After reading an NZ Herald article about the ethnic grocery stores of Auckland I figured it was…read moretime to really see what Glenfield had to offer in the way of Korean supermarkets. Hanyang is super easy to get to just off the motorway, directly on Wairau road, and has an easy parking lot. It not only has a supermarket, but also a hair salon, eyeware stand, clothing store and 2 food stalls (which weren't open on Sunday). The supermarket also included a stand with prepared Korean side dishes, a Korean veggie stand, as well as a Korean butcher. It is helpful to know that these stands act in silo of the supermarket so you need to pay at each individual counter (this is standard practice in most Korean supermarkets in Auckland). The offering of imported Korean products had all the usual suspects plus a few more that I hadn't seen else where. Price was very reasonable compared to other Korean shops and the staff were super friendly. I was greeted in English just fine and when they realized I could speak Korean switched with comfort and ease. I decided to do a tour of 3 other Korean supermarkets in Glenfield to compare and Hanyang definitely wins on location, quality of veggies, and friendliness of staff. Will definitely be going back!

On a whim, I decided to check out as many Korean supermarkets that I could find in Glenfield. I…read morestopped after I found Wang Foodmarket, a little bit b/c I was tired but mostly b/c this place ticks all the boxes. I cannot be sure but the quality of the premises looks very new and shiny. It has the layout of regular supermarket like a Countdown or New World, except all the shelves are lined with products from the homeland and K-POP is playing in the background. The aisles are wide and uncluttered so it is easy to navigate your trolley through the store. Their general selection, butcher and frozen sections deserve special mention. Also, of all the stores I went to today, Wang Foodmarket has the lowest prices. The quality of their veggies and side dish selection was a bit average but they are doing so many other things right I can overlook it and still give 5 stars. Most ethnic supermarkets are notorious for being stuffed to the brim a bit haphazardly to a point of making them intimidating. Wang Foodmarket really overcomes that to make it your adventure shopping enjoyable again.

This place is huge and newly opened on the shore. Basically an Asian supermarket, stocked with the…read morefamiliar and unfamiliar. Handy if you're after a specific ingredient for a special meal. The meat section is a bit offputting to the unadventurous, and the live fish tanks too (not a fan of eels). But you're safe up and down the aisles and in the large freezer section. Spotted cheap Chinese spoons, bargain at 25c each for the next dinner party.

Saffron is one of the most expensive spices on earth, however I have discovered it is one of the…read moremost inexpensive spice and bulk food stores in town. Saffron Foods in Henderson came recommended by my auntie, then I discovered my Indian friends frequented it and so I had to pop in to see what all the fuss was about. Now I am a fan. I find the selection of spices to be amazing, they have the star anise and the cinnamon sticks, different coloured mustard seeds and variations of paprika and chili powder. My spice rack is fragrantly filled to the brim thanks to Saffron Foods. When here I cannot resist the bulk bins with everything from coconut threads to almonds, here's a secret they have the best bargains on almonds in this store. There is a lot of Indian, Pacific Island and other ethnic food, like bags of small dried fish which my girls found disgustingly smelly. To the rear of the store are pots and other cooking implements. Super friendly staff who are really helpful pointing you to the right direction.

What a great market to stock up your pantry. This place has every spice and nut you could wish for…read morein a bulk bin at a much lower price than any supermarket. They also sell saffron for $10 a gram. It is from Kashmir and from what I could tell it is a long good quality saffron. Also the selection of Indian groceries is fantastic. I bought several packages of Mother's sauces and maked one which was just delicious (the bf rate if better than take out). They even have Indian cooking utensils, kebab skewers and serving dishes.

A rather well stocked Asian grocery store with plenty of parking! The lady who runs the Albany…read morestore is really friendly and helpful. I make the occasional visit to stock up on my favorite Japanese loose-leaf green tea (Tokuyo Genmaicha - green tea with roasted rice). A 400g pack only costs $6 - I'm pretty sure I paid more for this stuff in Japan! I'm also over the moon about my latest discovery...this place stocks frozen banana leaves, frozen grated coconut and karapincha (curry leaves)!!! Lol, basically, everything I need to make Lamprais - once in a blue moon! Go the Tofu Shop!!!!

Really wonderful store where you can find authentic Chinese groceries, friendly staff. Just check…read morethe expiry date on packages because I have bought a lot of flavoured bean curd which tasted horrible, looked at the expiry and was out of date for two years. Went back to the store recently and still found a lot of expired items on their shelves.

Right next to the amazing Diehl's bakery is a specialty store that imports European food and sells…read moreit to Auckland's community of Europeans who are looking for the taste of home. When I went there with my partner (who lived in Austria for a number of years growing up), he went straight for the Milka chocolate and grabbed bar after bar like it was going out of fashion. I played around in the candy section too and came away with some weird and wonderful treats... like salted liquorice! What the hell is this stuff?! At Edelweiss there's also a cabinet of fresh and refrigerated food - my partner bought a liver and cheese roll, which is apparently a delicacy in Germany. They make these rolls in Austria too, except they are cheese, liver and more cheese!

If Northcote shopping centre has five Asian supermarkets, then Dahua Supermarket is king of them…read moreall. It seems to be at least four times as big as the others and even has a few specialty counters inside. I noticed one that seemed to be a kind of herbal pharmacy also selling ugg boots, and a meat counter selling all sorts of delicacies, from very cheap chicken breasts through to chicken's feet, pig's snouts, and even pig tero-tero (English translation apparently). Having a quick look around I think this may be the cheapest and have the widest variety of the Asian supermarkets in Northcote, perhaps why it is so big and popular.

The SA Shop in Rosedale should be ashamed of themselves. The…read morePeppermint Tart was an absolute disgrace - there was no proper filling, just a pile of foamy cream with a sprinkle of peppermint crisp on top to make it look appealing. The koeksisters were old, soft, dry, and dull in color. I was deeply embarrassed to have taken my friends there today. NEVER AGAIN!

I will be granted citizenship this year, and I'm very excited to get my Kiwi passport. This is my…read morehome, and I don't regret my move to the land of the Land of the long white cloud, especially after the last summer. I do miss my family and friends, and various things we used to do or places we frequented. But I don't miss being a South African or living with the issues South Africa presented us on a daily basis. Here in New Zealand, I feel at home, and relaxed. I don't even miss South African food or products, with the slight exception of about five key products; I still need my biltong, Pro Nutro, guava juice, pap and boerewors. Everything else can be replaced by Kiwi products. At the SA shop they've got almost everything a homesick Saffer will need, including the new number one on my Christmas wish list: a biltong maker.

I'll admit I used to be a bit afraid of Tai Ping. Mainly because the carpark is a terrifying place…read moreand you could lose your life. Really, the driving here is shocking. The shop itself though has just got better and better over the last few years and now is a really great general supermarket that has bargain prices and exotic products. There's more noodles than anyone could ever want to eat and rice, dried beans and condiments galore. The flavour pastes and fresh produce are my favourites here and there's also a smattering of foodstalls on one side that make Asian snacks; my favourite being the pancakes. I'm also partial to a bit of Plum Wine and this place has it, along with Asian beers etc. And I still just can't help but marvel over all the crazy dried funghi, fish innards and the like that are so foreign to me - I got to say it, these days Auckland has pretty much every curious food ingredient available which can only be a good thing.

Amazing variety of well, everything. Super cheap veggies & fruits, I got avocados for $0.69…read moreyesterday! The shop is massive and super tidy, you might struggle to get a park but it's definitely worth a small effort. Love it!

Everyone loves a farmer's market right? Well if you don't, then you haven't been to a good one…read more Farro Fresh is what would happen if a supermarket and the Matakana Market had a baby. And boy is it a cute baby. There are a couple of these around Auckland now, but I have only been to this one and I love it. Walking in, it's really clean, smells fresh and is jam-packed with goodies. There are different areas for things like fresh produce, seafood, fine wine, boutique chocolates, cheeses, deli and filled rolls. You're never far from a helpful staff member who can always help you find what you need. You would think that a place like this would be really expensive, but it ain't. There are definitely expensive things, but they also have really great specials on every day so it's very common to be able to pick up a little bit of luxury for less. Don't be scared off by the fanciness - you'll be surprised by how similar the pricing is to your local supermarket, and yet how the quality at Farro is better.

Yes, Farro is expensive but their array of artisanal products is second to none (ok, so perhaps…read moretheir on par with Sabato). I particularly love their charcuterie and cheese sections complete with tastings and fabulous staff to help you nudge you in the right direction. They also have a wonderful range of cookbooks - our latest purchase was Ottolenghi's vegetable cookbook, 'Plenty' - as well as cooking and baking utensils. Don't miss their fabulous chocolate selection (new Wellington producer, The Wellington Company's salted caramel chocolate is out of this world) and of course the, Harney & Sons teas.