Hard to Find is a dream come true for the ultimate book lover. There is something ridiculously romantic about a rickety little book shop which is packed to the rafters with books from bygone eras. Don’t be surprised if you get lost amongst the shelves, there are over 90,000 books to tempt you. If you are a sucker for that new book smell then this is not the place for you. There is nothing like opening book, knowing that you are not the first to have fallen deep within its pages. The books, just like the store they call home, have character and that’s just what is so special about this place.

Modern cookbooks, with their glossy pages and beautiful photography are extremely seductive and Cook the Books have an amazing selection to whet your appetite. Before you fall into the neverending world of food blogs, take a visit to Cook the Books and check out what they have on offer. There is no denying that the sign of a well used cookbook is its pages splattered with batter and curry sauce, and if you are anything like me I’d hate to see your laptop screen. Some things just don’t translate well on a screen and cookbooks are something to pass down through the generations. Stop in find your next family favourite. Word of advice: this is probably not the best place to visit if you are hungry

As you can probably tell from the name, Mag Nation sells an amazing selection of magazines from near and far. Perhaps what they are least known for are their array of hardcover books. There is no denying that it is the magazines that make this place a must visit, but before you head there next remember to keep in mind that little shelf to the right. There are most definately some treasures waiting to be discovered.

The day I discovered Unity Books was the day an already poor uni student fell deeper into the trap that is self inflicted poverty. I may not have been able to afford the latest trends but when you fall in love none of that superficial stuff matters. I am telling you now, you are going to fall in love with Unity Books. My favourite section and the one I make a B Line for is the aptly named shelf ‘Brain Stuff’, perfect for a knowledge thirsty twenty - something like myself. Just go.

We all know that Real Groovy have an AMAZING selection of music, like ah-mazing. What I want to draw attention to is the equally awesome selection of books. These are books for the cultured; think tattoos, graphic novels, warzone photography and biographies of music legends. These are books for those who crave more, those who dream big and those who live life loud. Prepare to double the time you spend here once you discover the books on offer!

The Hard to Find Book Shop in Onehunga is my favourite book store in the world. Crammed into the small space is a labrynth of sections spanning from classics to the occult and everything in between. Here you’ll find many treasures and curiosies that will excite even the most jaded of book buyers! If you love books, this is your place.

I really like magazines. There’s something about there glossy pages, exciting content and somewhat throwaway nature that enthralls me. Mag Nation has an extensive range of magazines, from fashion, culture, woman’s interests to cars and hunting they have it all. Keep a look out for air freighted volumes as the shop gets a bunch of products not found elsewhere in Auckland. I’m also a sucker for Moleskin notepads which they stock in abundance!

Unity Books is a bookshop for book lovers. The store holds a great selection of fiction and non-fiction books spanning the mainstream to special interest books. The staff are always helpful and you can tell they are passionate about words. Recommended.

I live literally 200 meters away from Dear Reader but I'd never set foot inside til last week. I was on a mission to find a present for my sister's birthday and time was running low. It was just what I was looking for. The shop isn't huge but there is a great selection of quality fiction and non fiction. The shop assistant was helpful and help me find exactly what i was after. I picked up a cook book that I'm sure she will love.

As I’m still very much a child at heart, my favourite part of Time Out is the children’s section at the back. They have so many beautifully illustrated children’s books that make me wish I had friends with kids to buy them all for. The staff are really nice AND there’s a cat - what’s not to love?

Even if another library is closer to where you live, take the time to visit the Auckland Central library. Browse the masses of books, ride the escalator up and down, get a coffee, play with the microfiche machine, maybe even do some reading. It’s a great place to spend some quiet time, to people watch, and to learn a thing or two about anything you want.

What do you get when you combine tea and books? Paradise, obviously. The staff are very patient and are happy for you to smell samples of each of their many, many teas before choosing, and don’t seem to mind if you sit sipping tea and chatting for aaages. There are delicious treats sitting in the cabinet just waiting to be an afternoon snack and you can browse their selection of novels as you sip your tea. It's the best!

Arcadia is full of gorgeous books that all shout, "Buy me! Buy me!" when you walk through the door. They have an extensive range of recipe and cookbooks that are filled with beautiful photographs and fantastic ideas. It’s hard to leave without getting something to take home with you.

Jason Books is full of great second-hand books, all in excellent condition. The lovely staff are happy to help you find what you’re after, and the store is so well maintained, it’s almost like you’re browsing new books. Love it!

This place is a treasure trove of great books, and half the fun is in searching through the shelves, and climbing up the rickety ladders to get to upstairs nooks. There’s a wide range of interesting genres stocked. It’s easy to wile away a few hours without even realising - a great way to spend an afternoon!

A Mt Eden village institution, this place is super cute and even has it’s own cat! The staff are all really lovely and knowledgeable, full of great recommendations - makes you glad you didn’t buy from somewhere online.

Full of gorgeous books, the window display lures me in every time - its always packed full of beautiful art related books. They’re really well stocked here - they’ve never not had something I’ve been specifically looking for, from classics to contemporary novels - and other interesting things will always catch my eye too. Unity has the best range of non-fiction. Highly recommended!

This place has a great atmosphere - they’re really passionate about what they do. As the name suggests there’s a focus on women’s interests, but i’m also always surprised by the great range outside of this that’s on offer. Lots of great children’s books too, and they are specially known for stocking therapy and counselling books.

It’s a real treat to pop in here - all of the books are full of beautiful mouthwatering photography, and make you feel excited and inspired to spend some quality time in the kitchen! They also offer cooking classes that I’ve heard heaps of people rave about - I’m super keen to try the cheese making class!

Manukau City's public art gallery, Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, is a huge space that includes multiple shows and a great café. It plays host to changing exhibitions, classes, school holiday programmes and more.

You can visit the Stardome Observatory day or night, rain or shine to experience the wraparound sky and special effects of a planetarium. Each clear evening you may also see planets, double stars, glowing gas nebulae, or lunar craters through their amazing telescopes. 

Auckland War Memorial Museum is my top pick for kids on a rainy day, with loads of parking, a cafe with decent coffee and endless exhibitions to explore. Weird & Wonderful is a favourite in our family, with new oddities to discover on every visit. And for most of us - it’s free!

As well as stocking some of the most inspirational and great looking recipe books in the country, Grey Lynn’s Cook the Books offer some of the finest cookery classes and workshops. These range from Vegetarian Cheese Making to North African Flavours and Mexican, and you can also buy vouchers for foodie friends to attend. They also offer private group lessons for friends, just pop in and ask the wonderful staff to tell you more.

Voyager AKA the Maritime Museum occupies some of Auckland’s most impressive real estate snack bang on Viaduct Harbour, making it a great place to take visitors from out of town. It is also the ideal way to waste a few school holiday hours learning about our city’s seafaring history, and kids love the interactive displays in particular as much as adults love the heritage element. A very cool, much underrated attraction for sure.

Oooh the Seafood School sounds wicked! Keen to go there!

This yoga studio is a place of such serenity and they have so much more to offer than just yoga!

What an amazing book shop! I could spend hours here just browsing! They seem to stock only the best quality books here, everything is thought-provoking.

Definitely makes you see yourself and our world differently and in perspective!

What a versatile venue! They hold a variety of plays but I’ve left each one of them with a different perspective.

You don’t have to train like an athlete to stay fit this summer. You might just like to try slightly different rhythms FRIDAY 6 pm FUSION STYLE DANCE CLASSES* (10 Newton St) Feel energized and have fun, all dance levels welcome! Don’t forget to bring your drink bottle and a towel

Ready to Get Sweaty | "cause a little sweat never hurt anyone" Wednesday 7 pm @ Capoeira Academy ( 29 Randolph St) This is a group for anyone interested in dancing and having fun. Suitable for all fitness levels and ages. Join us for a great work-out! In 1 hour you will work every muscle in your body.

Sunday 10.30 am FREE ballet & contemporary classes

Unity Auckland on High Street has a well curated collection but more importantly they have very talented staff who can help find anything you are looking for and have it ordered in!

This is a sweet little bookstore located in the hub of Newmarket. The staff are very friendly and it’s a very inviting space - so inviting in fact that you can arrange to hold your book club meeting there! Adorable.

Any bookstore with a live-in cat is doing things right in my opinion. They have an interesting mix of books - great for browsing with no specific purpose. Time Out also has an amazing children’s section!

Great for people looking for rare and collectable books. Also, those looking for something for something a little different. Their staff are remarkable. Books are as-new quality with fair prices.

An excellent first port of call when looking for collectable books. Based in Ponsonby these guys have corridors stocked with over 30,000 books! Definitely worth a browse!

I have wasted so many hours in this shop just sitting and perusing the shelves for secondhand treasures to take home for cheaps. The quality of the books could easily be mistaken for brand new in most cases, and they’ve got everything you could dream of in terms of genre. I’ve found it’s a great place to buy gifts for people because really beautiful coffee-table books and beautiful vintage titles that look like they’ve never been read can be picked up for a steal (plus I always ending up leaving with a pile of books for myself too seeing as I can never resist it)

This shop is heaven. Every title on the shelf looks so interesting and the staff are always super willing to help you out if you’re looking to order something in particular or if you need help with a choice. The LGBT+ section is super useful and not something you find in every bookshop, and the stacks of everything from parenting books to historical fiction are extensively packed with much talked about titles as well as lesser known ones that are just as good.

This is my favourite place to mass buy Christmas presents seeing as its so easy to walk around the tables groaning under the weight of so many great books and find something for everyone (even those people who are notoriously hard to buy for). All the books are super cheap (most between $5 and $15) so if you end up going crazy in there like I always manage to, it’s not going to cost you a fortune.

This is one of the cutest little bookstores in Auckland I think. The shelves are lined with books and you’ll often find what you’re looking for, plus a few extras to read afterwards once you go in and start browsing. The seperate room out the back full of kids books is super helpful too if you’re looking for a gift for a little one.

Every available surface that might be able to hold a book is doing just that in this shop and honestly I have spend far too many hours of my life browsing and purchasing to my hearts content because really how could I not when everything on offer looks riveting.

The best bookstore in the city, Unity is small and filled wall to wall with amazing titles. There is a superb selection of cookbooks, fashion books, design books, fiction and non fiction. Even when closed the window display can captivate with its alluring covers.

Novel is the sort of bookstore you want to hover in for as long as possible. There is an impressive range of beautiful books, and they are given plenty of space so it is easy for a cover to catch your eye. There is also a huge range of DL & Co candles on the wall which was a surprise but welcome find. Perfect for gift shopping.

Every time I step into Ariel Books I walk away with a gem. From fabulous 60's interior decoration books, Cartier pictorial style bibles, brilliant music biographies and picture books and an extensive NZ art section you are guaranteed to pick up something interesting. 

Dear Reader is another fine Auckland bookstore, in the heart of the West Lynn shops they offer a great selection of novels, cookbooks, coffee table tomes and kids books. Gift wrapping is a welcome bonus.

This bookshop is one of the oldest members of the arcade and is still going strong. The unassuming window showcases the latest and best of the secondhand books to come in and there are often some that have never been leafed through. I bought a Lanvin tome for a mere $40 and a wonderful style book called The Look which was one of my best discoveries.

The staff here know NZ books better than anyone, anywhere. Their prices are great and the quality of their stock is second to none for second-hand books. My top pick.

Just around the corner from Jason Books and a great spot for new books. With such a lack of decent new-stock bookshops these days this is a shining beacon. Not the cheapest prices but it’s not always that you still want to buy the whole store!

‘But Worth the Effort’ indeed! This is a bit of a drive out in Onehunga (unless that’s local for you) but they are the largest second-hand bookshop as far as I know and their warehouse of extra stock is worth a look too.

Not too far away in Ponsonby. This is a great spot to wile away an afternoon of lazy browsing. For a second-hand bookshop they don’t often have renewed stock but with a bit of searching there are some real finds here.

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Devonport on a sunny Sunday afternoon be sure to check in at Evergreen Books. Fantastic range and beautifully laid out. Not the cheapest place for second-hand books but a great spot for rare books.

Such a life saver this store. I always find great last minute gifts here.

Music heaven otherwise known as Real Groovy. Gotta love this shop.

This place has everything. From costumes to textiles. One of the best shops in Auckland hands down.

Get lost in this place and you will come out a happier person. Go Geoff's

Nothing beats a great book for a gift. One of the last real book shops in Auckland.