CraftWorld New Zealand Limited

Variety of items under one roof. Great gift ideas from small to big. All age appropriate. But be prepared to spend some time to go around.

My family are based in the UK so I find CraftWorld to be a great place for Kiwiana gifts.  The shop is quite large and it is filled with lots of tiny booths displaying local craft-makers work not that dissimilar to an actual craft fair.   I have purchased jewelry, coasters, carvings and chocolates from here to send to the UK but there are larger items available for the home.  Coffe tables, dining tables, butchers blocks etc.  Made from huge beautiful pieces of wood.  These items look like they would last you a lifetime.

If you're into buying NZ made items as gifts, Craftworld is a great place to find different items.The benefits of Craftworl over a regular craft market is that it is open longer and has a big range and is indoors (in our unpredictable Auckland weather). It has a husband parking space with free coffee too! On the downside, it is a bit more expensive than a regular market as Craftworld takes their cut, and you miss out on the social side of a market - talking to the artisans and small business owners, which is really part of the experience.

Craft world is like a full time craft market where people pay to have little booths/stalls set up to sell their products. The store is massive and warehouse like and you wander up and down aisles to look at all the booths. There is a lot of repetition in product ideas (at the end of the day how many different things can people craft) and a lot of it is old fashioned and not what I would be interested in buying. There are some gems to be found however, if you have the time and the patience. And you never know, this place might just inspire you to make something for yourself.