This is a fantastically run store. Halfway through me rummaging through their super-bargain bins,…read moresomeone (customer or employee, I can't remember) knocked over a display of water bottles and everyone in the store rushed to help. Everyone. People gave up the treasures they were clutching in their grubby hands and ran over, and let me tell you, there are some considerable bargains here. This is the kind of goodwill this place gives. There are great deals, great bargains to find, cool stationery, hilarious greeting cards and just a well laid out store. This is what I want my Urban Outfitters gifts section to be like, but they've decided to turn up their nose at me. A lot of the designs run heavy on Paris, New York and skeletons - this is not a complaint. This is me wanting to buy a mini iPad so I can have one of their "Paris, je t'aime" iPad skin. I love it here.

I am currently on a mad stationary/ general homewares spree, for no particular reason, just because…read moreI can really and Typo on Queen street ticks all the boxes for me. There's lots of cool little knick knacks available that you don't see elsewhere (well not for these prices anyway) While the goods are evidently mass produced in some third world country, if your a trade aid groupie, probably best not to shop here. They are constantly having sales on already reduced prices which you can't really complain about. I have found many canvas prints at Typo that are currently hanging out pride of place in my apartment and little lantern fairy lights that just look awesome hanging in my bedroom

I'm a fan of Trade Aid, and the High Street shop is a tiny peace of ethical heaven in the middle of…read morethe CBD. They seem to have crammed everything they fit into the larger shops in this tiny one - namely jewellery and hair accessories, cards and giftwrap, musical instruments, soap, ornaments, toys, gifts, cushions, rugs, bags...the list seems endless. Some of my favourite things to buy from Trade Aid are the chocolate bars, which have a delicious and distinct flavour, and the coffee and spices. Much-appreciated gifts I've given from Trade Aid have included platters and placemats.

Growing up in a home decorated with sculptures, rugs and artsy items I love trade aid. One day…read moreafter uni I was walking to Britomart with my bed on my mind then I saw these basket items in a shop window. I decided to go into the shop because I suddenly remembered that I needed something. Whatever it was I was certain this store with awesome baskets in the window would have it. I walked into the store and it felt like I was back home in the markets as I was surronded by so many cushion covers, beads and essence. I was in heaven and all my thoughts about my bed faded. After I browsed around the shop I learnt that the shop was all about fair trade! It only felt right to walk out with a few coin pouches and chocolate, you never know when it might come in handy. This place is perfect when you are struggling to find a present for that one friend who is hard to shop for.

Look Sharp is the kind of shop that makes me want to cry. It's stuffed with impulse-buys and…read moreplastic, plastic, plastic junk as far as the eye can see. I can understand why people get excited about it though- there's so much cheap stuff and it does all have a purpose...it's just that the purpose is usually one day of being a St Paddy's day costume or a party decoration, and then being chucked. I get even more moralistic when I think of the wages the people are paid who make this stuff that. But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I never buy anything plastic or made in a developing country. I just don't want to see a whole shop full of the stuff. It brings me down.

One of the most useful and chaotic stores I've ever been in, Look Sharp Store does what other…read moredollar stores try (and fail) to do. It's clean, well laid out and easy to find whatever you're in the market for - from costumes to dress socks, candles to key rings, Look Sharp has it all... and it's cheap! Many times I've rushed to this store for that last minute item that will make a costume or decorated room really pop - I can't even count the number of times I've flipped on the hazard lights, parked in a place that really annoys the taxi drivers and run in to grab streamers, beer-drinking hats, striped armbands or paint. Seriously, anything silly and frivolous you could ever want is under this roof.

The Looksharp empire has a few different branches now but this big shop in Onehunga in the best use…read moreof the old Woolworths/Deka building I've seen in a long time. While it probably doesn't get as much as foot traffic, it's worth the drive - even if you just visit this one shop. It's basically an Asian super-store, full of all the things we've come to expect but crucially MORE. There's just more products and BETTER products - there's an entire "naughty" section here as well as an entire range of inflatables. Need an inflatable palm tree for your living room? This is your place. There's neck ties, fake flowers, party supplies, home supplies, kitchen stuff; you can easily spend several hours here treasure hunting. Best of all, you will find items that are available at upmarket gift stores for the price they really should cost - buggar all.

Unfortunately Looksharp is only a recent discovery of mine and I wish I'd known about this sooner!…read moreOnehunga is probably one of the quieter branches but is still packed to the brim with a lot of things you may or may not need. A friend and I visited when everything in store was 30% off- and to think that Looksharp prices are already really reasonable, we definitely stockpiled on a few things! We made the trip because she was having a luau-themed birthday party- Looksharp had just about everything we were hoping to get! Flower leis, an inflatable floral ukelele, palm tree drinking glasses, bamboo torches, lei bracelets, floral dishes; I could go on! We did catch ourselves making jokes such as "wouldn't it be awesome if they had....", only to find said item seconds later. The selection there was great and I'd come back in a heartbeat for any party goods and decorations. I'm huge on gifts so I loved seeing all of their goodie bags, chinese boxes in an assortment of colours, as well as their scrapbooking section- everything was so well-priced, much cheaper than getting similar products somewhere else, like Spotlight. There's literally so much at Looksharp, I'd make the trip only because I have a feeling it won't be your last!

Another one of those shops perfect for picking out gifts or goodies for around the house. A while…read moreago I was hunting every last corner of Auckland looking for a piece of jewellery for my 21st. I was after something a little different and not something I'd find draped on every second person across the city. At Spinz I was surprised to find jewellery at all as I kind of thought it was more a tacky trinkety shop. I was quite wrong. There was some beautiful jewellery inside including some different brands, designers and pieces locked away in the sparkly cabinet. The staff were very helpful and eager to play a part in my selection. They did not hesitate in whipping out brochures and designer catalogues and checking with suppliers and stockists. They were also not too pushy which I found refreshing as sales assistants can really grind my gears when they say something looks "PERFECT" on you when you know it looks like S***.

I tend to visit Surprizes when I'm after something and I don't quite know what is it yet…read more Basically, I go to Suprizes to be inspired. There's just so much to look at here and they're always adding new items- its hard to keep up! From mini glass sculptures of...well, anything really, to canvas prints and shot glasses, they cover a lot of ground here and for a gift shop they're definitely stocked up on almost anything you could imagine. Unlike other gift shops, I'm always a little scared that I'll knock something over here- there are fragile items everywhere! One of the best things I've ever seen at Suprizes was a modern take on the 21st key; it was a beautiful silver key that doubled as a giant bottle opener. I'm not sure how common those are, but it was my first sighting of one, and I instantly want to rewind time and tell my 20 year old self about it. I also enjoy their section of photo frames and albums- its really hard to find nice, elegant and plain frames like the ones at Surprizes. The only bad thing about Surprizes is that I can't take my Tank smoothie in there with me for a browse- rough times for a multi-tasker.

Surprizes is really just another way of saying 'we sell whatever we like'. There's a great variety…read moreof ornaments, toys, useful cooking implements, pens, notepads, etc. Nothing particularly stands out from the rest of the gift shops, as this place looks a lot like Acquisitions at the other end of the mall. However, it's worth a squiz if you're looking for something a tad different, quirky or just to kill some time while you're waiting for a friend to arrive. They always have an intriguing window display, and a big smile to offer when you walk in, so that's something to look forward too.

Besides the fact that it's very dark inside and a bit of a mysterious maze, I quite like Gift…read moreEmotion. I thought despite the gloominess, the wonderfully friendly shop man brightened up the place with his laughter and attitude. While I was finding my way around the ins and outs of the isles, I could hear him having a happy chat to his customers and being extremely helpful. There is pretty much everything you can imagine here. There's toiletry supplies like cotton buds and dress up outfits. Toys and books too. I thought the books were great. They seemed to be great quality reads for kids and they were very affordable. There were also hats and fake flowers and pots and wrapping paper... so much stuff. I think this would be a great option to visit if you were after a kids birthday present! You couldn't go wrong.

Sunnynook is ten minutes from my house and yet I very seldom go there for some reason - it's one of…read morethose little centres where you only really go for the supermarket and everything else is a bonus. Still, the place does have a couple of wee gems, and Gift Emotion fits this category. Imagine a typical $2 shop mixed with Looksharp with a smaller floor area than either, and with an owner that gives a shit. There, you have Gift Emotion! This is a place I like to come for those little kiddie presents where you need something quick and can't splash big bucks but you still want something cute - think toys and books. Also they sell cheap tennis balls which I seem to be constantly purchasing.

The Vault is a bit of a New Zealand institution and perhaps that's why my expectations of it are so…read morehigh. Or perhaps it's the anticipation of decending the stairs that always gets my hopes up. I feel like it's not the exciting, artsy place to shop that it used to be. It's seems to have become much more mainstream. Still, it's definitely worth a look if you're after a nice present, especially for a housewarming or to send overseas, as lots of the stuff they sell is made and/or designed in New Zealand, which is cool. I wish they still had the incredible range of jewellery that they used to though, and would focus a bit less on kiwiana.

I popped in here today to grab a gift for a friend. I didn't actually find anything that would suit…read moreher, but that's totally fine. They had some cute stuff available, and I could imagine popping in here for a gift for someone else. However, one thing I will say is that the service is AMAZING. I went back to the Vault after finding the required present because I saw the Vault had a very good collection of gift cards. Because some of my present wasn't wrapped, I asked if I could buy some tissue paper from there with the card. The woman told me she couldn't sell me any, but would give me some. She gave me white tissue paper, pink tissue paper as well as ribbon. I was only buying a $6.50 card and she did all of that for me. What a gem.