BLOC / Auckland + Video Diary 02

BLOC, Auckland.
Ahh, BLOC was a dream come true! Any of you that have had the pleasure of stepping through the front doors of BLOC will know that it is an absolute designers heaven. It was definitely at the top of my list coming to Auckland, especially as I'd only ever seen Father Rabbit online. Father Rabbit was just amazing, I probably spent about forty minutes just on the first level of BLOC, which also had Citta Design (!) Then on the second level I finally stepped foot inside a Collective store, which has always been one of me and mum's favourite places to shop online. I ended up picking up a few things from Father Rabbit, including a white enamel mug for my bedroom, a marble patterned diary and a Theseeke focusing temple balm (the packaging was really pretty!) I also picked up a brass candle snuffer for mum and a book that I'd been seeing on basically everyone's Instagram's that I knew I had to read, How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are!
We probably ended up spending close to two hours in BLOC, as I just didn't want to leave. I was snapping and videoing and lusting after just about everything in there like the amazing looking food in their cafe on the second level + there was an entire level just for BoConecpt!
I came away from BLOC with over one hundred video clips on my camera (!!) so I've managed to edit them down into my second and final Auckland Travel Diary, which you can now watch directly from my blog below. I just love BLOC and I strongly suggest you check it out if you're around the Mt Eden area. You can visit their website here + Father Rabbit's website here (and heads up, Father Rabbit are having an up to 50% off sale right now too!)
Bella.

Auckland 2016 + Video Diary 01

Auckland.
I just love Auckland. For me it was just a bigger, busier Wellington with lots more shops and cafes to explore. I especially loved Ponsonby because there were just so many cool, creative, independent stores that we don't have in Wellington.
Over the four days I spent in Auckland I managed to cover Ponsonby, High Street and Queen Street and tick nearly all of the cafes off of my list! Seeing so much of Auckland made me realise that they have so many clothes shops and I went a bit clothes crazy! Some of my favourites and those that are featured in this post are The Shelter, Area 51, Commoners and the Huffer Store. Huffer is a label that could dress me for all seasons (if my bank account could handle that kind of damage!) I love the simple designs and quality of the clothes in Huffer, and their store was just a dream come true. It was a bit hard to find as it's tucked down in a basement on Queen Street but it was well worth the walk when we found it!
One thing that I wish Wellington had more of is the cute little side streets that you could wander down aimlessly and end up finding a collection of food trucks or some nice eateries (Pintu) Ponsonby was especially good for this and never failed to amaze me with the amount of festoon lights strung up everywhere, which is a trend that I'm loving, they just look so good, especially at night time. You can imagine how I was when we stepped inside Ponsonby Central for a bite to eat, absolute festoon heaven!
I can't wait to visit Auckland again in the future, it's such a short flight away that I can see myself visiting more often for shopping, cafe exploring and maybe even the Troye Sivan concert (I wish!)
Also, don't forget to check out the first part of my Auckland video diary below!
Bella.

The Raw Kitchen / Auckland

The Raw Kitchen, Auckland.
I have had this cafe in my mind for a very long time. Since I'd never taken a proper trip to Auckland before I'd always lusted after the raw food and simple design of The Raw Kitchen. Dad and I decided to stop there for lunch on our second day in the city and we were not disappointed. I tried a bircher muesli (of course) a cranberry bliss ball and a chocolate, mint milk from Well + Good. There was just so many delicious sounding vegan treats in there too + the most incredible sounding smoothies, including a salted caramel one that Dad indulged in.
The interior of The Raw Kitchen is just gorgeous with a simple pastel colour palette and a pastel pink floor which just contrasted so well with the wood and black subway tiles outside!
I would love to visit The Raw Kitchen again and try some more of their vegan slices or smoothies and pick up their raw cook book that looked incredible! See their website here and Instagram here.
Bella.

Little & Friday / Auckland

Little & Friday, Auckland.
I recently spent four days in Auckland with my Dad and Grandma for a bit of cafe hopping, sight seeing and lots of retail therapy! The first and last place that we visited on the trip was the wonderful Little & Friday in Ponsonby, a convenient one minute walk from my Grandma's house!
This has to be one of the coolest cafes in Auckland, the space was originally quite an industrial looking building, but with the right paint, furniture and planting it feels like a completely different space. I just love the big leafy plant that catches your eye as soon as you walk in and the way that it compliments the colour scheme of the cafe. I also like how they've kept some of those more industrial looking things like the lighting features and ceiling beams.
The food there was just amazing too, I had the best bircher muesli with poached pear and honeycomb (!!) and a very green juice from Well + Good!
If you're in the Ponsonby area definitely make sure to check out Little & Friday, you can find their website here and their Instagram here. Plus, they have three other equally cool looking branches in Belmont, Newmarket + a CBD Tuckshop!
Bella.