Rodger has an abundance of variety of all plants and trees for your gardening needs, and he is very…read morehelpful in giving gardening advise. My husband and I have been shopping there for years.

Rodger is a clever nursery-person selling plants direct to the public all his life ! I [believe him…read moreto be in his sixty plus years . he is ecstatic and full on as a person , warning hates the wind avoid windy days as a customer as he can be insulting and very rude . Enough of the owner in my view he is an international icon nursery person knowledge incredible of the product sold plants . Know what you want , he might challenge your purchasing on check out forget it . Anyway if its plants you want at market prices you will get end of lines from growers if you want it get it then. Tip no eftpos cash cheque only . written by , Sayburn Miller I love Auckland

Nood is located in the new Apex shopping precinct opposite Sylvia Park. Its a fairly new…read moreestablishment and out of habit I always like to visit if I'm the area. What makes Nood so interesting is that they have a lot of very different products at different price points. From novelty mini books and plush toys to very expensive duvets, Nood certainly doesn't put itself under one umbrella. The Apex store is very big and split in two and red and black are the dominant colours in here- I love the decor in here. On one side you have a lot of bedding, room furniture, knick knacks, clocks; on the other is kitchenware (I love their stuff on this side!) and a few bargain items too. Their high end items are great to look at; there have been a few clocks I've definitely been eyeing up! But a lot of their products are hugely design-based and really seem like one of a kind/limited edition type stuff. On the other end of the spectrum they've got some affordable items, particularly their glasses and other kitchenware, and their sales are always worth making time for. I only own one item from Nood and its this awesome bullet cocktail shaker- since I received it as a gift I've been looking for a few more things to add to my Nood collection!

Chambers offers a good mix of luxury gift and homeware items with relatively affordable pieces. The…read morebusiness is actually split in two, each store a few steps apart on the same side of Ponsonby Road: one offers candles, glassware, bowls and furniture etc while the other focuses more on linen and bedding. I can always go in with a gift or occasion in mind and find something that will fit my budget... as well as a lot of things that won't! Regardless, on a road where things tend to ere on the side of over-priced, Chambers is a good starting point for homeware and gifts.

Earlier this week I popped into Country Road in Mt Eden for the first time to check out their…read morefurnishings and furniture, particularly lamps and cushions. They had ample of both, along with anything else you might like to spruce up your bedroom, lounge room or kitchen with. The showroom is very big, with technically three levels. Lots of very beautiful timber furniture that distracted me, and I particularly liked the black and white fabric dining chairs that were on sale, eight for $800, very nice, but not what I was after. The cushions started off at $30 but most were quite pricey. Lamps, plenty of those too but none jumped out at me enough to purchase today. The name 'Country Road' will probably conjure up images of old fashioned 'country' style decor, but I found that most of these items were modern looking, with a few 'urban' pieces here and there. The lovely sales lady I encountered goes by the name Faye, she was chatty, smiley and willing to help if needed, was a warm welcome overall.

The Takapuna Night Market is just a perfect opportunity to sample some tasty local food stalls and…read moresee what the crafty designers are making and selling at the stalls. I popped in early to the markets and watched them set up this afternoon as the bright fall sun beamed happily away, and could sense a real peace and serenity of the community markets. Stall owners happily chit chatted away to each other, as they completed last minute preparation of food. I walked past a organic fruit stall from Kumeu named Fruit Bros the two guys selling apples, pears, and green and purple grapes were young hip guys, and raved that they had spray free organic fruit. They gave me a free apple for my little one to have, and since I was out of fruit at home, I promised them I would return with some cash from the ATM. I love the setting, it's relaxed, and placed right on and around Hurstmere Green, you have a lot of neat natural wooden seats to chill on, and beautiful trees and plants surround the grounds. I love the variety of food as well- Indian, Mexican, European, to name a few and lots of delicious dessert stalls too, they have the Spanish Churros stall which is to die for. A perfect finish to a hard worked Thursday.

Takapuna Beach Night Markets are not to be missed!…read more Happening every Thursday night in the summer season from 5pm to 9pm, they bring together both locals and newcomers to the area to consume street food and just have a jolly good time! While day markets are cool too, night markets tend to have a completely different atmosphere. All the stalls lit up against the inky blackness, in the balmy humidity that constitute Auckland summer nights is a really cool sight to see and is popular for this very reason. Watch out for the Austrian specialty sweet treat 'Sweet Chimneys ' -so good they make me happy when skies are grey. If you choose too you could also whip down to Takapuna Beach for a night swim while your in the area too if the mood takes you!

Really cheap compared to the other two big grocery chains…read more Pak N Save Albany is a spacious, organised and clean looking store. Some of their other locations I have shopped at have been cluttered or messy but this one always seems to hold a high standard. Deli and seafood counters look very well presented and fresh and their bakery makes really good grainy bread and rolls. Saved approximately $25.00 on my weekly shop today compared to my usual local grocery store. Cheers Pak N Save!

BEWARE OF MEAT! Pak…read moreN Save is a great idea in theory (food is sold and carted by the customer without the fancy frills of expensive packaging) but I have always been weary about the quality of the food being sold there. Just seemed too good a price to be true... Apart from the occasional tasteless apple or leathery lettuce, it's never been too much of a funky food adventure. Pak N Save is quite good for items already packaged by the manufacturer, so while there are fresher grocery stores around, I do find myself wandering into one every now and then to stock up on soap, flour and other cabinet items. BUT... what happened tonight will be enough for me to swear off Pak N Save food forever! In a last minute effort to throw together some dinner I ducked into the Pak N Save Albany and ended buying the Beef Sirloin Steak Marinated (on sale for $12.05/kg this week). Upon frying it, and cutting it to check how well done it is, I found that it was an unusual pink colour. I threw it back into the pan thinking it would cook more, but the peculiar pink never seemed to cook away. Then I tasted it... There cannot be a cow on this green Earth to have produced such a fake-tasting, rubbery Franken-steak; no matter how many hormones it has pumped into it's system, no matter how secretly omnivorous it may be! What I tasted should not even be labelled as "beef"! Hell, even nitrate-heavy, endtrail-laden hotdogs would kick this "meat" out of their refrigerated section! Waste of time, waste of money, and waste of internet gigabytes doing online searches of "meat glue". Unless you're a starving backpacker willing to momentarily shelve your standards of what passes for meat, steer clear! Pay the extra bucks elsewhere and get a decent cut of beef.

Citta design is made here in New Zealand, even though "Citta" is Greek…read more Located in GreyLynn, sandwiched between Farro Fresh and Bread & Butter Bakery. Parking very convenient, just outside the shop. Citta is brimming with homewares, crockery, linen, furniture (sofas, chairs, tables) clothing, soaps and hand-creams. Also beautiful candles, gift ideas and glassware. Staff are friendly: speak to you, as you enter the shop. Nice one. Everything in the store is stylish, practical and aesthetically pleasing!

I stumbled upon Hunter Furniture when I was on Link Drive one weekend. I'd been looking for a sofa…read morefor a while, and thought I'd pop in to have a look. Really nice big store, with a good display of furniture items and accessories. Not too cluttered and lots of natural light. I was approached by a friendly shop assistant who was very knowledgeable about their products. I was very interested in buying New Zealand made, and many of their products are made here, but not all, depending on the type of materials required. I went back about six weeks later during one of their sales (20-50% off everything in store) and was served by another really knowledgeable sales person. Another nice thing was that I could choose the material and colours for the sofa I was interested in (I don't think this is possible with ALL items). I was really happy with the final price - although you could probably get a cheaper version of a similar styled item elsewhere, I was happy to spend a little more, as I was happy with the quality of the product. Only needed a 20% deposit as well. Some of the styles were not quite to my taste (i'm a bit fussy!) but am really happy with my new sofa!!