Auckland's best shopping is not in the malls. The Westfield centres scattered around the suburbs cover the chain-store basics, but the more interesting shopping is on the streets. Newmarket, a 20-minute train ride from Britomart, is the most concentrated area for New Zealand fashion designers alongside international labels. Ponsonby Road has a good mix of independent boutiques, homewares, and design shops. Queen Street in the CBD is the main commercial strip — useful for outdoor gear, pharmacies, and the Whitcoulls bookshops.
For souvenirs, seek out work by Maori and Pacific Island artists rather than the mass-produced greenstone pendants sold in tourist shops. The Auckland Art Gallery shop carries a good selection of quality reproductions and jewellery. The weekend markets at Otara and Avondale are lively and genuinely local, and the best place to find Pacific food, music, and crafts.