Elbow room only on this sunny public holiday on Waiheke Island at True Blue, 'THE' best gift shop…read moreon the island. Let's get serious about shopping for deliciously gorgeous items. Like retro bathing costumes for the ladies, and matching swim caps to go with them - there is a nice selection displayed to the rear of the store. How about the Nelle Tier New Zealand range of body products and perfumes, exclusive to this store on the Island, try the tester out and yo u will be an instant fan! A big baby range here and lots of goodies for the guys. Your home and garden will look considerably more stylish post True Blue purchase. As well a New Zealand artists and craftsmen on display there is a beautiful range of overseas products, Santa Fe inspired, Frida Karlo, Jackie O. Don't pass up a chance to visit.

I am kind of over the affirmation wall art but if you were into them they have loads at Island gift…read moreshop on Waiheke Island. What they also have is a neat selection of other gifts with a beachy bachy theme befitting of island life, hence the name I guess. We'll have a nosey every time we visit Oneroa village, which is where this shop's located. New Zealand made is big here. There are lots of local and Kiwi artists on display here and needless to say plenty of Kiwiana gifts. The surfboard on the toy car, the mirror in the shape of the north and south island to name a couple. We love the jewellery range, there is so much to choose from and it is really reasonably priced. In all, don't miss a visit to Island on the Island if you are after a little window shopping or some purchases you won't come away disappointed. Opposite the coffee Kiosk you won't miss them.

Nestled comfortably into the very hip and stylish high street is this amazing arty craft store. I…read morelove this store as it reflects the beauty of our country. The shop is not a huge store however has so much selling that you are just spoilt for choice. The owners have put their heart into the foundations and you feel this, as you browse the shelves. If you want to buy an original kiwi gift, this is where you should look. The highlight of this store for me is the Home Textiles Range, really vibrant and creative designs on Table cloths, Table Runners, Tea Towels, and Cushions too, all reflecting creativity, and culture, and it makes me remember that we are living in the largest pacific island city . Worth a look in, even if you can't afford it, step in for some free inspiration.

My first thought when I walk in is always "Are you a tourist shop, or aren't you?". I just can't…read morework it out. But that doesn't mean I don't quite like Pauanesia - it's got a nice range of giftware featuring local designers and makers. I especially love the big stuffed kiwi made from old woolen blankets they have in at the moment. They also have some quite nice jewellery, mostly pendants and rings, and gifty kind of things suitable for, well, tourists? Or maybe people that just quite like New Zealand. Or people overseas who you send gifts to that have a 'kiwi feel' to them. Is it tacky? Is it cute? I think it might be somewhere in between.

High Tide is the kind of gift shop that once you know about it, you'll go back to shop for…read moreyourself. So it's type of gift store that has things you'd actually want to receive yourself, rather than just the okay but slightly pointless stuff you sometimes find in other gift shops. It has a New Zealandy theme without being tacky (think teatowels with the Four Square man and lovely handcreams featuring local ingredients and scents). Everytime I go here the stock seems to have been updated, which must be trickly in a little suburban shop, but is so necessary to keep customers' interest. It also has a bit of a beachy theme going on, which is all sort of fresh, white and blue striped, and relevant to the area too (the beach is just down the road). Best of all, the prices are genuinely reasonable for the quality of the products, and the service is brilliant - very relaxed and chatty.

Gifts Galore is crammed with fun and one of those shops where you don't know where to look first…read more There's everything in here from soft toys of all sizes (even those excellent giant Hello Kittys that I'm really not allowed to buy because it's silly), to stationery, hair accessories, socks, mugs, posters, and make up. And everything has that awesome Korean twist to it, so if you need stickers of your favourite K-pop artists, here's where you head. The staff don't speak heaps of English but they are really sweet and approachable, and I'm sure their Korean is top-notch! When I had trouble figuring out if the alarm clock I bought there would play music or not (I really can't stand that end-of-the-world beep beep beep of doom), they unpacked the clock, put batteries in, and demonstrated it for me. Now that's good service.

I have been coming here for over a decade, just because you get older doesn't mean you have to grow…read moreup. Gifts Galore has just that, a lot of gifts, packed from wall to wall with cuteness. There are two sides to the store, one mostly stuffed toys and the other is stationary. Everything from pens and notebooks to mini staplers and writing paper, you will find it with Winnie the Pooh, Hello Kitty of Miffy the Rabbit all over it. The fun doesn't stop there, umbrellas, earphones, bento sets and flasks, absolutely everything. Gifts Galore also boast an impressive range of scented pens. If you haven't written with ink that smells of oranges, you're missing out. Such a fun shop, great for the young and young at heart.

Acquisitions is like a gift store on crack. Seriously, it's packed with so many things to buy…read more Almost too much. You can find yourself walking around the store for way too long faced with too many options to choose from. First world problems, I know, and in many ways less is more. In saying that though, it's the perfect place to go for a present for someone who has everything as there is so much stuff to choose from. It's situated in the Albany Westfield Mall and there's an entrance right buy the store. This means you can park pretty much outside and save yourself running all over the mall. You just need to make sure you drive over to the Cinema side of the mall and enter from there. It's a great place to go if you need a present, something to cheer you up or an hour to kill while window shopping.

I'm probably sexist in believing that girls enjoy gift buying more than men, however men are…read moreprobably the better gift givers, it's the process we hate so much. Maybe we fear buying a bad gift, and that's what inspires us to spend so much time and effort. Shopping for gifts is a torture like no other, but I've narrowed down my gift-buying destination to one, Acquisitions in Albany. This shop caters for all ages, differing tastes and even crosses the cultural barrier with ease. No matter the occasion, or the person on the receiving end, the gifts you can get here are of high quality, and for most instances, inexpensive too. My birthday is coming up soon, please feel free to shop for my gift at Acquisitions, they've got my approval.

The name "OK Gift Shop" is pretty funny. It's like, "go here for the gifts for people you don't…read morecare too much about but have to get one for." Ironically enough, this is actually one of the better gift shops I've come across. I don't make a habit of gift shopping, but I try to make a habit of gift receiving, and I wouldn't mind if I got one from here - if I was overseas that is. On the day I went they had a weird little promotion where buy a number and they spin a thing, if you win you get a prize. There must have been about 40 Japanese school kids on a trip in the shop all hoping to win big so I missed out on having a chance, but it looked pretty cool. For once, a shop that actually outshines it's name.

You can find OK Gift Shop in Downtown shopping Centre corner of Customs Street and Albert Street in…read morethe heart of Auckland's city. They are on level one, not easy to miss in this small mall. I was impressed by the fact this souvenir shop sold work by New Zealand artists, probably commissioned based, but so are galleries. It is a great way to buy a unique gift for someone without having to trek out into the outer markets or surrounding suburbs if you on a tight time schedule but want to buy that something a little bit different and not mass produced overseas. Their was photographic art, ceramics with Kiwi iconography and New Zealand's natural timbers made into crafty useful objects. I personally picked up a small ceramic plaque with a kiwi bird on it and a nice green glaze over the top, it was by 'Art Locker' and cost me $9.20. I was pretty happy with that, and I hope my friends in Perth will too, since it is intended for them. A lovely little, well quite big actually, store to keep in mind when on the hunt for presents to go overseas.

The store sign says Japanese souvenirs and gifts but there's definitely more to this store than…read morethat. I am a huge trinket and ornament person and if I had infinite funds to spend on junk my house would be filled with... well, crap. Cool crap that is. The kind of dinky stuff you find in this shop. Quaint little ornaments, cool wall hangings and some cool Kiwiana stuff. The prices are pretty inexpensive. I know there are some places where you pay an arm and a leg for some plain wood thing to hang on the wall but here everything seems pretty tame. Besides that though there's nothing particularly special about this place but it's definitely worth a nosy if you're wondering past.

Great gift shop with so much packed in to this small store. The owners are friendly & willing to…read moreorder in stock if you have something special in mind. Lots of handcrafted knicknacks, signs, ornaments, along with all the typical kiwi souveniers. Definitely give this place a go if you need ideas for gifts.

Arazzo is Mum & I's go to for gifts. They stock a beautiful range of candles, gorgeous body…read morelotions, silk scarves, jewellery, cookbooks and more. But the best thing about this small shop is that they turn over their stock at lightning speed, which means for a regular like me there's always something new to fawn over. It's obviously as popular with the other Milford locs as it is with our family. The other fabulous thing about Arazzo is that, compared to many other independent home decor stores, it's affordable. I love candles and so they have become somewhat of a price indicator for me and at $40 (they have quite a range), Arazzo's are an absolute steal! Try their beautiful handmade ones from Devonport. I forget the brand name but they come in a stylish black and white box and are stunning. They also currently have some fabulous christmas decorations, which the owner tell me are flying out the door. Cute wee reindeer and fairy lights galore - it certainly put me in a festive mood!