Coromandel Cacti

With so many Cactus stores about the place it can be really hard to know where to take your business. I joke, but maybe the joke is on me. It wasn’t until I walked into this place that I realised that cacti were worth getting enthusiastic about. It didn’t even really cross my mind, but when you look around a big range of different cacti and really take the time to appreciate them, you realise that they are kind of incredible. They actually make a really interesting gift idea, if you buy a small one it makes a good gift size, low maintenance, and they last longer than normal plants.

If you aren’t much of a green thumb, but really want to have a garden, Succulents and Cacti are the way to go. I have a collection by my front door which I think I forgot to water for the past year, and they are still going strong. Succulents are like the indestructible, bionic man of the plant world. Coromandel Cacti is the place to go for your succulent/​cactus supply. It’s weird turning up, ringing the buzzer and waiting — you have to wonder what is going on behind the ominous gates — those succulent leaves are rather juicy after all… Once you are inside, all thoughts are forgotten. It seems like there are acres of plants in here, and it’s almost a guarantee you will be leaving with something — even if just to justify the journey out here and the ominous feeling of the building.

Do you love cacti and succulents? Are you tired of visiting all those plant stores when all you really want is a good cactus? Sick and tired of regular plant stores not having a decent cacti section? Well then you need to pay a visit to Coromandel Cacti and Succulents for you cactus fix. This big old shed of a building contains cacti as far as the eye can see. It’s a bit weird though when you turn up and have to ring the buzzer in order to be let into the store. I’m not sure if they are guarding against a big cactus heist, but once you’re in you’re in cactus heaven my friend. The staff know what they’re talking about, so ask them if you have any botanical related questions.

This place could be easily confused with a gang headquarters: surrounded by corrugated iron with barbed wire across the top, you have to ring a bell to get in, after which someone pulls across a small window in the door to check you out and make sure you are allowed to enter. Don’t be put off though; I guess that this is all here just to dissuade people from stealing some of the very valuable plants they grow.
This is really the only place to go if you’re interested in cacti or their cousins succulents: these guys are the experts in growing and caring for them, and they have so many more varieties than you could ever find in your bog-​standard Palmers or similar. I bought a succulent with white leaves here several years ago, and it every time I look at it, it seems to be more magnificent.
Prices are cheaper here than the chain plant stores as well.

Cactus lovers of the Auckland flock here with your cactus questions and meet with super cactus experts to tell you how to look after these alien succulents. I’d say they have the most extensive range of Cacti I’ve come across in Auckland. They obviously specialize in this area; if you’re after any other type of plant you might be better off going to a more generic nursery (though, they do sell some other flowers)…their website is pretty useful too, they have a library where you can look up different species of cacti (or sift through photo’s till you find the one you were after). I’ve never been too much of a fan of cactuses, but there are some incredibly beautiful ones stocked in this nursery.