I kinda get the impression that Auckland in recent times is getting more sophisticated and will eventually rival the likes of Melbourne and Sydney. You only have to look around the Britomart precinct to see what I mean. And it is shops like Colestown Chocolates which are very much at the heart of all this - not just selling any old chocolate but selling designer chocolate aimed at people with a serious sweet tooth. There are a few of these specilaity chocolate shops in Auckland but this is arguably the best. Not only does the chocolate taste good but the flavour combinations are postively inspired - eg passion fruit and grand marnier. Or how about pistachio and lemon nougat? Trust me they taste as good as they sound. It's not a massive shop on Queen Street but they have some nifty types of chocolate bars and if you can't make it into the CBD, you can buy it online. I also understand you can get this chocolate from some of the speciality food stores like Nosh. read more