Growing up I never really spent much time out west, but over the last few years I've slowly become…read moremore and more familiar with what is out there. But it was only really recently that I discovered the outlet mall at Westgate. Located right behind the Westgate shopping centre, this little strip of stores includes the likes of Bendon, a Nike factory store, an all-things-USA shop, and Jet Couture to name a few. The Nike and Bendon stores were two places I was ecstatic to find. Both had a wide selection of products available and everything was pretty reasonably priced. If it is outlet shopping you're after, I would still definitely recommend trying Dressmart in Onehunga first, but if you're already out west and just need new running shoes, lingerie or boardies then the Westgate Outlet will be able to take care of you without breaking your bank! Tip: There's plenty of free parking available both at Westgate shopping mall and in front of the outlet strip!

If you have time to walk around aimlessly looking then Westgate mall is the place for you. I…read moreactually can't even call it a mall it's more like a disorganised shopping centre with everything scattered all over the place. It can be stressful if you are after a certain something and you have to walk around but if you are looking for nothing in particular and are after some retail therapy then this is the place for you. Of the top of my head the shopping outlet has the warehouse, farmers, bendon and shanton. All the shops you find at a Westfield mall just with cheaper prices.

At the end of the Western motorway is this rather odd mall I actually hesitate to call a mall. It's…read morean interesting, rectangularish strip of shops (mostly chain stores), cafes, takeaways, a bar, a medical centre and another Event movie theatre. Can't say I've spent a lot of time here, but when I have done, it's actually been pretty good. Ample parking and you can see all the shops there are, so can't get lost really. There's also a nice park at the back of it. I remember grabbing some food from the Hollywood Bakery and venturing out with my friends on a cloudy day to picnic there. Unfortunately, the ultra violet rays were not that friendly, causing me to get a tad burnt and crispy. Woops.

After visiting Costco, I walked about 15 minutes to the nearby Northwest Shopping Center in…read moreWestgate. The mall has a Woolworths supermarket, which is prevalent throughout New Zealand, as well as a few restaurants and other stores. I mainly went in for groceries. One thing to note: in the Westgate area, grocery stores cannot sell alcohol due to local licensing laws, so if you want beer or spirits, you'll need to go to a liquor store. This restriction doesn't apply in Auckland's CBD. Parking is easy with a large lot above and around the mall. While at Woolworths, I noticed a long line outside, which turned out to be for a Justice of the Peace offering free services during certain hours--helpful for locals who need them. Overall, Northwest Shopping Center is convenient if you're nearby and need groceries or a few shops. It's clean, easy to navigate, and has ample parking.

We were in the Westgate area for Costco and decided to check Woolworths i It's located inside the…read moreNorthwest Shopping Mall, which you can walk through to get there. Woolworths is one of the biggest supermarket chains in New Zealand, so we wanted to check it out--mainly to see how much golden kiwis cost here, since this is where they originated. We've been buying them back home in Houston and were curious about the local price. Golden kiwis are delicious, for those who haven't tried. The store was bright, clean, and easy to navigate. The produce section was well stocked, and the golden kiwis looked really fresh--priced a bit lower than what we usually pay in the US but not as cheap as a decade ago :) They also had a nice variety of local fruits and snacks we don't typically see at home. Overall, it was a pleasant stop--convenient location, friendly staff, and plenty of parking. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area and want to see what everyday grocery shopping looks like in New Zealand. The mall itself looks like a typical mall in the US with one exception: the information desk has a helpful attendant! I rarely see an information desk unless it's like the Galleria!

This is a pop up outdoor clearance store, which I guess means it's not going to be around forever…read more It doesn't actually say how long the sale is for, but they have heaps of stock in here to get rid of. For anyone who needs outdoor gear, this place is great. They have all the well known and quality brands for sale, and it's all pretty well discounted. If you don't actually need anything though I'd suggest that you should probably stay away as you'll end up buying something that you don't need, like I did. The store itself is not what you'd call a designer's masterpiece, but I guess there's no need for it to be pretty when it's not going to be there forever. It serves its purpose, which is to sell cheap outdoor gear and lots of it. Oh they also have some snowboard clothing near the back.

Love this shop - it's the place to go for gift buying for that person in your life that seems to…read morehave everything. They carry a wide range of contemporary kitchen and homewares plus other gifts such as candles, keyrings and money banks. Sometimes difficult to push a pram around the shop, especially with all the fragile merchandise...I can't imagine how a wheelchair would fare in here!

I'm not sure why I have not been outlet shopping my entire life. I was on the hunt for new football…read moreboots and was advised the Nike Outlet at Westgate had a 30% off sale. Half an hour later I had new football boots for $90, which had originally been on sale for near $200 at their time of release. I got sucked into the outlet trap (some would argue bargain bin) immediately and explored the store that was full of deals. Replica soccer shirts were only $30, a fraction of the price at other sports stores and running gear was also much cheaper, such as shorts and singlets. Outlet shopping appears to be all about timing however. Many of my first preference boots were not the ideal size (way too big or way too small) with the limited range for the most desired and popular sizes being the trade-off. It is possible to find out from the retail Nike stores when they are sending products to the outlet stores, something I would suggest doing.

This florist is amazing! I ordered flowers off their website from Florida, and they were…read moredelivered, fresh and beautiful, literally 2 hours later. I highly recommend!

I ordered a large bouquet of flowers from the U.S. for my aunt who lives in Auckland. The flowers…read morearrived in a timely fashion, were very fresh, and most importantly, she loved them! When I called to place the order, the assistant made placing the order very easy. I highly recommend them!

Definitely my favourite junk shop. It's not the biggest junk shop, but they change their stock so…read moremuch you are always finding new things. They have a great collection of make up, clothes, kids' toys, hair accessories, household items, I could go on, really. Everything is organised and has its place, and the owners always say hi when you walk in, and they're always there behind the counter watching some good old TV. It's not always the tidiest with people leaving things in the aisles and kids playing with stuff while their parents shop, but it kind of works since the owners seem so laid back. They'll always go searching for things if you can't find anything either. I come and have a look here every weekend just to see what's new.

If you have a thing for jumping into bed with clean, cool, cotton sheets then checkout the linen…read morerange at the spacious new Wallace Cotton store in the NorthWest mall! I love the feel of fresh cotton sheets and I would happily stock my entire linen cupboard with their sheet sets but unfortunately, most of their crisp colours and designs don't quite work with my bedroom furniture. Now if I had a batch or a country cottage, then this is definitely where I would pick up my linen. I like the versatility of their reversible designs and the fresh sea-side cottage feel they seem to create. Wallace Cotton products don't come cheap but they are worth every penny.