Nalgene. I then needed the beanie for my adventures, and somehow I found him again and he was able to help me compare them all and which one he preferred and why. I went with a cheaper Outdoor Research one however he pointed more towards a locally sourced wool one which if I wasn't traveling I would've purchased for looks. I then remembered I needed a travel lock, and thankfully they are placed all around the store just like the beanies. They have a good selection but are on the smaller side (if in San Francisco someone would easily cut the locks). I went with one that was a little larger. Overall good store and nice employees! Kinda reminds me of an REI from back in the states (a lot smaller though); quality products at mid-range prices.

Dom from Rebel Sport, Wairau Park is a fountain of knowledge where sports shoes are concerned. My…read moredaughter needed a new pair of trainers and Dom was able to help, providing us with much needed advice. My daughter walked away confident in the knowledge that she'd purchased an awesome pair of shoes that fitted perfectly. Thanks Dom for your expertise. We will be back in the future all thanks to you. Cheers, Sue and Sophie

Whenever I need sporting goods or clothing I seem to end up at this particular Rebel Sport in…read moreWairau Park. It's a decent enough size to have everything you need, without being too big to even attempt wading through. The layout of the store seems fairly straightforward and I usually find what I need with little effort. Rebel Sport is similar to Briscoes in many ways in that you'd be silly to pay full price for anything in-store - there is ALWAYS a sale of some sort on so wait until they have 25% off storewide or better! No point paying more for something when it'll likely be half price come the weekend. There is adequate parking and although it gets busy on the weekends it's still worth a visit.