This place is nirvana for op-shoppers, and in particular they have a massive selection of good quality suits, so guys - for a stylish and cheap way to stay warm, check it out.

For the purely practical, pick up your outdoor gears at Hunting & Fishing. Their clothing packs for men and women offer some crazy good value - six items for 99 bucks baby! - in their trademark polarfleece range. You know their loyalists put this stuff to the test in the full force of nature.

The benefits of possum fur are great and many, and while it is a bit of an outlay price-wise, it’s one you’ll thank yourself for when you are snug as a bug in their duds. Possum Trendz has beautiful, timeless designs, from beanies and gloves to jerseys, so you know your investment will go the mile.

A great range at an affordable price point, Wild Spirit has style and comfort covered. If you’re quick, you can even get a timely 50% off on rainwear!

Stockings become a staple for me in cold weather, and you can pick up some excellent ones here in great koru designs, in a range of colours. A fun addition to your winter wardrobe!

With a grey outlook weather-wise, there’s no better way to brighten things up than with a nice big bunch of fresh flowers. Bloom will be a one-stop shop, putting together bouquets packaged with flowers and bubbles for about $100 all up. Choose something bright and vibrant or soft and gentle, as befits the special lady who raised you.

For a gift that goes the mile, grab mum a couple of tickets to the uproarious show based on the BBC series, playing at Forum North in a couple of weeks’ time. The ”orgy of middle-aged mayhem” is bound to keep her chuckling well after Mother’s Day is said and done.

For a decadent afternoon, grab the girls and take mum for a special high tea with scrummy sandwiches, delicate lemon cake and champers too, if you like. Tickets are $25 each, or $35 with bubbles, and bookings close Friday.

Support a good cause and take mum along to a $5 all-day breakfast with waffles, eggs benedict and more. It’ll be a casual affair with the chance to win Natasha Macaller’s Vanilla Table recipe book and more wonderful goodies in a raffle, with all profits going to the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

Nothing says I love you like chocolate and there’s nowhere more exciting to buy sweet treats from in New Zealand than choccie from Bennetts. It’s so tasty. I love it and I reckon it’s a great place to buy for Mum.

Tucked at the back of a sweet little alley with BIG, delicious meals at super reasonable prices, the value here is gooood. Kudos, too, for the vegetarian choices.

Good for you, and good for the community. Hare Krishna Food for Life runs on a koha basis for those who can afford it, and all proceeds go towards their expanding school lunch programme. For $5-$10, or as much as you can give, you’ll get a hearty, delicious, vegetarian meal, but you need to grab your chances - the beautiful people running this place open up Tues, Wed, Thurs, from 12pm-2pm.

All the food here is scrumptious, but for best value, choose a pie. At $6 a pop they might not seem an obvious choice for a cheap meal, but you’ll struggle to find one as big, tasty and as filling as these. Plus the flavours go way beyond the run-of-the-mill offerings. Did I mention they are just ooh-so-tasty?

An old favourite, the offerings here are plentiful and yum. One meal and a couple of naan will easily satisfy two. Take it to the nearby park to eat al fresco, or dine in and enjoy the delightfully cheesy, feel-good messages plastered over the walls.

A real crowd-pleaser and belly-filler, Jimmy Jack’s aims to have a special deal on every day of the week. Get there on Tuesdays for 2 for 1 ribs!

Pick a fine day and stroll through the brilliant aviary, feeding, petting and kissing the birds. They’ll charm old and young alike.

For extreme fun and excitement, let the kids test themselves at the trapeze, climbing wall, jousting pole, out-of-this-world slides and more. Get in on the action too, and you’ll all be buzzing. Prepare to be challenged.

Get off the beaten track and lose yourself in a world of good old-fashioned games and puzzles in the Hokianga. The owner, Louis Toorenburg, will offer up plenty of brain-teasing challenges while his pet peacock can be pretty entertaining too. Marvel at the life-size elephant statue rescued from Auckland Zoo, and try your luck in the maze.

Burn off some energy with Whangarei Central Library’s ”Stomp Romp” dance workshop, for ages 7-14. Drawing inspiration from popular children’s literature and running for an hour each morning on Tuesday-Thursday both weeks, with free entry. Otherwise, pop along to the movie sessions. Just take a cushion and they provide the snacks.

With activities running almost every afternoon of the holidays, learn flax-weaving, kapa haka and poi, 1840s games and more. Admission is free for children.

Where better to get your mandatory chocolate fix? Watch the goodies being made behind 18m of glass and take home some truly indulgent Easter treats.

On Saturday, get your fix of local, mouth-watering food and wine at the beautiful Copthorne Hotel and Resort overlooking the stunning Hokianga Harbour. Browse the craft stalls and kick back to the Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute Show ”Bad Moon Rising”. Bring an appetite. Details: Saturday 19 April, 11am-6pm. Tickets are $25 and children are welcome.

For a riotously good time, hone your circus skills at this four-day event in the secluded Waipoua Forest. Don’t have circus skills to hone? Get some! For beginners to advanced tricksters, Circus Kumarani has it covered. One-day passes are available, or just pop along to the public show in the evening.

What’s Easter without a hunt? Let the kids go wild in the sand and for adults, they’ve been known to prepare hot lamb sandwiches. Registration is the morning, $3 per child, and the dig starts at 1pm. Also in the area that weekend is another sort of hunt, for bargains, at the Far North Natural Health Centre in Cooper’s Beach, and for breathless hilarity, test yourself at folk dancing at the Ceili in Mangonui Memorial Hall, 7.30pm.

This picturesque beach is, with its neighbour Waikato Bay, really two-in-one. With crystal clear water and lots of sea life, perfect for snorkeling, the pair of horseshoe-shaped bays together form a heart. If you’ve got some time, set up camp at the DoC grounds and swim your own heart out.

The cleanest surf break in Northland, and arguably beyond. Its best waves are over winter, but beware the nearest campground is usually closed for the off-season. (But who needs it?) You can still see the mast from which the beach took its name.

A super-stunner on approach, the resting place of the Rainbow Warrior is also a majorly popular holiday spot. You don’t have to look hard to see why. This one stole my heart for good the day dolphins came visiting to play in the surf with the early-morning beachgoers.

Rent a quad bike and go hard.

After an easy bush walk to reach the shore, it’s easier still to just lie back and forget the world in this secluded little spot.