I arrived into Auckland almost a week ago. I've got about 10 days on my own and then I join a small group tour for three weeks. So far NZ is really reminding me of the west coast of Canada where I grew up before I emigrated to England - all the greenery and water and the low rise timber buildings.
In Auckland I caught the train to the suburb of Penrose to visit the Ribbon Rose sewing centre that I had seen recommended online. By UK standards this is an enormous three storey craft shop that sells various needlecraft supplies including a wide range of knitting wool, art supplies, and a floor of fabric mostly for quilting. They have all the big names from the UK and America/Europe like Rowan for yarn, and Kaffe Fassett and Tilda for fabric. Once I had ascertained that they would be willing to ship to the UK for me, I was looking out for NZ souvenirs. I got a couple of balls of 70% merino/ 30% possum fur - possum is a pest here that they are trying to eradicate and apparently its fur is really warm and cosy. I found a couple of NZ themed cross stitch bookmarks as well. I had mostly come to see their Kiwiana - NZ themed quilt fabric range. They had just restocked so there was a
shelf full of Maori designs, kiwi symbols like the fruit and the bird, bird designs, ferns etc. I got a long quarter cut of most of them, with some extra of the fern fabric to use possibly as the border for a scrappy memory quilt of NZ. Super friendly and helpful staff and so much to choose from, a fun shop. It's all on its way back to the UK now.
The same day I was walking through the pretty shopping street in Parnell and came across another yarn shop on Parnell Road. This one stocked more hand-dyed yarn, fun to look but I didn't buy anything.
From Auckland, I flew here to Napier which is a smaller town famous for its collection of Art Deco buildings. Randomly, there is a well stocked Japan goods store in the centre called Raku with all kinds of wonderful Japanese and kawaii goods including many bolts of fabric. I found some sumo fabric I don't have, and a fabric of Japanese woodcut pictures, and a couple of other pretty ones. I think I am going to have to try to post a box from Auckland before the tour starts.
The Art Deco Trust maintains an attractive shop selling various vintage and repro goods, and I found a darling handpainted porcelain Nodder doll made by Colleen Crooks in Palmerston North. It's like a little Frozen Charlotte doll except the head is separate and attached by elastic so it can move. I took a walking tour run by the Trust to see many of the wonderful Art Deco buildings in the town centre.