What should you buy in New Zealand? The best souvenirs to take home with you
Find unique souvenirs from Aotearoa, New Zealand
Inc., a beautiful gift store in Oamaru
In souvenir shops around New Zealand, you’ll see stuffed kiwi toys, beauty products made from thermal mud and Mānuka honey, and clothes made from possum fur (they’re a pest here) and merino wool.
These things can make great souvenirs from your trip, but there’s more to New Zealand souvenirs than kitschy toys.
I want to suggest more thoughtful things to buy in New Zealand — if you’re wondering what to buy in New Zealand, consider taking these souvenirs home with you.
My favourite New Zealand souvenir
Let’s start with my favourite souvenir, which I picked up on a road trip around the South Island in March and April 2024.
A friend in Te Anau recommended that I visit the Two Wee Bookshops in Manapouri. Possibly the smallest bookshop in the country, the stores are run by Ruth Shaw, an independent spirit with a long life of adventure behind her.
Ruth wrote a memoir, The Bookseller at the End of the World. Of course, she sells it at her bookshop, and when I saw a copy on a table outside, I had to pick it up.
The book is signed by Ruth, and is a delight to read. I took a lot of inspiration from Ruth’s life and stories, and it was touching to read about the bookshops I had visited.
If you happen to be in Te Anau, pop down to Manapouri and pick up a copy for yourself — if you meet Ruth, it might become one of your most treasured New Zealand souvenirs.
Unique New Zealand souvenirs
The most unique New Zealand gifts are the ones that are only found here, or that hold cultural significance for New Zealanders.
1. Pounamu, New Zealand greenstone
Image courtesy of the Poi Room
Image courtesy of the Poi Room
Pounamu is New Zealand’s most prized gift. The stone is found only on the West Coast of the South Island and has long been regarded as a taonga, or treasure.
Carved greenstone has great significance for Māori and is typically given as a gift (not bought for yourself) with strong meaning behind each design.
Many of the meanings behind pounamu jewellery designs come from the mythological and spiritual beliefs of Māori.
For example, the blunt toki (adze) carved to look like a tool once used by Māori symbolises strength, wisdom, and courage.
The koru, or spiral pattern, is a common design in New Zealand, representing the native silver fern and associated new beginnings.
My own pounamu pendant is a hei matau (fish hook) shape that represents my connection to the ocean, and gives protection on my travels.
Although you’ll see pounamu for sale at shops around New Zealand, you should be cautious of buying it if you’re conscious of shopping ethically.
There is a black market trade in pounamu, with the stone being illegally stolen from West Coast rivers and beaches.
Ngāi Tahu, the largest iwi or tribe in the South Island, are the kaitiaki (guardians) of all South Island greenstone. All genuine pounamu has a mark of authenticity and a trace code. You can use this code to trace the origin and whakapapa of the stone.
If you visit Hokitika, on the West Coast, you’ll be right in the heart of pounamu country. Here you’ll find a number of workshops and stores where you can buy pounamu souvenirs directly from artists.
If you don’t make it to the West Coast, there are still plenty of boutiques and galleries where you can shop for pounamu.
In Auckland, a great place to shop for pounamu is at The Poi Room in Ponsonby.
The Poi Room is a gallery-like store which has high moral and ethical standards, making it an excellent place to look for souvenirs.
They stock unique objects from artists around New Zealand artisan jewellery and contemporary wall art, so you can find some truly unique New Zealand souvenirs here.
They have a vast pounamu collection that includes the more traditional pendants, as well as bracelets, rings, and earrings, so you can select whatever suits your style best.
2. Pāua shell
Pāua shell is a sought-after souvenir in New Zealand, thanks to its stunning iridescent colours and connection with the country's coastlines.
When I’m walking on a beach here, I’m usually scanning to try and spot paua shells. They’re so pretty, I love the delight of finding one.
Pāua (pronounced "pah-ow-ah") is a type of abalone shell native to New Zealand. The inside of the shell has vibrant, opal-like colours with shades of blue, green, purple, and pink.
Pāua is a delicacy for New Zealanders — keep an eye out for this dish on menus around the country.
Pāua shell also holds cultural significance for Māori, who traditionally used it for decorative and ceremonial purposes. In Māori art and carvings, shimmering pāua shells is often used for eyes, sometimes representing the eyes of ancestors gazing down from the night sky.
The harvesting of pāua shell is regulated in New Zealand. Only licensed divers are allowed to collect pāua, and quotas support sustainability.
Pāua shell is used to create a wide range of items you’ll see in souvenir stores around New Zealand. Common pāua shell jewellery includes earrings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and brooches.
The palm sized shells also make great soap dishes or holders for trinkets.
Great places to shop for pāua souvenirs:
Nostalgem, jewellery created by Rina Ward, has a gorgeous series of small pāua shells which make perfect gifts.
3. Pāua pearls
Photo courtesy of Arapawa Blue Pearls
While pāua shells make great souvenirs, one of the more unique pāua gifts is pāua pearls.
In much the same way as oysters make pearls, pāua can produce pretty pearls with swirls of ocean colours.
There is only one land-based pāua pearl farm in New Zealand — Arapawa Blue Pearls is located on the outskirts of the Marlborough Sounds,.
The farm produces around 1000 pearls every year.
These pearls are used in bracelets, earrings, and pendants. You can shop for paua pearl jewellery on their website or visit for a tour of the pearl farm.
4. Native birds from Metalbird
Photo courtesy of Metalbird
Metalbird started as a New Zealand street art project in 2009, where artist Phil Walters crafted and installed metal bird silhouettes around his neighborhood,
The silhouettes were so popular, Metalbird flourished into a unique New Zealand business.
The metal birds make perfect gifts for people at home.
They are a reminder of unique wildlife you might have seen during your trip, and they are easy to transport and install.
Plus, when you shop for Metalbirds, you’re helping to support the conservation of birds in New Zealand. Metalbird works closely with Forest & Bird, New Zealand’s leading independent conservation organisation, to protect our vulnerable national species.
5. Art from Flox
Photo courtesy of Flox
Flox is a New Zealand aerosol and stencil artist who has been making her mark on the inner cityscape of Auckland since 2003.
Her trademark native birds, ferns and flowers are a celebration of New Zealand’s unique wildlife and environment. Her art is easily recognisable, with vibrant colours and designs.
There’s a good chance you’ll spot Flox’s murals around the country, especially in Auckland.
Flox has a shop on Great North Road, close to both Ponsonby and Karangahape Roads.
Here you can find beautiful gifts that not only feature New Zealand native birds, but support a local, independent artist. Choose cool souvenirs like a patterned umbrella, stationary, or drink bottle.
6. A wool jumper
A New Zealand made wool jumper I picked up at an op shop (charity shop) in Wanaka.
A wool jumper makes a great New Zealand souvenir, as it’s one of the things our country is well known for. We’re famous for having more sheep than people, after all.
Wool also comes in handy for keeping warm in changeable New Zealand weather.
I love looking through op shops (what we call charity shops) for good quality New Zealand wool. My current favourite is the forest green wool jumper in the photo above, made in Christchurch.
You can also shop more modern wool clothing.
Icebreaker might be the most well-known New Zealand merino brands, but my personal favourite is Mons Royale.
Born in 2009 from the mountains of Wanaka, New Zealand, Mons Royale creates high-performance merino clothing that is designed to look as good in the street as it is practical on the slopes.
You’ll see a lot of people walking around Wanaka wearing Mons Royale branded gear — me included.
I wear my Mons base layers all the time hiking — they are perfectly comfy and look good enough for casual wear as well.
I love my Mons base layers, and I also have merino Mons Royale track pants (epic for overnight hikes in New Zealand), and a Mons puffer jacket insulated with wool instead of down (which I prefer for ethical reasons).
Their clothes are great quality and look great — I love the colour palettes they use.
If you’re in Queenstown, swing by their store to see if you need any warm merino clothes.
7. Luxury artisanal perfume
Image courtesy of Curionoir
Image courtesy of Abel Odor
The key to making memories stick in your mind is to notice all of your senses — so fragrances can help you anchor your memories of New Zealand.
If you explore Ponsonby Road in Auckland, you should stop by Curionoir.
Curionoir is one of the most intriguing shops on Ponsonby Road. A heavy red velvet curtain hangs across the window and the shop’s name is picked out in gold lettering.
Step inside and you will be greeted by wooden apothecary-style shelves and heavenly scents. Curio Noir sells unique unisex perfumes. If you need a New Zealand gift for someone special, this is a great place to find one.
Try the genderless Ngutu Pa (lips that touch) perfume, inspired by sensual stories from Maori myths.
Meanwhile, visiting Abel Odor is an interesting activity to do while you’re in Wellington.
Abel was founded by New Zealander Frances Shoemack, as a result of her quest for a natural perfume that is sustainable and ethical.
The perfumery’s mission is to create the world’s best natural perfume without compromising on ethics or aesthetics.
At the flagship store in Te Aro Valley in Wellington, you can enjoy the gorgeous aesthetics of bespoke furniture and the functional stainless steel of the working factory (or ‘fabriek’ as they call it).
Here, you’re invited to be guided through the fragrance experience. You can go behind the scenes of a functioning, hyper-modern perfumery, and maybe walk out with a delightfully scented souvenir.
Even if you don’t buy a perfume, visiting Abel Odor is a very cool thing to do in Wellington.
8. Huia feather earrings
The huia is a New Zealand native bird, now extinct, with striking, white-tipped feathers.
In pre-European times only high-ranking Māori chiefs and their family wore the tail feathers in their hair. By 1900 huia numbers were decreasing due to habitat loss, and was eventually pushed to extinction.
A New Zealand brand called Remix created huia feathers from recycled plastic.
They became hugely popular when then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern worn them.
The design is now one of New Zealand’s most recognisable jewellery pieces, so they make an excellent souvenir.
You can find them at shops around New Zealand — here’s the store locater — but one easy place to find them is at the Garden Party on Ponsonby Road, if you spend time in Auckland before heading home.
The trend of wearing huia feather earrings has become so popular, you might see them in other jewellery stores, too.
Here are a couple of other makers with similar earrings:
9. New Zealand vintage at Crushes on Karangahape Road
One of my favourite places to shop for cool New Zealand souvenirs in Auckland is at Crushes boutique on Karangahape Road.
The store only stocks New Zealand made goods, so you can browse a range of homewares and arty trinkets.
They also have a selection of vintage clothing that is sourced only from New Zealand, so if you want to buy a colourful new piece of clothing to take home with you, this is a great place.
New Zealand vintage is a fun souvenir if you’re interested in the history of fashion, or like the idea of having an iconic New Zealand label in your closet.
It’s rare to find clothes made in New Zealand these days, so I love finding pieces that have ‘made in New Zealand’ on the label.
10. Edmonds Cook Book
The beaten up Edmonds recipe book in my mum’s kitchen
Featuring classic recipes like hokey pokey biscuits
The Edmonds Cookery Book is a recipe book focusing on traditional New Zealand food.
Many New Zealanders will have grown up with a copy of this recipe book in their home — I have fond memories of scouring its pages for recipes.
It was first published as The Sure to Rise Cookery Book in 1908, as a way of marketing a baking powder.
However, it became so widely known it’s now seen as a New Zealand icon.
If you pick up one of these recipe books as a souvenir or gift, it’s not only a classic book from New Zealand but comes with the option of trying some local dishes.
Recipes include Anzac Biscuits, a classic New Zealand cookie, cheese scones (a staple in Wellington), pikelets (the most well worn page in my childhood home), and ginger crunch, a very New Zealand slice you’ll see in cafes around the country.
Where to shop for this cook book:
You can buy the Edmonds Cook Book in Paper Plus, a local stationary store, or New World, one of New Zealand’s major supermarkets.
Another place you’ll find this cook book is in Moore Wilson’s, a food wholesaler in Wellington — it’s well worth stopping in here for supplies if you’re in the capital city and heading up Mt Victoria for a picnic.
What is “Kiwiana”?
While shopping for unique New Zealand items, you’ll probably come across the term ‘Kiwiana.’
Kiwiana refers to things from New Zealand’s heritage that are iconic, nostalgic, and often quirky. It’s usually used to describe kitschy things like the famous buzzy bee toy, L&P soft drink, tomato sauce bottles, and gumboots.
11. Kauri wood crafts or furniture
A kauri wood bowl, stocked at The Fantail House - photo courtesy of The Fantail House
Kauri trees once covered more than a million hectares across the upper North Island.
The trees live for hundreds of years, and their straight trunks can broaden into impressive widths.
Kauri wood is a warm honey-gold colour, and has an almost shimmery iridesence.
Sadly, the beauty of kauri wood and long, straight tree trunks made it a very desirable wood for ships masts and building. Kauri were logged extensively throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, until almost all of the kauri giants were gone.
Only a few mature stands remain — you can visit Tane Mahuta, god of the forest and largest remaining kauri tree, in Waipoua in Northland. There’s also a great short walk in Trounson Kauri Park, where you can see some of the mighty trees.
Kauri wood now is very precious, as it’s in limited supply. You can still find small items, like bowls and spoons, made out of recycled kauri, and you can also find bigger things like tables made out of swamp kauri.
Swamp kauri is exactly what it sounds like — logs that were preserved in swamps and have been recovered years later.
Check out The Fantail House for small kauri items, or even better, visit the Kauri Museum and shop in Northland to find unique kauri gifts.
12. New Zealand snacks
Quirky New Zealand snacks are an easy gift to throw in your suitcase and take home for friends and family. new zealand souvenirs food
Some of New Zealand’s most popular snacks are pineapple lumps, Whittaker’s chocolate, and Tim Tams.
You’ll find all of these in every supermarket in New Zealand, so you can grab a few packets before you leave.
Fix & Fogg peanut butter is a Wellington peanut butter producer.
For the ultimate jar of New Zealand peanut butter, try the Fix & Fogg Cookie Time® peanut butter. Cookie Time® are an iconic local cookie producer, so this mash up of cookies and creamy peanut butter is a New Zealand double whammy.
13. Mānuka honey
Mānuka flowers
Mānuka honey bees
Mānuka honey is New Zealand’s liquid gold.
Bees make the honey from the flowers of the native mānuka tree.
Mānuka honey has powerful antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-proliferative qualities.
When I was growing up, my father kept bee hives on our farm in the Coromandel. We always had pots (and often barrels) of honey, and it served as more than just a topping for our toast.
Any time we had a burn, a scrape, or other injury, my father would slather us mānuka honey, and it would help us heal.
While travelling New Zealand, you should try and stop by an apiary to taste honey straight from the source. The best way to purchase manuka honey in New Zealand is straight from an apiary.
This is also a great way to support smaller producers.
Greytown Honey is a family business producing the very highest quality Mānuka, Wildflower, Kamahi, Native and Clover honey straight from the land.
You can visit their store in the Wairarapa, which is a great activity near Martinborough, and learn about the beekeeping process, as well as buying pots of their honey.
14. New Zealand Wine
New Zealand wine makes a great souvenir, especially if you have visited some of our wonderful wineries while you’re here.
While you can pack wine bottles in your checked luggage, there is the risk of breakage. So, a better option can be to purchase New Zealand wine as you go through Duty Free on your way home.
The other option is to ship bottles home — most vineyards will be able to help you with shipping options if you’re buying a crate.
New Zealand has a number of different wine regions. You might be interested in exploring wine tastings in any of these places:
15. Ceramics made from New Zealand clay
Ceramics might not be the easiest thing to take home with you from your New Zealand holiday, but if you can pack them carefully in your hand luggage, New Zealand ceramics can make a lovely souvenir.
Tony Sly is a potter who crafts gorgeous home wares from clay sourced from near Dunedin. The colours of the plates, dishes and cups from Tony Sly are inspired by the colours of the Raglan harbour, where his studio is based.
If you don’t make it to Raglan, you can also shop Tony Sly pottery at the store in Newmarket, Auckland.
Is New Zealand good for shopping?
New Zealand is a great shopping destination thanks to the number of locally crafted products you’ll find here. While you might not find the glitz and glamour of major global shopping destinations, you will find traditional Māori art, handcrafted jewellery, and ceramics.
There are also many outdoor adventure clothing brands, made from our famed merino wool, and many food souvenirs ranging from mānuka honey to world-class wines.
What are the most famous souvenirs in New Zealand?
In New Zealand, the most famous souvenirs are pounamu, also known as greenstone or jade, Māori carvings and artwork, and kiwi-themed souvenirs, ranging from keychains to clothing.
New Zealand's high-quality Merino wool, mānuka honey and world-class wines, also make excellent gifts.
What jewellery is New Zealand known for?
Pounamu (greenstone) pendants are commonly worn by both locals and tourists, as iconic pieces of New Zealand jewellery.
My favourite places to shop for New Zealand souvenirs
In Auckland
In Auckland, you’ll find great souvenir shopping along Ponsonby and Karangahape Roads. The independent stores and boutiques mean you’ll find unique items and support small businesses as well.
These are some of my favourite places to browse for special gifts:
Crushes is an independent, women-owned store on Karangahape Road.
The Fantail House in Parnell only sells New Zealand made products
Creative and Brave has 5 stores around Auckland, stocked with New Zealand made art, homewares, and jewellery.
In Wellington
The City Gallery Shop features New Zealand–made homewares and jewellery, carefully curated for art-and-design-lovers. Visit the gallery while you’re there — entry to the exhibitions is free.
In Christchurch
HAPA is a Māori owned design store in The Tannery in Christchurch.
Here you can find local and Māori designed jewellery, artwork, craft and homewares. HAPA showcases more than 200 creatives, making this the perfect place to shop for souvenirs in Christchurch.
Even if you don’t walk out the door with a purchase, HAPA is an awesome spot to appreciate local creative talent.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope you’re excited for your New Zealand trip and looking forward to discovering the arts, crafts, and creative goods in our beautiful country.
If you enjoyed my recommendations, you might also like to check out these posts before you go:
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