Birthday Party Resources
This was our first year in New Zealand having two big kids’ birthday parties (thanks covid…) and I had to learn quite a lot about where to get all of the things necessary for a good party. Our first year here I threw a joint party at a trampoline park that I quickly pulled together, but it wasn’t my best effort. (Though the one thing I did right was discover Icing on the Cake for the most amazing birthday cakes ever!) I’ve mentioned this before, but party time is one of the times I really, really miss Amazon Prime. It would be so easy if I could place orders for all of the supplies needed for my kids’ obscure party themes and have everything arrive on my doorstep in two days… With free shipping and returns for all of the stuff I end up not using.
Alas, it isn’t that easy, although I will confess: I placed Amazon orders for key, themed items because I couldn’t find them in New Zealand. The catch was that I placed those orders about a month before the actual party to ensure that everything would show up on time.
So where are the best places to get party supplies? Unfortunately, I found that it was necessary to go around the several places to get everything I needed even after placing my Amazon order.
Balloons
Look Sharp Store - Good for helium filled and specialty balloons. They also have all of the supplies you’ll need for a balloon arch.
Spotlight - Another good spot for helium balloons.
The Warehouse - Has the cheapest standard latex balloons. If you’re making your own balloon arch, I think the cost-per-balloon is lowest from here, but you won’t be able to get a huge variety.
Cakes
Icing on the Cake - For an over-the-top bespoke birthday cake, this is the BEST place is Auckland.
Floss Cakery - Her cakes are the best tasting, and Lauren does the most adorable cupcake decorating class for kids’ birthday parties.
Entertainers
We’ve ben to a lot of parties with a child’s entertainer (or two or six in one case…) and there is a huge selection of people to choose from in Auckland. Some of the best we’ve seen are listed below.
Bricks4Kids - Lego facilitators
Enchanted Entertainment - Princesses of all sorts
Kids Party Magic - Clowns and magicians (Magic Maize has been especially popular on the party circuit)
Magic Party - magician
NanoGirl - science experiments and demonstrations
Nerfun - Nerf wars
PartyatYours - They have lots of different packages, but the one we’ve been to is the Star Wars training package. It was very popular!
Food
The Cater Station - This was by far the easiest way to handle food. There are a number of food boxes to choose from, and they deliver it to your location. I could’ve saved some money by making things myself, but our hot dog box was hot and delicious and took so much stress off of me that it was worth it.
Invitations
Invitations are most often emailed. Sometimes people will use a program like Paperlesspost, but more often than not, it is a .jpg or .pdf that a parent has designed and sends out.
Warehouse Stationary - This is the easiest place to pick up invites with a custom design.
Paper goods
Look Sharp Store - They have all of the basic colours and a handful of popular themes. Plates, cups, plasticware, tablecloths, banners, streamers, etc. are all cheap and readily available.
Party Favours
Party favours are HUGE here. They seem to be a much bigger deal than in the US. There’s a trend towards giving one big item (i.e. a box with a craft in it) than a bunch of little things. With that being said, I definitely went for multiple small things for my son’s party.
Kmart - Yes, Kmart. They have a huge selection of party favours and small gifts for games like pass the parcel.
Thank You Notes
They don’t exist here. My southern upbringing was absolutely shocked to discover this. I sent out short thank you emails and started to receive thank you responses for my thank you emails. It was all very polite and weird. Kids will, however, write or colour cards to each other to put on their gifts.
Venues
There are a gazillion birthday venues for hire in Auckland, and I feel like we’ve seen almost all of them. Because the weather here is so variable, I’ve found it much less stressful to have an indoor venue so it is one less thing to worry about. Here are some of the popular ones we’ve been to:
Arcades
Archie Brothers - loud and bright
TimeZone - louder and brighter
Climbing
Destinations
Butterfly Creek - a strange mashup of animals, animatronics, and a petting zoo.
Kelly Tarlton’s (the aquarium)
Little Miss Enchanted - perfect for little girls pamper parties
Rainbow’s End - an amusement park
Swimtastic - indoor swimming all year round
Whoa! Studio - plays/performances and a huge playground. Whoa has the best food for adults.
Inflatables
Lazer Tag
Trampoline Parks
Gravity - best for older kids
Jump - cleanest and newest
Uptown Bounce - best for younger kids
I feel like next year I’ll be much more prepared than I was this year when it comes to throwing a good party for the kids. I know I only have a few years left of them having any interest in a mom-coordinated and themed party, so I’m going to try to make the most of it!
