Buana Satu

Cool store to browse around. I like ethnic crafty stuff. I came here with my flatmate, he was out to buy a house warming gift for a friend of his. I got the feeling he was trying to impress the future recipient of this gift, a girl who he had been spending time with. After walking around the store a few times, carefully looking at everything, he eventually settled his attention on a little Buddha statue. I knew the girl who he was going to visit, she was from India, I thought it might be a bit weird to buy her something which has religious significance in the country she was from, but I didn’t say anything. After he had given it to her I asked him if she liked it. Apparently she had just matterafactly informed him that she was a Hindu not a Buddhist.

This store really surprised me. From the outside it looks like it’s going to be your typically overpriced home-​wares store, but on closer inspection, it’s actually got some rather nice little Kiwi-​centric gifts such as traditional greenstone necklaces and other New Zealand made jewellery. It’s a really great gift shop to find things for friends or family abroad and even better for visitors to the country to buy something distinctly Kiwi to take home with them.
I also really like the selection of Buddhas they have in the store, made from stone and resin and available in a variety of sizes and styles. It’s a spacious store, with nice lighting and relaxing music on the stereo. making for a very pleasant browsing experience and the lovely guy behind the counter really knew what he was talking about when I made an enquiry.

I don’t count myself much of a hippie, but Buana Satu is a go-​to when it comes to buying gifts for friends visiting from overseas. A mix of imported jewellery and giftware and locally made items, your friends from a continent far far away will likely walk out of this place with gifts from New Zealand to take home for their families (and if you’re lucky, you can quickly swipe up a greenstone to give to them while they’re not looking). Check out Buana Satu for weirdly designed dolls, furniture and gifts made from upcycled wood and Kiwiana as far as the eye can see.

This is a great shop for picking up unique presents that once unwrapped, won’t immediately scream their price point at the recipient. And if you’re looking for a bigger commitment, the furniture is pretty much unique within Auckland.
Buana Satu has changed a lot over the years. It’s evolved from something more along the lines of The Third Eye, into a more upmarket, modern haven of unique art and homewares like rugs, bags, cushions, and crockery.
When I last visited I was completely smitten with the little mermaid sculptures hanging on the wall — glittery, kitsch, and with little moko. So adorable. And surprisingly inexpensive. There are a lot of things with a slight kiwi bent available here, but they’re definitely not souvenirs. They’re much nicer than that.
In sum, it’s a kind of «I bought this for someone but on second thoughts I might just keep it for myself» haven.