Martha's Backyard is now an institution. A part of Mt Wellington & a place I love to frequent. They…read morefor the uninitiated see American/Mexican grocery items. You can find just about anything American here. Amazon Ice tea? Oh boy yes they've got you covered. Cheetos? Fritos? Pop tarts? Funions? Captain Crunch? Twinkies? Yes they've got all of those too. They have regionals seasonings, like old bay seasoning. They have hot sauce, BBQ sauce and rubs! I'm salivating just thinking of the multitude of delectable dishes I devoured thanks to these fine folks. I promise that no matter the year, you will leave with more than you expect. Word to the wise.... If they have a case, an unopened one, they charge less than if you bought them individually. Last thing..... They aren't cheap. This place isn't for the budget conscious, if you're on a budget bring a friend, someone that will slap those double stuf Oreo cookies out of your hand. Because they'll get you every time. Oh and the staff, they won't initiate conversation with you. They are busy always busy. But get there attention and they are warm, inviting & will just about bend over backwards to help you. You just have to ask.

For 12 years I was happy to buy American food and things like toothpaste with peroxide and baking…read moresoda not otherwise available in NZ from Martha's. During those 12 years one of the owners frequently went to America to buy the stock. And for many years they got special orders for me. But ever since the pandemic they have lost the plot. They refused to accept special orders and their shelves rarely offer me what I want. I have repeatedly asked them to figure out a new method of getting their supplies which they refuse to do. How they stay in business is a mystery without desirable stuff to buy. They're old and no longer seem to give a damn. I find it remarkable that they stay in business. Not worth the trip.

A great Korean grocery store with a small food stall inside. The store is very well maintained by…read moretheir friendly staff and the food they serve at the stall is reasonably priced. I came for the first time about ten years ago and the store hasn't changed since then (in a good way, of course.) Every staff member I encountered at the store was friendly and made me want to come back. I ordered Kimbap (Korean sushi) with ham and dried pollock soup at the stall. Kimbap was very flavorful with a perfect amount of rice and it was absolutely delicious! The dried pollock soup really hit the spot as I wasn't feeling 100% and needed some comfort food. It's got some rehydrated dried fish (pollock), vegetables, eggs and tofu and drizzled with sesame oil. I'll definitely come back to have some more delicious food!

This is the most favorable seafood market for my family friends . They love to come to this place…read morefor fresh salmon sashimi , when I was visiting New Zealand for two weeks , I was here for more than three times :) their seafood was kinda fresh , price very reasonable . I picked out four packs of salmon , with a price slightly over 40 bucks. And the portion was able to feed 8 ppls. Five star for their customer service especially over the fish and chip counter :) the lady was very sweet , when she heard that it was my first time have fish and chip, she gave me one extra price of today's special friend fish :D no wonder ppl always said New Zealand ppl are very friendly ! It truly is ;) the gentleman over the fish and chip Togo counter even teach me how to eat the fish to bring out its best taste (a little bit lemon juice, salt and pepper , Dahl Dahd here you go ! Fresh delicious fish and chip ! Yea ! Make sure to eat it over there . Cz Togo will actually make the fish soggy and will lose its flavor.

This was the first time in my life to have mussel chowder and it was really good.Fish and chips…read morewere not as good as what they advertised.

Trader James is a pretty cool bulk foods/whole foods store, the main downsides being that it's not…read morereally near anywhere else you're going and it's not even a very big store. On the plus side, the lady I encountered who worked there was very knowledgeable about their products and about nutrition, and what she didn't know she was happy to look up on the internet for me. Which is cool because then you know she's not making up bullshit to get you to buy something. She did recommend a snack called Frooze Balls which she seemed to think were amazing but when I tried them I thought they were yuck. Personal tastes, I suppose. But aside from that she helped me find what I was looking for (chia seeds) and explain the nutritional difference between black and white chia seeds (none), as well as discuss some other foods suitable for tramping.

The shop owner Roenen went out of his way for me ! At the moment the shop is spilt in two due to…read morerenovations and when I asked if they had any co-yo he went to the other shop and opened up for me , how nice is that ! Top marks for service ! The whole Highland park complex is being upgraded so shops maybe shifted around . The range of supplements this shop had avaliable was extensive , so much to choose from ! And with a lot is not seen in the ranges . I recommend this health shop whole heartedly .

Great selection of health/organic food and environmentally-friendly shopping choices. They stock…read moreeco-store products, organic and natural shampoos and soaps, various food items, all kinds of vitamins and natural supplements, all that sort of stuff. This is where you can find organic cotton tampons, non-chemical chapsticks, Comvita throat lozenges. Friendly and knowledgeable staff who don't think you're weird when you don't want a bag, and they have a loyalty card system. Conveniently located near a supermarket, post office, florist... it's a very handy place to stop in and pick up your naturally derived products. There's also a fruit and vege store owned by - I believe - the same people, just around the corner so you can also pick up your produce and free range eggs all in the same trip. Tip: Access/closer parking is easier if you drive in from the Highland Park Drive side, between the two Countdowns. (Yes, two Countdowns. It's ridiculous I know.)

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.

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.

I stumbled across this place after picking up a coffee from The Apothecary - we were looking for…read morecrackers and cheese to take down to Howick Beach for a picnic and nearly headed for the nearest supermarket before spotting this place. A grocer it is - you can buy a lot of really good quality fruit and vegetables here. They all come with poems on the stands that talk about not squeezing the nectarines or avocados to death; it's cute. But this place also sells a large range of artisan cheese, fancy crackers and imported items like Belgian chocolate and German Spekulatius biscuits. YUM! The most amazing thing about this place is the prices of the stuff - we were stunned to get a packet of pretty fancy crackers, a wheel of cheese and a massive container of semi-dried tomatoes for less than ten bucks. Eat your heart out, Nosh! This place is so cheap and so good - definitely check it out.

We popped in to ask a few questions about their products. The staff took their time, listened to…read moreour queries and offered several suitable products. Also took contact information as wanted to check if there was any additional information she could find out. The was good old fashioned customer care as it should be. Legendary !!!