Cosmic Plaza is the Palmerston North home of Cosmic NZ, a general store built around alternative culture in all its forms. Tucked into Shop 27 of The Plaza at 84 The Square in Hokowhitu, it packs an enormous range into one space: vaping gear, a full smoke shop, hair colour and beauty, women's and men's clothing, piercing and sterling silver jewellery, and a lifestyle corner of candles, incense and homeware.
The store's roots show in its depth. Vapers will find e-liquids in regular/freebase and nic salt formulations, pod devices, prefilled and refillable pods, tanks, batteries, coils and replacement glass, alongside portable dry herb vaporizers and heat-not-burn devices from names like Vuse, Super Salts, Uwell, Vaporesso and IQOS. The smoke shop side is just as thorough, covering rolling papers, grinders, wood pipes, dugout sets, re-fillable lighters, storage, scales and cleaning products, with classic brands such as RAW and Juicy Jay's on the shelves. Vaping and smoke shop products are strictly R18.
Beyond that sits a genuinely eclectic general store. The beauty section runs from vivid hair dyes by Lunar Tides, Directions and Good Dye Young through Korean skincare and makeup, costume contact lenses, tattoo care and fragrance. Racks of women's and men's clothing include hemp fashion, band t-shirts and streetwear labels, while the jewellery cabinets hold piercing jewellery for noses, septums and ears, plus rings, earrings, crystal pieces and a sterling silver edit. Add candles, essential oils, Himalayan salt lamps and gifts, and it's the kind of place where one errand easily becomes five.
Some stores sell one thing well. Cosmic Plaza, at Shop 27 of The Plaza on 84 The Square in Hokowhitu, Palmerston North, sells about twenty things well — and the thread tying them together is alternative culture. This is the local home of Cosmic NZ, a general store where vaping hardware, rolling papers, electric-blue hair dye, hemp overalls, septum rings and Himalayan salt lamps all live under one roof.
For vapers, the range goes well beyond the basics. There are e-liquids in both regular/freebase and nic salt formulations, pod devices, prefilled pod kits, refillable pods, tanks, batteries, coils, chargers and replacement glass. The store carries an unusually wide spread of brands for a shop its size: Vuse, Super Salts, Alt, Bud, Dragbar, Fresh Sesh, IGET, IQOS, myohm, Uwell and Vaporesso are all represented, alongside heat-not-burn devices for those stepping away from combustion. Dry herb users get their own aisle too, with portable and desktop vaporizers and accessories from names like Flowermate and Storz & Bickel.
One thing to know before you browse: vaping and smoke shop products are strictly R18, as the store's own labelling makes clear.
The smoke shop side is where Cosmic's heritage shows. Rolling papers, blunts and filters — including classics from RAW and Juicy Jay's — sit beside rolling trays, metal and plastic grinders, wood pipes, herb dugout sets and cigarette holders. Re-fillable lighters, ashtrays, baggies, storage, smoke filters, scales and cleaning products round out the practical kit. There's even a dedicated detox and drug testing section covering masking kits, testing kits and post-party recovery, plus edible-making machines, snuff accessories and herbal alternatives like Sacred Herbs and nicotine-free herbal cigarettes.
Walk a few steps and the store changes character entirely. The beauty section is a colour-lover's playground: hair dyes and lighteners from Lunar Tides, Directions and Good Dye Young, dreadcare, extensions, and a skincare and makeup edit with a distinctly Korean bent thanks to Tony Moly, I'm Meme and I Dew Care. Costume contact lenses, tattoo care, temporary tattoos, perfume and body jewels make it a natural pre-party and festival stop.
The clothing racks carry the same spirit, with women's and men's pieces from Cosmic Hemp, Afends, Native World, Lakhays and Threadheads, band t-shirts, Killer Acid prints, Reality and Unity sunglasses, and BlueQ socks. Jewellery collectors will find a serious piercing range — nose rings and studs, septum, hinged rings, flat back studs, labrets, barbells, navel pieces, horseshoes and plugs and tunnels — plus rings, earrings, crystal necklaces and bracelets, pins and a dedicated sterling silver collection.
Finish in the lifestyle corner, where candles, incense, diffusers, essential oils, Himalayan salt lamps, drinkware and décor make easy gifts — or an easy excuse to treat yourself. If you want to scout the catalogue before visiting, the same ranges are listed online at cosmicnz.co.nz, with clearance sections across clothing, hemp fashion and silver jewellery for bargain hunters.
Whether you're after a replacement coil, a dramatic hair colour change, a silver ring or a salt lamp at 9pm on a Tuesday, Cosmic Plaza is the rare general store where all of those errands end in the same checkout line.