Red Cross Shop Wairau Park: op-shopping among the big-box stores

Wairau Park is better known for its trade and homeware warehouses than for op-shopping, but tucked into a Link Drive unit is a Red Cross shop that's built a loyal following among North Shore bargain hunters doing the rounds of the big-box stores nearby.

Online, the shop holds up well: dozens of reviews describe a spacious, clean space with a reasonable range of clothing, books and homewares, and staff who are consistently called friendly and helpful. The most common criticism, echoed across a handful of reviews, is that prices can feel high for a charity shop — a few shoppers describe the pricing as "non-negotiable" and steeper than they'd expect.

As with any Red Cross store, money raised goes toward the organisation's humanitarian work in New Zealand and overseas, including disaster relief and support services.

The shop opens seven days a week, with slightly shorter hours on Sunday, and there's parking right out front — handy given its spot among the trade suppliers and chain stores of the Wairau Valley.