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!

This is a great gift store in Newmarket which sells things mainly for males, hip flasks, hunting…read moregear, wallets, that sort of thing. It is only a small shop, but they have some great items inside, and it all looks like really good quality. Of course you have to pay for the quality, but there's no need to be a cheapskate on your gift giving. They have quite a few chess sets for sale here, really beautifully crafted pieces and boards, especially the full table set. These chess sets are actually at quite a good price too, considering how it's so hard to find a good quality one in New Zealand. For the ladies there are some things, but like I said it is a small shop and unless your mum is keen on hunting and/or drinking whiskey I'd probably go somewhere else for her birthday present.

As gifts shops go, this one has little something special. Quirky is how I'd describe it. Inside…read morethere are a ton of presents for people (as described on the shop window) who have everything. This is pretty accurate I thought. The gifts were the kind of cool things that could brighten up someone's day but certainly weren't essential. My absolutely favourite were the money tins. Each tin specified something that warranted paying a fine (putting a coin in the tin). I very nearly bought the farting one for my brother-in-law. Now that I'm home I wish I had. I might have to go back and get it - they were only $7!

If you need to buy gifts for anyone, then this is the place to go. You can browse around, and there…read moreis nobody looking over your shoulder. The store is laid out for a quick stock turn around, leaving one item on show and the rest packed in boxes ready to become much loved gifts. I have yet to enter this store and not find a suitable gift for anyone and everyone. They stock vases, bowls and home decor pieces. During the Christmas period, they were selling the most beautiful decorations you could find, and they were cheap as chips. Initially I thought they were just opening up to cash in on the Christmas gift rush, but this outlet store's popularity is making them it the one stop gift shop on the Shore. The lady that served me offered to wrap my gift, a service that adds to the five stars they've already achieved.

Zinc design is an awesome little gift shop in the heart of Takapuna. I just love coming into this…read morestore there are so many cool trinkets to look at and play with. It is filled with quirky and fun products to decorate your house with - from clocks to jewellery there is a huge range of great stuff in here. The perfect shop for that off the tangent friend who you don't know what to buy for (we all have one). Zinc design is very unique and wacky.

This gift shop in Mairangi Bay gets a thumbs up for always having something new, you've got to be…read morequick if you see something. Beautifully stocked with decorative pieces for your home and things that ladies love - candles, jewellery, handbags. This is where I come for that special gift for a friend and maybe a little something for myself.

Even when I don't plan to have a browse at this shop I always end up stopping in for a quick snoop…read more The staff here cleverly arrange a display outside, which is guaranteed to catch your eye! There's funky cushions and tables and accessories and because of these things I'm always tempted inside. This shop isn't that big but inside is packed with lots of wonderful goodies. The prices aren't extremely affordable and I think it would be possible to find similar kinds of things elsewhere for a cheaper price, but if you wanted to treat yourself or a friend, or you were after something simply amazing and of great quality then head along to Spoilt and spoil yourself!

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.

This shop feels sort of out of place in Albany Mall. It's right at the bottom in-between a tacky…read moretwo dollar shop and a sporting store. The outside of it looks rustic and mysterious and absolutely nothing like the other décor you see around this mall. And that's the reason I first went inside. That one day I anxiously stepped in not knowing what to expect... and I stepped out a huge 45 minutes later. Now this isn't a big Briscoes or Farmers so 45 minutes is a whopping amount of time to spend tinkering around inside. But I was so content looking through all the wonderful things I not once thought about the clock. Most of my time was spent choosing a ring. There was a giant collection of awesome rings with different stones in them. They were all sterling silver and pretty cheap for how gorgeous they looked. I finally bought the ring and decided to head off. I popped it on my finger straight away and left the mall. About an hour or so later I realized the ring was a tad big and I should have rather got the smaller one I had looked at. I shot back to the mall quickly and was stoked to find the lovely lady was happy to exchange the ring. Very happy ending to a great shopping experience.

Amaze is Ponsonby's one stop gift shop. You can literally walk in there and walk out five minutes…read morelater with a funny and funky gift, complete with quirky card and gift wrapping. Amaze is that good. With numerous stands housing a seemingly infinite number of gift cards, regardless of whether you're after one for your best friend, mother, uncle, grandmother, for a friend's wedding, an anniversary, bereavement or baby shower - there are dozens of cards for every occasion to pick from. And they're all quirky and perfect in their own ways. I love just perusing the cards, let alone the rest of the store! Though, that's not to say the rest of Amaze isn't equally as AMAZING... It's the perfect place to find funny hens night-type products with candy G-strings, penis straws, and naughty dice stocked by the dozen. Amaze also stocks an array of journals and diaries, and as a real stationary lover I find I could spend hours just ogling over these products, let alone the choices of wrapping paper they also possess! Talk about overwhelming! It's like a dream come true in this store, sad as that may sound!

'Amaze' is just that. A shop that offers every type of card you would ever need - plus quirky gift…read moreideas. There are a few card stands outside to tempt you or you can go in-store and be spoilt for choice. I have purchased many birthday cards from 'Amaze', unique wrapping paper and gift fillers. Service is friendly & always sincere. Nothing can ever replace a fantastic card, from $5-$8 to say it with words! I love cards - writing in them, gifting them & especially receiving one too! Yelp, yelp, yelp!

Want to buy a gift for somebody and have absolutely no idea what to get them? Flying Saucers could…read morehold the answer. Every time I walk into this shop I find something that I could not have imagined there was a use for, but not in the way of the $2 shop, something kind of cool and funky that people won't look at you funny if you give it to them. There are also always the old staples like smellies, jewellery etc. The only thing is that everything costs about double what you think it will. If you spend $40, the gift recipient is likely to think you spend $20; $100 and they will likely think $50 etc. So it will be an expensive gift-giving excersize.

This florist is amazing! I ordered flowers off their website from Florida, and they were…read moredelivered, fresh and beautiful, literally 2 hours later. I highly recommend!

I ordered a large bouquet of flowers from the U.S. for my aunt who lives in Auckland. The flowers…read morearrived in a timely fashion, were very fresh, and most importantly, she loved them! When I called to place the order, the assistant made placing the order very easy. I highly recommend them!