My 4 Favourite Auckland Bookshops (so far)

Let’s just be clear about this, Auckland is not our capital city, but it is our most populous. A little like Edinburgh it’s ringed with volcanoes, not all of which are dormant, and it also has a glut of great indie bookshops. A perfect day would be one free of any responsibility when I could wander the city, browse its bookshops and work my way towards Miann in Britomart, a patisserie that has created a cake exactly like a giant Ferrero Rocher. I still have lots of bookshops to visit in the Auckland suburbs and it’s hard to play favourites when each indie has its own flavour and personality, but here are four that you need to visit should you find yourself in the City of Sails with a spare tote-bag.

Twin Yellow Doors at The Open Book in Ponsonby, Auckland

Hard to Find Books Saint Benedicts Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland

Warwick Jordan wrote to the Catholic Bishop of Auckland saying he needed a miracle when he was going to lose his Onehunga shop. The Church delivered and leased him the shop’s current premises on Saint Benedicts Street which used to be the home of Mary McKillop for a time, the co-founder of the Sisters of St. Jospeh of the Sacred Heart. She became Australia’s first saint in 2010.

The shop itself is a minor miracle. It’s absolutely packed to the rafters with second-hand books of every type on any subject you might need or imagine. They have huge literary and popular fiction collections with entire rooms dedicated to non-fiction, science-fiction and even a cupboard under the stairs for children’s books. I have found some absolute treasures here, not in terms of value, but in terms of books that have been “hard to find” or that I wanted for sentimental reasons. On one red-letter day, I came away with Folio Society editions of both The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. My favourite spot is the literary fiction room where you round corners to find people bent double examining the bottom shelves or balancing atop ladders grasping for various Victorian gentlemen.

Unity Books, Auckland High Street, Auckland CBD

Winner of the 2020 Bookstore of the Year at the London Book Fair, Unity Books is officially a world-class bookstore in the heart of the city. It stocks the latest in contemporary fiction as well as classics, so if there’s a new title that I’ve been struggling to find, Unity will normally have it. Staffed by readers, the team are brilliant at making recommendations based on your bookish preferences. I’m always interested to see who is brave enough to browse the section marked “brainy stuff!” Just a little further down the hill, Little Unity opened in late 2018. It’s a perfectly formed jewel box of books for children and teens with a particular focus on books written in Te Reo.

If you’re looking for a nearby coffee-stop, also on High Street is a sweet little cafe called Chuffed. Tucked away, it has an outdoor courtyard with a retractable roof and does a particularly fine line in coffee. If you keep heading downhill from Little Unity towards the sea, you’ll eventually hit Britomart and the home of the Giant Ferrero Rocher!

Time Out Bookstore Mount Eden Road, Mount Eden, Auckland

Time Out is situated at the centre of the Mount Eden community both literally and figuratively. They provide an upstairs space for book clubs and literary events and are open from 9am-9pm seven days a week. On their website they provide a book-matching service. Fill out an online questionnaire and your new favourite read will wing its way to you courtesy of Time Out’s “Hive Mind.” Friendly to both dogs and humans, you should also check out their Instagram to meet their various canine patrons.

I have two nearby garden-related recommendations. The Garden Shed is a neighbourhood bistro just a little further along the road from Time Out. If you fancy a perfect weekend brunch or a 4pm Sloe Gin Fizz, then their garden courtyard is a peaceful place to hide away from the world for a while. Eden Garden is actually in the suburb of Epsom, but it’s only a 3 minute drive or 20 minute walk away. This five and a half acre garden on the slopes of Mount Eden is a city oasis. A non-profit organisation run by volunteers, there is a charge to visit the gardens. Although it’s walkways are steep in places, the views from the top over the harbour are worth the climb.

Dear Reader Richmond Road, Grey Lynn

Introduced to me by a dear friend, this neighbourhood bookshop has become one of my all-time favourites. A Tardis, the smallish shopfront belies the depth of the shop and the extent of its literary and contemporary fiction collections. They do a fine line in non-fiction and there are comfortable couches throughout. Last time I was in there, one of the team asked what I had enjoyed reading most recently and proceeded to give me a list of recommendations based on that book. Now that is pure skill….!

If browsing whets your appetite then Honey Bones, a little way up the road, does a fabulous line in coffee and brunch. You can walk through Grey Lynn Park and up to Ponsonby if you want to indulge in a little more serious shopping including more bookshops!!