Having read Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, and then watching the movie of Nick Hornby's High…read moreFidelity, there's something that will always appeal to me about small, independently-owned music shops. Also I am a nerd and a bit obsessed with music, so music shops in general are just neat, in my opinion. Musiquarium satisfies all my requirements. It's small, has little natural light, and is painted a lurid shade of green. Also it has an excellent range of CDs, both popular and obscure. Their stock covers a range of music, but seems to be particularly extensive when it comes to 90s alternative rock and 50s/60s rock & roll (disclaimer: it is possible that it just seemed that way because I like those two styles). They also focus on New Zealand music in a way that other places would like to look like they do, but actually don't.

The music acts are always first rate. No cover is great. Drink prices are higher than normal, but…read moreyou've got great music and a place to dance if you wish. My problem with this place is that after multiple visits, I've come to the conclusion that the wait staff behind the bar give very poor service. I've experienced several different sets of staff and they all offer poor service. No personality. No water unless requested. Long wait times for even an acknowledgement that you are even sitting at the bar. Management needs to improve their interviewing when hiring. Yes, I'll go back there often because of the music, but I'm certainly not going to tip for poor service.

Here are some of the records I have bought from Alien Records:…read more - a Serbian '80s electro pop record - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will by Mogwai - a NZ country music compilation - a recording of Shostakovich's 9th Symphony When people ask "where are all the good record shops?" the answer is: in a warehouse down a driveway in New Lynn, close to the RSA. Alien Records is run by what I can only lovingly describe as music nerds, one of whom will never fail to ask you if you play an instrument. This is endearing the first time but less so after the fifth or sixth. It's full of oddities, hits, classic hits compilations, and lots of top quality new pressings. I'm always slightly amazed they're still in business as it's got to be the most hidden specialty shop in Auckland, but they do know their stuff and it's good fun to spend an hour or so rifling through the bins so unless your ears are made of stone you're bound to find something you want. They also sporadically hold gigs in the room next door.

I was wondering the Cheltenham shops on Saturday arvo and this place was a pretty cool find…read more Cheltenham Curiosity Shop is a small local shop that sells a range of antiques from chandeliers, tables, couches, lamps to vinyl records, used postcards and other bits and bobs.

A cute little store with some interesting collectables​. If you like preserving a few memories from…read morepre-plastic​​ times, there are plenty on offer. We left with a few under our arms!

In this day and age of chain stores selling nothing much but top of the pops CDs and band t-shirts…read morewith singers on them who appear still to be foetal, Marbecks is welcome respite. Any music lover will adore Marbecks. You get that feeling of being in an actual place when you visit, rather than in just another cloned merchandising experience. You also get a real Alice down the rabbit hole feeling because of the wonderful range, and it's one place that actually makes me feel excited about buying music. The staff here are excellent and great at fielding all kinds of questions, and very accommodating to importing things especially for you and that kind of stuff. They also have a dangerously tempting range of books and a decent stock of vinyl, so there's a lot to keep you busy once you get there.

Although getting music in these times is a heap easier and often cheaper, I do miss the days of…read morespending hours in a CD store waiting for mum while she does the shopping. The ritual of waiting for an album release and going to buy it the day it comes out with everyone else, made it even more exciting. And I think buying a CD is a real testament to your love for a musician. Marbecks is literally the only CD store I can think of that's still in business, and it is a doozy. Hidden away in Queen St Arcade, i'm sure a lot of people still have no idea it's even there, despite it being around since 1934. But once you do discover it I challenge you to suppress the smile from your face. It is full to the brim with music of all different styles and in many different forms. Top 40 CDs, to classic and rare vinyls. The staff are extremely knowledgeable, it's clear they're massive music lovers and big fans of this dying medium. A great way to spend the day and probably the best place to do it. Give Marbecks the helping hand it needs and go have some fun there.

Aunty Mavis feels just like that - it's as if you've stepped into your elderly aunt's house where…read moreeverything is a jumble of treasures waiting to be discovered. Everything in the shop gives you the feeling that it's been hand-picked especially to bring a smile to your face. The shop is filled with excellent vintage crockery that's old enough to be quaint, but not yet old enough (or rare enough) to be really pricey. Think the mid-century stuff, like the less-collectable Crown Lynn. There's also a range of delectable linen and books, clothes (mostly from the 1970s), and household bits and pieces.

Buy these kind of things here:…read more 1. Vinyl travel bags with cute Air New Zealand logos and really great teal colourways. 2. Ancient dolls. 3. Plates. Lots of classy china. Also lots of Crown Lynn for people who really love to eat off of expensive plates which are sometime kind of ugly but are always genuine 'heritage pieces'. 4. Wooden stuff. Eg: old spice rack. 5. Old books and 'boys and girls annuals'. 6. Dresses for girls that have flowers or patterns or whatever. 7. Teaspoons. Awesome teaspoons with the queen on them. 8. Possibly hot water bottle covers. 9. Old toasters. 10. Well designed clocks. 11. Whimsical design pieces. 12. Those things where you store your bread. 13. Maybe gollywogs? At the very least, go there to look that the owner lady's really great hair and glasses.

Fantastic store!!! Lots of vinyls, cds, books, t shirts all music related. I bought 2 albums I'd…read morenever seen in the US. Service was great. Value great. Loved this shop

ordered online for delivery 3 or 4 times. some of the books…read moreand cds were torn, and cracked. not happy with it when i bought with money. paid for it, but came along some torn books, and cracked cd cases. not worth ordering from real groovy. plus they sell stuff just a little bit expensiver than other retail stores. get it together crooks.

Royal Oak Trading Co., or "that antique store by The Zookeeper", is a decent shop to get lost in…read morefor half an hour or so. Don't be put of by the rusting garden tools and junk in the entrance. Inside you will find just about everything excluding clothes and jewellery. It does ever so slightly feel like the dumping grounds for assets of an estate. Nothing is new in the store and you c an rummage through heaps of boxes and books and assorted paraphernalia. But you will find something that tickles for fancy at an affordable price, not necessarily cheap but better than most "Antique Stores". They also have an extensive library of old vinyls and books. Just try not to look shifty as the staff will follow you around the piles of furniture to keep an eye on you.

This was our second visit, the crowds were up last year, which is good the the festival. As usual…read moreone of the hardest choices was in selecting which tasty dish and drink to have, once the choice was made it was finding a quiet spot to consume without being knocked out of your hand. A downside of such crowds was trying to appreciate the lanterns. It is certainly worth going and for good summers family night out.

This was my first time at the AKL Lantern Festival and I couldn't believe how packed it was! We…read morewent on early on Sunday night (around 6pm) thinking we would beat the crowds but there must've been thousands of people wandering around the relatively small Albert Park already. It's probably only takes about 40mins to see all the lanterns but I reckon why not make a night of it and set up a home base near the main stage. They have fantastic performances - when we were there a rather energetic (and shirtless) male drum troupe were performing - and there are a gazillon food and drinks stalls, just make sure you bring cash! Oh and make sure you seek out the watermelon filled with ice cream - delish!

SPLORE SPLORE SPLORE, its taken me this long to complete this review because it taken me this long…read moreto get over the buzz of this festival. In my opinion splore is the best festival NZ has to offer! After attending for my first time in 2012 i couldn't wait for the 2014. Personally i don't go to splore for the music, i go the whole package and the amazing atmosphere. The splore team really have nailed it on the head once again! There were 7 of us who went this year. As to be expected we took WAY to much stuff and didn't use anything. note to self- one change of clothes is adequate, multiple bikinis= essential! more glitter less makeup is my new motto for splore! The key to camping is getting their super early so you can secure a good camp site. Half of our group set off at 6am and got us a fab spot looking over the ocean (pics to follow), we were a good 20 minutes away from the car so again DON'T TAKE TO MUCH STUFF as you do have to carry everything you take. The camping vibe is rad, everyone is so friendly and hangs out together. You can also take a camper-van, get glamping or get a car park next to your tent. All the camping is set at the top of the park, down the hill (which FYI is quite a big/steep hill) you enter into a wonderland of magic. There are so many things to look at from art installations, craft tents, random decorations, the mirror maze this year was amazing and also the large cube mirrors hanging from the large trees. Obviously tons of live music plus live performances= Sam hunt was a personal fav along with double dip on saturday night. Lets also not forget the beautiful beach right there!! the water is so clear and fresh, a great way to wash off. There are also showers at the camp sites, i didn't get there so i can't report on how they were! The whole park is decorated in weird and wonderful ways that only the splore team could pull off. You really do have to see it to believe the craziness!! A personal fav for me was the crazy tvs installed on one of the trees that played wacky videos at night, i lay there watching for at least 2 hours on the saturday night. The creative minds of the splore team do really go well beyond anything you can ever dream of. In terms of drinking and eating.. there are roughly 5 bar areas dotted around the festival, all with the different theme serving great alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. Personal fav in terms of bars was most likely the old Mout cider LOVE SHACK down by the lagoon. (YES there's a lagoon which is fresh water. The recycled swan sculptures floating in the lagoon were spectacular! ) The living lounge is also very chilled with beans bags and live performances. As for eating there is a food stall village area offering so many amazing healthy options from curry, Mexican vegetarian burritos, vegan ice blocks, Hungarian puffs etc , the list goes on!! Many great coffee trucks for your morning caffeine fix too. There is also a variety of food stalls up the top in the camping areas. Please note splore is also EXTREMELY focused on recycling and leaving no trace. The statistics are amazing and the minimal amount of waste is an admirable achievement especially considering how many people attend. stats below : Compost 442.13kg 70.509% Recycling 131.32kg 20.942% Landfill 53.60 kg 8.547% Splore is known for its outlandish ways and every year there is a different theme for the festival. This year was LOVE, 'more to love at splore' was the catch phrase. On the Saturday night everyone dresses up in the theme, its an amazing site to see so many people in fancy dress,!! This year marked the 10th anniversary of the festival. There has been some talk of making the festival annual but i personally think this would ruin the amazing vibe they have created. As you can see i could and would talk about this festival ALL DAY. So if you are thinking of going and want some insider tips do message me!! Can't wait for 2016 ALREADY, great work team splore xo

This was my first time here and have to say I was very impressed. Good music, good atmosphere and…read morebeen right next to the beach meant a swim when it got too hot. Toilets were well, not a nice experience and the clampdown on alcohol seemed a bit excessive. Lack of food options meant a long wait for food, but in saying that, what was on offer was pretty good. Overall it was great. I had a good time which is all that matters really. Will be going again but this time I'm in a camper van so no long walks to carry camping equipment back and forth.