Charlotte R.'s
Where to go for natural health products
- 12Ponsonby Health Shop LimitedPonsonbyI'm a bit of a health store addict and love browsing shelves of the latest and greatest products. The Ponsonby Health Shop is small but concise in it's selection and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I bought a great jar of coconut oil which came highly recommended by the owner and it has been my favourite since. The prices are also reasonable so get yourself along there and check it out.
- 224Harvest Wholefoods Grey LynnGrey LynnHarvest is the best organic and whole foods store in Auckland. It has a large fresh fruit and vegetable section, the bulk bins are chocka full of nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruit, cereals and grains and the shelves are always loaded with the finest organic supplies available. The tea selection is overwhelming but the staff are always on hand to offer advice. There is a naturopath on the floor than can give direction on what vitamins and natural remedies will best suit you and there is a range of organic skin and haircare to suit most needs. They have had organic wines and beers for a while now, which is helpful, as finding an organic Sav in the supermarket can be impossible at times.
- 343EcostoreFreemans BayEcostore has a wonderful range of delicious soaps, skin care and household cleaning products but I like the hard to find items like the bamboo dish drainer, non toxic non stick cookware and the range of natural carbon filtering products.
- 42Lambs Pharmacy & Natural Therapies CentreAuckland CentralLambs is my go to for natural therapies. They have a bamboozling array of vitamins and minerals on offer but also the expertise to help you make your choice. They also have a good range of natural skincare and are an agent for the Post Office which is incredibly handy.
- 54Extracts - The Aromatherapy CentreAuckland CentralThis small shop in the Westfield Downtown stocks a great range of natural skincare. They have Antipodes - including the new mineral foundations, Jurlique, A'kin, Sukin and my favourite fragrant soaps by Blue Earth - try Warlock's Block for a deeply spicy scent. There is a massive selection of essential oils, aromatherapy is their specialty, and the owner is welcoming and incredibly knowledgeable.
Charlotte R.'s
Off the beaten track for preloved clothing
- 12Rosies Pre-loved ClothingGlen EdenI am probably going to regret this but I'm sharing the love - Rosies is a very special pre-loved clothing store in Glen Eden. She has contemporary, vintage and retro clothing, all at very reasonable prices and I have been ascending her stairs for years and coming back down with a great deal of treasure. Visit regularly as she puts stock out regularly.
- 24Go Jo Recycled ClothingNew LynnGo Jo's a gem of a secondhand clothing store tucked into a light industrial area of New Lynn. She has contemporary high street, designer and vintage clothing and accessories. I go to browse her well edited vintage and retro racks and often come away with a wonderful piece of clothing at a very good price - the welsh tapestry jacket in the photo was a treasured find last time I popped in.
- 31Calypso boutiqueEpsomIf you love vintage accessories then Passionata is well worth a visit. There is costume jewellery in almost every corner of the shop and a huge selection of Oroton mesh and diamante bags. Also on offer are dressing room trinkets and an impressive collection of vintage Hullaballoo and Thornton Hall garments.
- 41Merlin's Recycled ClothingGlen EdenMerlins is another great shop out west, actually more of a pre-loved clothing warehouse, with everything from secondhand kidswear, menswear, designer, menswear and vintage.
- 52The Outfit Recycle BoutiqueBirkenheadThis is a small and slightly crowded shop in Birkenhead but a little patient fossicking can yield some good treasure. I have picked up a number of great vintage items on visits.
Charlotte R.'s
Good jean stores
- 17FabricAuckland CentralFabric is a dangerous store for me, they have some of my favourite labels such as the very wearable Etoile Isabel Marant and perfect basics from Rag & Bone Jean. More temptation comes from J Brand, Iro, Comme des Garçons, Equipment, Current/Elliot and so much more. There is an equally impressive line up of men’s wear from Nudie, Gitman Bros Vintage, Margaret Howell, New Balance and I could go on.
- 24Superette NewmarketNewmarketSuperette is the perfect place to buy designer denim and soft drapey t-shirts by labels such as Bassike and Nudie denim. They also have feminine wares from Lover and Sass & Bide and slouchy luxe bags by Deadly Ponies. For boys it’s cult favourites Stolen Girlfriends Club, Super sunglasses and classic New Era caps among many others.
- 35Sass & Bide PonsonbyPonsonbySass & Bide manage to effortlessly combine tribal motifs, glam accessories and trimmings and skinny denim in one shop. The bright and airy setting of the Ponsonby store enlivens the colours and textures on display.
- 41Service - Retail NewmarketNewmarketService is a great jean store that is friendly and approachable. Decked out with an industrial flavour, the clothes sit in harmony with the metal shelving units. Men and woman are catered for with premium denim from Neuw and Rollas and clothing and accessories from Deus, Palladium, Dr Martens, Triumph & Disaster among others.
- 54Black Box Boutique Grey LynnGrey LynnBlack Box have a great selection of Dr Denim, Ksubi and Stolen Girlfriends Club jenas for both girls and boys as well as a selection of hip labels such as Commoners, Chronicles of Never, Bassike, Vanishing Elephant and many more.
Charlotte R.'s
Go to for beauty products
- 15Mecca Cosmetica PonsonbyPonsonbyMecca Cosmetica is a one stop shop for makeup and beauty products. They have sumptuous colour from Nars, Stila, By Terry, Hourglass and more as well as powerful skincare from Origins, Perricone MD, Eve Lom, Ren, Malin+Goetz just to name a few. You can also pick up luxurious candles and fragrance from Comme des Garcons and Diptyque.
- 24MAC Cosmetics BritomartAuckland CentralMAC is a candy store for cosmetic lovers - top quality products developed for makeup artists and available to all women (and men). Also not tested on animals so they are my go to for many basic items as well as the huge range of lipstick colours.
- 36Farmers Queen StreetAuckland CentralFarmers is a great store for natural skincare products such as Antipodes, Trilogy, Burts Bees and Evolu. All at great prices with good specials and discounts quite frequently.
- 47The Marr Lab has a small but perfectly formed selection of beauty products including one of my favourite at the moment - Synergie. They also have Lucy Marr’s own brand Sans and the powerful Osmosis range. All natural and all very effective.
- 543Smith & Caughey'sAuckland CentralSmith & Caughey’s offers a dizzying array of brands to choose from - Chanel, Lancome, Clarins, Clinique, Khiels, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Jurlique - more or less a one stop shop.
Charlotte R.'s
Best spots for dumplings
- 13Dumpling DelightAuckland CentralI've been keeping this place a secret as I haven't wanted to queue for a table here like you have to in the other popular dumpling houses. It is a little more down in the mouth appearance wise than the Balmoral eateries but it really is authentic, right down to the one woman operation in the kitchen. The egg and chive dumplings are sensational, especially if you order them in the chilli broth. The scallion pancakes are fluffy, thick and crispy and perfect for mopping up sauces. The cucumber salad is garlicky and flecked with white pepper and perfect for cutting through the heavier dishes such as the eggplant, potato and capsicum in brown sauce. The staff of one usually don't speak much english but there are pretty good pictures and descriptions on the menus or sometimes the people at the next table are kind enough to translate!
- 246Barilla DumplingsBalmoralBarilla is another of the eateries in Balmoral vying for the best dumplings crown. They are pretty good but the most sensational dish has to be the french beans with spicy salt - a delectable combination of tempura fried beans with a chilli, cumin, salt and sugar infused seasoning. Also the peanuts marinated in aged vinegar are surprisingly tasty and a refreshing side to the more oily dishes. Speaking of oily dishes, the spring onion pancakes are some of the best in town so make sure you order some. Get here early as the queues can be long and don't be put off by the surly service which seems to go hand in hand with good food in these places.
- 331New Flavour RestaurantMount EdenNew Flavour is the king of late night eateries, it is open from 5pm to a staggering 3am every night apart from Tuesdays. It has the best handmade dumplings in town as well as a host of other delicious items on the menu. My typical order sounds like this: steamed vegetarian dumplings(sometimes in hot and sour soup in winter), dried tofu and cucumber salad, spring onion pancakes and deep fried chilli cumin squid. It is a tried and true combination that I rarely change. Jasmine tea is complimentary and the service is surly but efficient.
- 435The Blue Breeze InnPonsonbyThe dumplings are a little on the expensive side but the mushroom wontons are a taste sensation. Large mushroom and ginger stuffed parcels that are steamed to perfection and come in a light but tasty broth. You will want to order a whole bowl to yourself.
- 542Grand Harbour Chinese RestaurantViaduct HarbourWhen I have a craving for yum cha, Grand Harbour is the place I head to. It is busy with a vibrant atmosphere, especially at midday on the weekends when it is full of families and groups of friends indulging in the delights that emerge in a steady stream from the kitchen. I adore the sweet and succulent prawn dim sum with cabbage, spinach, watercress or, my absolute favourite, coriander. The deep fried squid is a must have too. They keep your jasmine tea topped up to offset the salty richness of the soy and chilli sauce and there are plenty of sweet options on offer including the buttery soft coconut and honey buns and the unusually delicious icecream balls covered in a glutinous rice wrapper.
Charlotte R.'s
Where to go for healthy options
- 10Little Bird OrganicsKingslandNot only is Little Bird Unbakery a great place to have a healthy and nourishing lunch, they also have a range of grocery items that will enhance your at home meals such as cacao powder, goji berries, coconut oil, nut butters, organic olives and the full range of Little Bird cereals and products.
- 243Kokako Cafe & RoasteryGrey LynnKokako is not only a vegetarian haven, with all meals on offer completely vege, organic and fair trade where possible, they are also very flexible with gluten free options. There are already gluten free dishes on the menu like the Mexican spiced organic adzuki beans with a corn tortilla, tangy cabbage salad and tomatillo and jalapeño sauce or the breakfast options - buckwheat ricotta pancakes with poached pear and creme fraiche and the spiced coconut and vanilla rice porridge. Anything with bread can be customised to include gluten free bread, such as the mushroom medley and avocado that i had, and the coffee and smoothies are delicious.
- 325Conch Records Kitchen and BarPonsonbyNot only can you buy great records at Conch but out the back is Boteco Conch, where you can settle into a sunny cabana and have a healthy South American breakfast or lunch. Try the twig tea with your meal, it is delicious and refreshing on a hot day.
- 424Ceres FreshMarketPonsonbyCeres is a go to for fresh organic and seasonal fruit and vegetables as well as nutritious superfoods and supplements.
- 533Food Truck GarageAuckland CentralFancy a guilt free hamburger or hotdog? The Food Truck Garage serves up their take on these classics with 50% of the burger pattie being vegetables as well as a full vegetarian option. The simple prawn taco is delicious and there are skin on potato chips that are oven baked. The house made sodas are sweetened with agave nectar and include flavours like honey lemonade and lavender cola.