This place smells sooooooo good. Retreat has an amazing selection of candles in all shapes and sizes and flavours. Great for making your house smell like heaven and a lovely gift idea, too.

Look Sharp is probably best known for its costumes, but it is secretly a crafter’s paradise. They’ve got paints and canvases for the artist, fondant tools, food colouring pastes and cupcake wrappers for the cake decorator and fabrics and threads for the stitcher. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! All in one place and all very reasonably priced - love it!

Whatever you’re planning on drinking this weekend, Liquorland probably has it. They have an extensive range of cider, beer, wine and spirits, and the friendly staff will help you find what your looking for or reach something that’s up to high. Plus there’s plenty of parking and it’s nice and close to town.

Dotti is place to go if you’re looking for the perfect party dress. They have a great range of clothes, good for business or pleasure, but they do the best party dresses - little and black, flowy and colourful, they have it all. The lovely shop assistants will help you find the right size and what looks best on you, so you look amazing come Friday night.

If you’re decorating for a themed party you have to check out Party Mad. They have everything you’ll need, whether you’re having a low-key event or a massive party. Everything’s pretty reasonably priced, and if you don’t live nearby, you can order what you want online. Super easy.

Be careful going in here looking for a gift, as you may come out with a bunch of stuff for yourself, too. If you’re into tea or cake decorating like I am, you will love spending time in The Homestore. So many teapots! And they have heaps of Wilton cake tools that you can’t always get other places.

The staff at Lush are all really cool people who will help you find exactly what you’re looking for, whether it’s for yourself or for a gift. Everything smells so good, and the bath bombs make your skin feel amazing. A great idea for Mum for her birthday/Christmas/just because you love her.

This place smells sooooooo good. Retreat has an amazing selection of candles in all shapes and sizes and flavours. Great for making your house smell like heaven and a lovely gift idea, too.

Gusto & Grace is full of cute little things you wouldn’t buy for yourself, but make fantastic gifts. I love their huge selection of cuff links, with all sorts of unique designs, including some distinctly Kiwi. Perfect present for the shirt-wearing boyfriend.

If you’re looking for a present for a kid, this is the place to go. You can’t go wrong with stationery, and Smiggle is packed full of ridiculously cool notebooks, pens, pencil cases, erasers etc. I love that it’s all colour-coordinated - it makes it easy to find what you want in a certain colour and it looks awesome.

The massive, comfy seats at Hoyts Sylvia Park kind of make you feel like you’ve paid for the fancy, expensive seats, even though you haven’t. I love their choice of old school movies - very much looking forward to The Princess Bride at the end of October.

Rialto often shows films, both old and new, that you might not get the opportunity to see at other theatres. I recently went to see Casablanca, which was amazing on the big screen. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on their website for what’s coming up.

Event Cinemas are good for all the big blockbusters. Newmarket is never too crowded and has plenty of places to park nearby. The seats are comfy, the staff are friendly and the popcorn is tasty.

At Academy you can find all sorts of movies that don’t make it to other cinemas. If you’re into international films, documentaries, and other non-mainstream cinema, this is the place to go. It’s a lovely theatre and the prices are really reasonable - they even have the occasional free screening!

If you’re wanting to go to a midnight screening of a brand new movie, Queen St Event Cinemas is the place to go. I’ve been to several midnight screenings here, and it’s an awesome atmosphere - well worth trying out if you’ve never been to one before!

Now called Penny, this is one of the few places right in the city where you can get really good fish and chips, like you’re at the beach. The chips and pineapple fritters are my favourite menu items, but the burgers are also worth a try.

Love this place. You can get a big, healthy, tasty meal for super cheap and, of course, it’s totally vegan friendly. The pakoras are by far my favourite thing - so yummy!

This isn’t the nicest place to dine in, but I love getting takeaways from this Korean BBQ place. The portions sizes are big enough for me to eat half for dinner and the rest for lunch the next day, and everything is always well cooked. The staff are friendly and you never have to wait too long.

Pita Pit is the perfect place to take a break from shopping and have a delicious lunch that’s not full of fat and chemicals. I’m a big fan of the chicken ceasar pita, and how patient the staff are when I’m indecisive about what vegetables or dressings I want.

Denny’s is a great place for brunch. They make great pancakes and French toast and hashbrowns, and you can have as many coffee refills as you want.The staff are friendly, there’s plenty of parking AND if you sleep in past brunch time, it doesn’t matter, because they serve their breakfast menu all day.

This place is a great alternative to the supermarket for fresh fruits and veges. The prices are very reasonable and they often have things you might not be able to find at Pak n Save. Staff are friendly and there’s parking right outside.

There’s nothing better than rolling out of bed on a Saturday and heading up to the market. It’s your one-stop-shop for fresh fruits and veges, but it’s also home to delicious danishes and pastries and the creamiest, most delicious feta cheese I’ve ever had. Everyone is super friendly and there are Eftpos machines there so you don’t have to worry about getting cash out before going. A Saturday morning must!

FoodBox delivers your weekly fruit and vege fix straight to your door. The food is always fresh and delicious and you don’t even need to leave the house! The small fruit/vege mix is affordable and enough for two people for the week, and we find we eat better when there’s a FoodBox in the house. Awesome.

Getting your 5+ a day is a breeze at Tank, with their smoothies and juices jam-packed full of fresh fruits and veges. If you’re not a smoothie person, you can get your vege fix with their amazing and wraps. And if you’re looking for a guilt-free treat on a hot summer day, give their Creamy Treats smoothies with frozen yoghurt a try.

Victoria Ave Fruit Supply is a cute little shop with a great range of fresh, delicious fruit for very reasonable prices. Definitely worth checking out as an alternative to the supermarket.

Leaving your pet at the Strand Veterinarian, you know he or she will be in good hands. The staff are super nice and willing to answer any and all questions you might have. They took very good care of my not-so-little kitty when he visited recently and I’ll definitely be going back next time he needs to see a vet.

When we first got our cat we went to PetStop for the essentials. The staff were really helpful in their suggestions and were totally not judgemental that we wanted to walk our cat on a leash. They were able to engrave a tag for us with kitty’s name and our phone number, and the prices were pretty reasonable. Definitely worth a visit if you need something for your feline (or canine) friend.

This is an awesome organisation that rescues and rehomes abandoned cats. If you’re thinking of adding a cat to the family, or are looking for a companion for your current cat, go see Lonely Miaow to adopt an adorable de-wormed, de-flead, de-sexed, vaccinated and microchipped kitty.

If your cat needs de-sexing, the SPCA will do it for significantly cheaper than most veterinarians - just $70, and even less if you’ve got a community services card. If you can get out to Mangere it’s definitely worth the savings.

I love being able to browse a pet shop from my couch while wearing pyjamas. Pet.co.nz has a huge range - pretty much everything you could ever think of to buy for your cat (or other pet), from cheap and cheerful to luxury items. It’s super easy, and delivery is free if you spend $40 or more.