Everyone makes a big deal about Victoria Park Market, 210 Victoria St. W. (tel. 09/309-6911; www.victoria-park-market.co.nz), but I find it a tedious shuffle between jaded retail outlets. It's different, I'll grant it that, but different doesn't necessarily mean better. More than 100 outlets purvey everything from the ridiculous to the bizarre. There are some interesting things, but you have to look carefully; a lot of it is junk but I'm told a revamp is on the way -- it's long overdue. The market is open daily 9am to 6pm.
For an excellent Pacific experience, definitely visit the Otara Market, Newbury Street, Otara (tel. 09/274-0830), held Saturday from 6am to noon. It's the largest Polynesian market in the world, with larger-than-life personalities, exotic foods and smells, wonderful tapa cloth, flax mats and baskets, and bone carvings.
K'Rd. Market, K'Road, Motorway Overbridge (tel. 09/377-5086), runs Saturday from 10am to 4pm and features crafts and clothes. The K'Rd. Trash & Treasures Collectibles Market (tel. 021/644-604) is in the K'Rd. Car Park Sunday from 6 to 11am.
Avondale Market, Avondale Racecourse, Ash Street (tel. 09/818-4931), on Sunday from 6am to noon, has a strong Polynesian and Asian influence. It features a mass of fruit, vegetables, new and used clothes, and bric-a-brac. The Aotea Square Markets, The Edge, Queen Street (tel. 09/309-2677), take place Friday and Saturday from 10am to 6pm; they feature New Zealand fashion labels, retro gear, foods, fabric, jewelry, and furniture. And there is an excellent City Farmers' Market held every Saturday morning from 8am to noon in the large courtyards behind the Britomart Transport Centre.
Passion for Paper, 217 Parnell Rd. (tel. 09/379-7579), is one of my favorites. It has divine papery goods imported from Italy. Woolly for You, 237 Parnell Rd. (tel. 09/377-5437), carries a variety of knitwear in wool, mohair, and angora as well as sheep products. Elephant House, 237 Parnell Rd. (tel. 09/309-8740), has a large range of New Zealand-made goods, with over 300 artisans represented.
