The Best Independent Bookstores In Auckland

Want to buy your books from local sellers? Consider these expertly stocked independent bookstores.

What do you want from a really good bookshop?

It’s different for every reader. Maybe you want a broad offering of genres. Or perhaps it’s the exact opposite: a niche and highly specific collection catered to your interests. Maybe you want international bestsellers, or local stories and independent zines.

Within this list of local bookstores, you’ll find all of the above. But the benefit of buying books locally is being able to tap into the comprehensive knowledge of the people selling them. You’ll certainly find this at these institutions of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Unity Books & Little Unity

Unity Books on High St is cosy (much cosier than its expansive Wellington counterpart), but it remains a rich source of new and exciting stories. Stop by the last table before the counter to pick up the latest releases by New Zealand authors. Perhaps because of its proximity to two huge Auckland universities, it boasts a good collection of academic texts – the store offers a particularly good curation of non-fiction related to philosophy, social theory and technology.

Just around the corner, you’ll also find Little Unity. This store exclusively stocks children’s literature, from poppy picture books to longer reads for those coming of age. There is an encompassing collection from authors in Aotearoa, as well as some interesting picks from abroad.

19 High St & 31 Vulcan Lane, Auckland Central

Rare Books

Searching for something slightly more niche? Across the road from Unity, you’ll find Rare Books, an antiquarian book seller. This store stocks antique books, maps and artefacts – ideal for the historically inclined and those deep in a research project. Rare Books is only open by appointment, but you can also buy the ephemera online.

Level 1, 6 High St, Auckland Central

Hard To Find Bookstore

If you’ve ever taken a bus over the Symonds St bridge, you’ll know this bookshop is actually not so hard to find – a huge sign rises over the buildings and fences of Eden Terrace to beckon curious readers. There’s a storybook romance to this second-hand bookstore, which has shelves and piles of novels, comics and non-fiction arranged within a huge brick building that was once a Catholic convent. If you’re touring bookish visitors around Tāmaki Makaurau, start here – it’s a feast for the senses and stocks lots of wonderfully niche local texts.

2 Saint Benedicts St, Eden Terrace

The Women’s Bookshop Te Toa Pukapuka o Wāhine

This Ponsonby bookstore opened in 1989 and has become an icon of the popular road. It was founded with an aim to platform women who write and has maintained this since its inception (though you can find works by people of all genders here). There’s also an encompassing section of feminist literature. Often, local authors pop in to sign their books, so with some lucky timing, you could go home with an inscribed copy.

105 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby

Time Out Bookstore

If you’re window shopping in Mt Eden Village, you’ll likely find yourself drawn into Time Out Bookstore by their themed displays. The shop, which has existed since 1988, is small but mighty. You’ll likely find yourself surprised at the range of materials contained in the space.

If you find yourself browsing shelves without a clear idea of what you’re looking for, consider the walls of staff picks – the experts provide blurbs for their chosen book, providing more clarity for whether it’s your thing or not (if you have questions about your picks they almost always have comprehensive answers).

The back room also stores an extensive collection of children’s books, giving young readers some agency in their choices and their caregivers some peace in their own. If indecision is an issue for beginner readers, there is also a clarifying bestseller section.

A room upstairs also hosts book clubs, readings and other literary events – keep an eye on their Instagram for events. The store is open until 9pm seven days a week, making it a nice stop after a walk up Mangawhau for sunset (and a convenient place for panicked, last-minute presents).

432 Mount Eden Rd, Mount Eden

The Open Book

This bookstore is housed within a Ponsonby villa and also boasts a backyard space that can be toured in nicer weather. Since the stock is almost all second-hand, seasoned thrifters will enjoy a hunt for something special – it can be helpful to have an author, genre or specific book in mind, if you’re not someone who enjoys wandering. The spot also hosts readings and performances on a regular basis, so carve out some time on your Sunday to pay a visit (you can stay up to date with their schedule on Instagram).

201 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby

The Book Exchange

If you find yourself with a pile of books you’re no longer reaching for, consider contributing to the collection at The Book Exchange. It’s a second-hand bookstore that, as the name suggests, welcomes swaps for your books (though it also goes by the moniker Caffeine & Book Dealers). The nature of its curation means the collection is constantly shifting and changing. Generally, the “classics” shelf is always well-stocked. The small shop also serves coffee and sweet treats and hosts a few spots to sit and read.

10/8 Glendale Rd, Glen Eden

Bookmark Secondhand & Antiquarian Books

If you’ve arrived at your ferry with time to spare, this is the bookstore you’ll be happy to linger in. The sizeable store is just off The Arcade and hosts more than 20,000 second-hand books. Though the collection is entertaining, you’ll likely be even more charmed by a collection of model boats and various maritime-themed decor that draws on the shop’s location.

15 Victoria Rd, Devonport

More on books

From authors to watch to new titles to add to your reading list.

The Best Books Of The Year, According To Booksellers. From rugged Westerns to gritty gothics.

Han Kang Awarded The Nobel Prize in Literature For The Vegetarian. How a surreal, subversive novel inspired generations of writers.

There’s An Art To Arranging A Bookshelf. Here’s How It’s Done. Queer Eye‘s Jeremiah Brent shows how he styles his shelves.

Gabrielle Zevin On Bestselling Book About Gaming And Growing Up. It took her two decades to write her life-changing novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.