This ice cream was amazingly good. The shop itself was adorable. Cute pink walls. The service was…read moreexcellent. We weren't sure about what we wanted, so they let us taste test as many flavors as we wanted. Super nice and good service. Wish I could get this in the United States.

There's not any way around the fact that Duck Island is excellent! It's easily better than many…read moreindependent ice cream establishments I've been to in the US and overseas. What sets Duck Island apart from its competitors in New Zealand is its selection and range of ice cream. Not only does it have many varieties of ice cream but it has a range of options for the more discerning palate, gluten free, sugar free, vegan, etc. This also implies that Duck Island really does care for its customer! There's no doubt that they do. Employees take great care to ensure that customers are treated well and that the establishment is spotless. It's likely the cleanest ice cream parlour I've been to in my life.

Strawberry Farm was the second stop we went to in Auckland after a long flight, and we were…read morecompletely perked up by the delicious fresh fruit ice cream! I was also excited about the fresh produce, and we picked up a bag of tomatoes to snack on. Good prices and nice assortment of produce. I have periodically craved their strawberry ice cream in the time that has passed and would love to come back!!

Fresh fruit! Hello, need I say more. A little out of the way from where we were staying but totally…read moreworth the drive. I could see myself here everyday! They offer fresh strawberry (or frozen from fresh when not in season) ice cream and shakes. You already know your girl had to get BOTH! Super inexpensive and super delicious it's crazy! It's so refreshing! They also offer other fruits and veggies for purchase. Everyone there is friendly and they have an outdoor area for you to sit down and relax as you indulge in your snack! They also have a restroom if needed. This is a MUST stop place whether you're near or far, you'll be happy you made it!

Your guy stopped here to try the Hokey Pokey ice cream. I went to the ladies room down the street…read morefirst and upon return there was a line. The line went fairly quick and got two kid size scoops - one Hokey Pokey and the other passion fruit. Both were tasty and the passion fruit was my favorite.

As the Yelp Duke of this establishment it saddens me to say, this is one establishment to avoid…read more One mustn't stay loyal when ice cream quality has been compromised in favour of turning more profit. I've been to this establishment quite a few times over the years. The earliest was when I'd first learnt to drive in the early 90's. Back then, their ice cream brands were Tip Top and New American. State Highway 1 used to run straight through the middle of Pokeno, making it an obligatory stop for me. Since the re-routing of State Highway 1, the Pokeno township is now bypassed by most drivers travelling north and south. Despite the re-routing of SH1 the Pokeno Takeaway is much busier with customers now than it was when SH1 passed through the town. On a week day, lunch time is moderate to busy. On Friday it's busier and on Saturday and Sunday it's absolutely carazy! Having said that, I popped in today and noticed that nearly all of their ice cream is the Much Moore brand which I would class as a cheap value brand. I don't like Much Moore ice cream and I wouldn't serve it to international guests. Perhaps this takeaway is maximising its profit. Their large volume of customers mean that they should be smashing sales enough to have stayed with the Tip Top and Streets ice cream brands which they used to stock. To test my theory, I bought a four scoop ice cream on a double cone of the Much Moore flavours. The Much Moore ice cream has undissolved sugar crystals in their flavours which detracts from the taste. Their lemon cheesecake flavour doesn't freeze as well as their other flavours and doesn't support scoops in a multi scoop cone. Best to have it as the top scoop and consume first as it melts with alacrity. I'd avoid the mint choc cookie chip as well as the marshmallow coconut ice creams. Pineapple choc chunk was disappointing. TBH, for the same price, you could go next door to Johnson's Takeaway and get their Tip Top and Streets equivalents which are "Much Moore" value for money and superior in quality. After eating my disappointing four Much Moore scoops, I went next door to Johnson's and bought a two scoop. One of Coconut Marshmallow ice cream and the second scoop was lime swirl. I wasn't disappointed as they were smooth, creamy and the flavours tasted as they should in a well made ice cream. Thanks Tip Top. My advice is to go to Johnson's on the corner and get their Tip Top or Streets flavours. They cost the same but taste soooooo much better. Quality in the same quantity. Plus, they have shorter lines as most ice cream buyers go to Pokeno Takeaways. Side note: As a young kiwi, I ate way too much ice cream. Tip Top at the time made the quintessential kiwi ice cream flavours while New American made the kiwi flavours as well as ice cream flavours which diverged from the typical kiwi taste. My favourites at that time were New American's goody goody gum drops and coconut and marshmallow ice cream. In 1996 Tip Top, New Zealand's largest ice cream maker, bought New American. As a traveller to the United States and living in the United Kingdom, I ate my way through copious amounts of Baskin-Robbins and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Since being back in New Zealand I've eaten far too much Mövenpick, Killinchy Gold and Kapiti Ice Cream. The Killinchy Gold ice cream brand being my most favourite ice cream brand in the whole wide world! If I had a dollar for every ice cream scoop I've ever had...

Yogurberry is yet another frozen yoghurt chain store that has opened up in Auckland... which now…read moremakes a total of at least four (Yoghurt Story, KiwiYo, Yogoberry are the others I can think of off the top of my head) just in the CBD area?! I went in expecting the same as the fro-yo places I've visited in the past: self-serve yoghurt in a bunch of flavours and similar sugary toppings. The place itself is clean and spacious with some pretty funky décor (all white, wooden benches and wall, and a huge world map printed on the wall). There was a good selection of flavours, with some I hadn't seen elsewhere, like taro. The toppings station was also well stocked and pretty much the typical ones you find at the others - fruit, sprinkles, lollies, cereal, some sauces, popping pearls, mini cookies, and brownie and cheesecake bites. The taro, green tea and peach flavours I got (yes, I went all out) were not bad, but they were a little watered down and artificial tasting. For me, the consistency wasn't that great either, which was icier and less creamy than other froyo establishments. My friend opted for the caramel flavour, which neither of us particularly like, but the toppings (especially the cheesecake pieces) made up for that. Overall, Yogurberry is pretty attractive for its interior design and comfortable seating area, but frozen yoghurt wise, there are probably better choices. Also, there were no sample cups in sight, so it's really a case of take your pick and hope for the best!

If you like ice cream, there is only one place to come in Raglan, and it's here. Beware though the…read morequeue is often outside the door and even snaked down the street a wee bit. The question is was it worth it, from the sample I had, yes I really enjoyed it, and wanted to go back again and again to try their other offerings.

Desperate for a sweet treat after our lunch at Hallertau we were stoked to discover that Phil Greig…read morewas just around the corner and open all year round. Sure you can't pick strawberries in winter (duh!) but you can still get a real fruit ice cream as big as your head. There's a couple of flavours to choose from (strawberry, blueberry, boysenberry) as well as the option of ice cream or yoghurt. Prices, given the size, are really reasonable and the young ladies manning the till, friendly!

It was that time of the year when Strawberry's needed to be picked and our family of little kids…read moreand big kids were all excited about heading to Phil Greig Strawberry Gardens. We arrived to quite a busy carpark and after securing the car, and lining up the kids, and putting the baby in the backpack, we were on our way to the little tent to pay up and grab a few buckets. Five dollars per person, for anyone over the age of 10, and you could pick as much as you wanted and eat as you picked as well. The admission you pay would later be deducted from your weight of fruit. I loved the fact that we could all do this as a family, and get our hands and feet dirty, whilst having a really memorable experience. Phil Greig Strawberry Gardens takes up quite a large space- a couple of acres of strawberry's, and there are masses of them everywhere. You wont know when to stop eating, and picking, but thanks to our over eagerness to pick, we later ended up with a pot full of strawberry jam boiling away on the stove- nothing beats homemade strawberry jam on piklets- delicious. I can say that this weekend activity gave us much laughter, and happy full strawberry tummy's.

Food: 4.7/5 Service 4.8/5…read moreValue: 4.75/5 A wonderful gelato place with an extremely nice staff. After trying a couple flavors, I went with 2 of the best sellers, Pics Peanut Butter Caramel and Coconut Passionfruit. Pics PB Caramel was decadent and rich, pretty forward on the peanut butter, which was perfect for my palette. The Coconut Passionfruit was the perfect balance because it was light, fruity and refreshing; It was very passionfruit forward without much coconut taste. Overall a wonderful combination and a double scoop was plenty for two people. Would strongly recommend after a day of tasting wine!

Good gelato but stingy serving sizes. For the price they could be more generous. Good selection.read more