A friend of mine is making salsas for a birthday bash, and needs some fresh chiles (mostly jalapenos and habaneros). My friend and I live in Auckland. I know we can get some canned/jarred chiles online from Mexifoods, or from Mexican Specialties in Ellerslie. Does anyone know where I could source some fresh chiles in Auckland or from someplace that would ship them to me within the next week?

I'm laying in a stock of seeds and planning to plant some in my garden this spring, so hopefully this won't be a problem in the future.

Thanks for your time!

Hello there, ideabaker! I'm another American expat with a hankering for Mexican food. I won't comment about the kiwi eating habits as I think other posters have hit the right points here.

I discovered Mexican Specialties in Ellerslie today, and I was really impressed by their food and their selection of groceries. I bought Maseca masa flour, corn husks, and several cans of chiles for an upcoming tamale project. The spicy shrimp taco was an excellent lunch choice. Please give them a try on your next time through Auckland.

I did a brief survey today of the NZ online Mexican grocery sites, and I think that Mexifoods has the best combination of selection and price. I'll be ordering a few things from them ASAP, including dried chiles which seem to be difficult to find elsewhere. Mexifoods has canned black beans for about $4/can, less than at Huckleberry Farms. Mexican Specialties had them too, but I didn't notice how much they were.

The store in Newmarket another poster referred to was Pepperama, which later moved to Boston Road just down the street from Sabato. Pepperama is long gone. Peppers was a similar store in the Royal Oak mall, but it's gone too. Besides Mexican Specialties, I haven't found any other stores in Auckland which carry grocery products. These stores don't seem to have a long lifespan!

Best of luck with your cooking, and thanks for starting this thread - it's been great to read about everyone's experiences with finding Mexican supplies here. Glad to know I'm not the only one that loves and misses Mexican foods.

I'm an American expat and I live in Mt Albert, Auckland. We are lucky in this part of town to have Muzza's Pies handy. It's a fabulous pie shop open every day except Sunday, and they sell out FAST. The steak pies are the best I've ever tried - no gristle, no fat, no jelly, just chunks of steak in a rich gravy. Do not go past this place.

Muzza's Pies
55 Richardson Road
Owairaka (Mt Albert)
Auckland