What I love about this place is that the staff are always so, so nice. I mean, obviously you have…read moreto have a certain sense of altruism to be working voluntarily at a hospice shop in the first place, but these ladies always seem to go above and beyond and they are super polite and chatty, so it always makes me feel good about spending my dollars here and rewarding these hardworking ladies instead of going to the similar shop down the road. In terms of the stock, I always often find goodies in here - whether it be books, clothes or trinkets, most of the time I walk away with something in hand. A little bit out of the CBD if you're a traveller, however if you're a local in the area then I would definitely say that this the best opportunity shop in the Glen Innes/ Glendowie/ St Heliers region by far.

I'd really rather you didn't know about this Dove Shop. So please, go ahead and read this review,…read moreand then erase all memory of its contents. I think it's for the best. The St Helier's Dove Shop only has stock that's in totally pristine condition. Seriously, you won't find a posher op shop in Auckland. It's really nice and not at all stinky. You can pick up the most amazing stuff here, from men's and women's clothing, to furniture, homewares, kids' clothing, and games. It's not a matter of luck finding something you like, or something in good condition, the only gamble is getting stuff in the right size, so I end up buying something almost every time I visit. Also, the staff are really nice and onviously volunteering for a really great cause - the Eastern Bays Hospice. The prices reflect the quality of the stock here, but they're still extremely reasonable, and hey, it's put to excellent use.

As far as opportunity shops go, I have to say this one in St Heliers is pretty disappointing. Yes,…read morethe stock is probably expensive because of the St Heliers location which is definitely quite an affluent area, however I don't really think the quality of the stock matches the prices you pay. It is very neat and organised all of the time, however I'm not ever really a huge fan of the shop attendants who work here, none are overly pleasant and are definitely not the reason why I keep coming back here. Actually, I'm not quite sure why I keep coming back here - perhaps I have convinced myself that maybe one day I will actually find something I like that is not priced exorbitantly above what it should be. I guess I'll just keep looking then...

She's a pretty rough old op shop but she does her best…read more As a general rule of op shopping, if you want to good stuff, shop in the places where the well-to-do donate their expensive, unworn castoffs. The rule holds true for the Salvos in GI, which is what you'd expect really; people in this suburb have more essential things to spend their money on than label clothing. It's a pretty big shop though, and fairly well organised too, so if you're among the hardier type of op-shopper you might just be lucky here. The clothes feature a high prevalence of such sought-after labels as Pagani, Garage, and Shanton, and if you're lucky, a little bit of Glassons action. Also, there are plenty of second hand sheets and duvet covers. Snuggly. Selling the poor their worn-out clothes back to them does get up my nose a bit, but I guess the Salvos do good work with the profits, so I wouldn't completely avoid this place.

I was actually really impressed when I walked into the Salvation Army today in Glen Innes - what…read moreused to be quite a hard-to-navigate jumble of junk is now an extremely tidy selection of quite good quality second-hand goods. The books are all sorted by genre, the clothes are sorted by type of garment, and everything is well marked with a price. Speaking of price, I was also pretty impressed by this - even though the service and the standard of the shop has become higher, they haven't compromised with their prices which is something I appreciate. There is also heaps of good quality furniture and crockery available, so if you are furnishing a new flat near by then I would definitely recommend stopping in here first and taking a look to see what you might find.

The Hospice Shop outside Westfield Pakuranga was a dive bar called The White Horse for the longest…read moretime but has finally been renovated and turned into something worthwhile and useful - a really large store full of vintage, secondhand and retro clothing. Not to be confused with the Eastgate Christian Centre just up the road, the hospice store is pretty much clothing-bound (unlike it's everything under one roof competitor). While the average age of the Pakuranga area can sometimes feel like 65, the clothing on offer at the store is plentiful and for a range of different styles and ages. The usual over-running of Miller's shirts for older women is apparent, but so is the number of older women searching for these things! There's plenty for the op-shopping hipster in this place too so check it out.

Dianna and Bruce have a great deal of knowledge and experience with jewellery and gold soveriegns…read moreand other types of collectibles. They are also very trust worthy

I come to this antique shop for it's jewellery range, so many stunning vintage pieces and all at…read morereally reasonable prices. I was talking to the shop owner today and he said they are going to start specializing in jewellery alone, probably because they have a knack for finding exquisite pieces. My mum once bought a huge garnet ring from here with two diamonds either side and it was only $135! They have truly beautiful rings, some of which I imagine would be perfect for an engagement. Antique jewellery has more character and history, I don't know why anyone would prefer to have a modern piece that all look alike! The guy in here is so friendly and helpful, he will be able to tell you a little bit about everything in there I bet!

Compared to its many competitors in the surrounding Glen Innes area, Circle is not so good. The…read morerange they have is pretty small, and the quality of some of the items was pretty questionable. In saying this though, I think its because it has been quite a new addition to the shops in Glen Innes so they are merely just starting out; but unfortunately from a relatively quick glance around I couldn't really find anything that tickled my fancy and also that second-hand clothes smell was noticably pretty bad here which can always be a bit of a turn off. Maybe if I return in a couple of months I will have found they have got off the ground a bit and improved, but its definitely not at the top of the list of my favourite op-shops down in GI.

Déjà vu is a little shop tucked down inside the St Helier's Mall, which itself is easy enough to…read morewalk right past unless you're on the lookout. I've had several happy finds in here and once you walk in, it's easy to see why. The stock is all high-quality, and while it doesn't really feature high-end brands, there's lots of mid-range and locally designed clothes. There's also a small selection of bags, shoes, and jewellery. The clothing probably leans towards the more mature shopper, but that said, there's a good mix of styles. My only gripe is that the single fitting room is only a curtain in the corner of the room, which is never a good way to encourage the leisurely trying-on of multiple items that usually leads to a purchase. It's more of a get-in, get-it-on, and get-out type of scenario. Also, while there's a full-length mirror, there isn't much room around it, so it can be a bit tricky to see yourself in your glorious entirety. Still, worth a look if you're in the area.