Grocery Shopping

In every discussion about moving to New Zealand, you’ll hear about how expensive the groceries are. And that can be true or not depending on how you shop and how attached you are to specific brands. I’ve found that grocery shopping in Auckland is just a bit different than in Austin, but in many important ways the experiences are quite similar. Take this produce section and typical grocery shelf below. Neither would be out of place in an average grocery store in America, but both are from the New World at Eastridge.

There are several grocery store options: The two primary grocery stores are Countdown and New World. I’m a New World girl myself. There’s not a lot of difference between the two, but I’d put the shopping experience at New World a step above Countdown. The stores just seem lighter, brighter, and s tad more upscale than Countdown, but I’m pretty sure there’s no actual difference.

There are other options, too. Pak n’ Save is the “inexpensive” store and has quite the variety. It’s typical to see open pallets of goods available for selection, à la Cosco. Farro is on the opposite end of the spectrum and offers more high end and gourmet items. It’s closer to a Whole Foods.

Plus, New Zealand has tons of small produce stands, butcher shops, fish shops, and other specialty stores. I haven’t found the smaller neighborhood shops to be the best for every day shopping - the prices tend to be higher, selection is smaller, and the quality isn’t any better and is often worse than the grocery store - but it is so convenient to have a place within walking distance to pick up milk or something small and forgotten. I’ve found incredible deals at some local farmer’s markets, too.

Produce is extremely seasonal: In the US, there are certain times of the year when produce items are more or less expensive. Take strawberries, for example. I could find them all year round at my local grocery store. Sometimes they were US$5, sometimes they were US$2, but they were always there. In New Zealand, there’s a good chance that if the item in need isn’t in season, it just isn’t there. Alternatively, the cost is ridiculous - I’m talking NZ$12 for 100 grams of blueberries or NZ$40 per kilo for limes.

Fresh fish is cheap: We eat a lot of fresh fish in our house. In Austin, I found myself regularly paying US$20 per pound for salmon and US$17 per pound for monkfish. Here, I can get the most incredible bluff salmon for NZ$32 per kilo and buttery-smooth monkfish for NZ$22 per kilo. So let’s break that down for a comparison:

(NZ$32 x .66) / 2.2 = US$9.60 per pound for salmon

(NZ$22 x .66) / 2.2 = US$6.60 per pound for monkfish

The fish is super fresh, super cheap, and a definite “win” for New Zealand groceries.

Online ordering and delivery is available: In Austin, I periodically used services like Instacart to deliver groceries. It wasn’t something I really liked to do because I never trusted the shoppers to get the best apple or to select a good alternative item if my first choice was missing, but its a great option to use when people are sick. Both Countdown and New World offer online shopping with delivery options in Auckland. New World uses an app for shopping while Countdown uses a normal web browser. Also be aware that just like in the United States, the prices online are jacked up a bit.

Familiar brands are available: I was surprised that there were quite a few brands I recognized on the shelves in New Zealand stores. Bonne Maman jelly is everywhere. Old El Paso is the de facto Mexican food provider. Campbell’s soups are on the shelves. Everything wasn’t completely different. If there’s something very American that I have a burning desire for, I can always go to Martha’s Backyard and pay three times what I would in the US for it. Be forewarned: it kind of looks like Uncle Sam projectile vomited red, white, and blue all over the inside of this shop.

Some things are just better in New Zealand: Kiwis have perfected a few food areas that deserve praise and admiration. Most notably, the dairy here is incredible. The Collective makes the world’s greatest yogurt as far as I’m concerned, and Blue River Dairy makes a pecorino that my son calls “New Zealand’s Best Cheese.”

And the wine, of course. New Zealand has a ridiculous number of wineries that produce outstanding wine. I’ve picked up some bottles from Peter Yealands for NZ$13, or US$8.58 that I could drink all. night. long.

Organic options are limited: Organic fruits and vegetables get a tiny amount of floor space in a typical grocery store. Organic milk is usually prominently displayed, but I’ve been to a Countdown that didn’t have any. A smattering of organic packaged goods will be mixed in on the shelves. I shockingly found Heinz’s organic ketchup today! If you’re dead set on only eating organic, try visiting Huckleberry, an organic grocer that has a wide variety of food and home products, plus they deliver to most of Auckland.

I should add that I only ate organic in the United States. I just didn’t trust the quality of the produce and meat available. In New Zealand, I have a higher level of confidence that the farmers, especially the local ones that produce most of the food on the shelves, aren’t using really horrible things in food production. Maybe this trust is misplaced, but I’ve driven through the countryside and seen farms and fields. They’re not nearly as industrial and obviously unhealthy as they are in the US.

In my opinion, the best way to grocery shop is to come to the store with a rough blueprint for your weekly meals. I’ll know that I need fish for Monday’s dinner, but I won’t specify which fish until I see what looks fresh and best at the store. I’ll know that I need some green veggies for Tuesday, but I won’t decide between asparagus, green beans, or broccoli until I check out the prices for the week. Also, I’m open to trying new brands and products. Pam’s, the New World generic brand, makes rice crispy cereal that is just as good as Nature’s Own. And I keep an eye out for the ubiquitous deals. The specials rotate around weekly so I know if I want to stock up on something, just wait a few weeks and it will be on sale.