Ollies About Us History

ABOUT US

Ollies, the iconic Royal Oak ice cream parlor

Ollies ice cream parlour the American-style diner that Colin and his wife Caroline opened on Valentine’s Day of 1973.

"What I’ve noticed is how happy people are when they come in with their family to get an ice cream"

Ollies family fun for true classic kiwi ice cream.

THE BEGINNING

Our history

The Story of Ollie’s Ice Cream Parlour

New Zealand’s Original Ice Cream Institution Since 1973

Back in 1973, something special arrived in Royal Oak—Ollie’s Ice Cream Parlour, New Zealand’s very first and biggest dedicated ice cream shop. But the real story starts a few years earlier, when Carolyn and Colin Haines were living in Vancouver, Canada.

Carolyn was snapped up as a schoolteacher straight away, while Colin took on a mix of jobs, eventually ending up managing a fast food place. After years of travelling around North America—eating at diners, exploring drive-throughs, and visiting ice cream parlours—they returned home with a big idea: New Zealand needed an ice cream revolution. Fast food was catching on, but proper ice cream? Nowhere to be seen.

One evening, walking their baby daughter Natalie around Royal Oak in a pram, they came across a small drapery store with a “for lease” sign in the window. The shop came with a story—loss in the family, illness—and before long, they’d moved in. They didn’t even know what they’d call it yet. It was a leap of faith.

With a lot of help from friends, they stripped the place out and opened the doors on 14 February 1973. (Not for Valentine’s Day—it wasn’t really a thing yet—they were just ready.) There were no posters, no flyers. They just opened. The uniforms were hand-sewn by Carolyn—bright, wild patterns with big flared sleeves and even chickens printed on them—and the flavours? A wild dozen to start, including one called “Tootie Fruity.”

From day one, Ollie’s was more than just a place to get a cone. It was a hangout, a first job for thousands of local teens, and a proper community spot. High school students from Onehunga High, St Peter’s, and Dio learned everything from wiping tables to cutting buns. Colin worked double shifts for years—seven days a week. Carolyn juggled babies, staff, and supplies. Their own mums pitched in with babysitting. It was all hands on deck.

MIDDLE AGES

As the years rolled on

Ollie’s Ice Cream Parlour became more than just a local dessert spot—it evolved into a cherished community hub. The original 12-flavour lineup expanded to around 30, introducing classics like cookies and cream, which became a customer favourite, while hokey pokey remained a Kiwi staple. Some experimental flavours, such as black licorice, made brief appearances before making way for more popular choices.

The menu also grew to include American-style diner fare, featuring items like the Ollie Dog—an American hotdog with cheese and bacon—and ham and cheese toasties, catering to a broader range of tastes.

Ollie’s became a rite of passage for local teens seeking their first jobs. Many high school students from nearby schools like Onehunga High, St Peter’s, and Dio learned the ropes of customer service behind its counters. Some families saw multiple generations work at the parlour; one woman who started in the 1980s had all five of her daughters employed there over the years.

The parlour’s nostalgic charm attracted not only locals but also notable figures. Former Prime Minister Sir John Key visited Ollie’s shortly before his resignation in 2016, engaging in a lengthy chat with owner Colin Haines. When Key resigned two days later, Colin humorously recounted, “When he resigned two days later, everyone said to me, ‘What did you say to him?’”

Despite the rise of fast-food chains, Ollie’s maintained its unique identity. The red formica counters, vintage lampshades, and bold signage remained untouched, preserving the diner’s original aesthetic. Even as the business faced challenges like the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, it continued to thrive, offering a comforting treat during uncertain times.

By the 2010s, Ollie’s had firmly established itself as a multigenerational gathering place. Customers who once visited as children began bringing their own kids and grandchildren, sharing stories of 65-cent floats, late-night scoops, and the ever-entertaining view of near-misses at the Royal Oak roundabout. The parlour’s enduring appeal lay in its consistency—a place where, amid a rapidly changing world, some things remained delightfully the same.

MODERN DAY

A New Chapter

In 2023, Ollie’s Ice Cream Parlour entered a new chapter as Colin and Carolyn Haines passed the scoop to their son, Matt, and daughter-in-law, Leigh. Both Matt and Leigh have deep roots in Ollie’s—Matt rolled his first cone at 14, and the couple first met while working behind the counter as teenagers in the early 2000s. Though Leigh initially thought Matt was a bit “bossy,” their shared love for the parlour eventually blossomed into a marriage and, in 2023, the birth of their first child, and now second child.

Taking over the family business was a full-circle moment for the couple. Matt fondly recalls doing a primary school speech on ice cream, with his dad bringing sundaes for the class—a sweet memory that now fuels his passion for the shop. Leigh, meanwhile, feels the weight of maintaining a beloved community institution, noting the importance of preserving the loyalty of customers built over the past 50 years.

While committed to keeping Ollie’s classic—right down to the red formica counters and vintage lampshades—Matt and Leigh have introduced thoughtful updates. They’ve modernsed the till and EFTPOS systems, streamlined accounting, and installed a new sound system. Looking ahead, they’re considering eco-friendly initiatives like replacing single-use plastics with reusable dishes and bringing back glass banana boats for sundaes.

Ideas for the future include launching an “Ollie Trolley” food truck and offering branded merchandise, with slogans like “Loyal to the Royal since ’73” capturing the spirit of the parlour . Despite these innovations, the heart of Ollie’s remains unchanged: a place where generations gather for thick shakes, banana splits, and that unmistakable sense of nostalgia.

In the beginning Ollies 1974

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Ollies Mt Albert 1983 - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

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Ollies ice cream parlour 1990

$5 Lunches 1995

Filming Good night Kiwi 2002

EVENTS

HISTORY
– An Ollies timeline

Opening 1973

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1978 Ollie Dog introduced

The famous Ollie Dog (an American hotdog with cheese and bacon)

1983 Ollies Mount Albert Opens

1989 Chicken Nuggets

1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle scoop ice cream

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1992 Dinosaur Eggs new flavour

1993 White Chocolate n Gumdrops Toffee Apple

1994 December Nacho's

1995 Batman Returns

Work flows hop on the bandwagon, so all hands on deck get all your ducks in a row. Marginalised key performance indicators let’s circle back tomorrow, deploy, yet sorry i didn’t get your email, or cross pollination across our domains, nor out of the loop, so we need a recap by eod, cob or whatever comes first.

2002 March Filming Good night Kiwi

2003 30 Years Reunion Celebration

2021 48 Years in business

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2023 Celebrating 50 Years in business

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2024 Breakfast & espresso coffee

A great attention to details, unquestionably the greatest customer service. ”

Robert Stephens

Chief executive office

Incredible assistance, promptness, and design. Excellent service! Definitely recommend! ”

Patricia Morrison

Marketing manager

Modern themes of outstanding quality with code detail, with a greatest customer service. ”

David S. Jefcoat

Chief operating officer

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ABOUT

Ollies celebrates 51 years scooping ice creams. Royal Oak’s iconic American-style ice creamery and diner, Ollies opened on Valentine’s Day 1973.

LOCATION

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Ollies Scoop Flavours

We believe ice cream should be enjoyed whatever the weather so we’re open all year round. Whether you want something melt in your mouth marvellous on Mothers Day or a sundae on a summer day come and visit us!

SCOOPS

Ollies Ice Cream Flavours

Check out or selection of New Zealand made ice creams, crafted from pure natural ingredients to the highest quality, with no artificial colourings or preservatives.

Chocolate

Our #1 seller. Outstanding in a thickshake

Vanilla

Creamy and dreamy

Cookie Dough

Creamy ice cream with cookie dough chunks and choc chips

Passionfruit

Take a trip to the tropics with
divine crushed passionfruit;

Goody Goody Gum Drops

Bubble-gum flavoured ice cream bursting with lollies

Lime

Sweet zesty refreshing. An excellent choice for a shake

Coconut Marshmallow

Our Pink coconut ice cream full of fluffy marshmallows. Cult favourite!

Bananaberry

Creamy ice cream with cookie dough chunks and choc chips

Strawberry Crush

Strawberry ice cream with a delicious strawberry ripple

Caramel Fudge

Caramel ice cream, caramel ripple, caramel fudge pieces

Mochaccino

A coffee frozen dessert with a rich chocolate ripple

Chocolate Cookie Fudge

Chocolate ice cream with chunks of chocolate cookie and fudge pieces

Hokey Pokey

The New Zealand icon!

Boysenberry

Another kiwi classic. Made with Nelson boysenberries

Banana Choc Chip

Try this in a sundae with our hot fudge chocolate sauce

Lemon Cheesecake

Cheesecake ice cream with crumbly biscuit and a lemon

Cookies and Cream

Creamy cream and chunky, chewy cookies

Orange Choc Chip

We highly recommend getting this one choc dipped!

Rainbow

Fun flavoured trio of banana, strawberry and bubble-gum

Butterscotch Pecan

Sweet butterscotch ice cream with pecans

Gold Rush

Caramel ice cream with choc coated hokey pokey chunks

Chocolate Mud

Rich chocolate swarming with choc coated peanuts and choc chips

Berry Sorbet

Delicious blend of mixed berries. Dairy-free

Mango

Juicy, juicy mango

Rum and Raisin

Counts towards your 5+ a day! Loved by pirates

Strawberry Rocky Road

Strawberry Ice Cream with lashings of chocolate bickies

Maple Walnut Fudge

Maple syrup ice cream with toasted walnuts and fudge

Fairy Bread

Cupcakes, icing, sprinkles… Perfect for fairies and humans, alike.

Mint Choc Chip

Fresh and crispy mint with crunchy choc chips

Salted Caramel

Sumptuous salty caramel with crunchy caramel bites

SCOOPS

Ollies Ice Cream Flavours

Check out or selection of New Zealand made ice creams, crafted from pure natural ingredients to the highest quality, with no artificial colourings or preservatives.

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Ollies Info

FAQ's – Little things you may want to know about Ollies

Do you have vegan food options?

Good for you and for the planet, there’s no shortage of plant-based eateries in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and they’re packed with mouth-watering dishes to woo your taste buds, no matter where you fall on the spectrum of herbivore to carnivore.

Do you serve coffee?

Yes indeed we have a Sanremo coffee machine installed at Ollies, and are serving Roma coffee.

Do you take bookings?

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Do you have/stock Gelato?

No at this stage we don’t stock Gelato, we are proud of our amazing ice cream selection. We do have a few Sorbet flavours.

Are you open on Public Holidays?

Technologically savvy. We can’t hear you UI. Please submit the sop and uat files by next monday run it up the flagpole UX, and this is not a video game, this is a meeting!, for tribal knowledge optics.

Do you take bookings for kids parties?

Message the initiative bottleneck mice table the discussion . Moving the goalposts do i have consent to record this meeting cloud strategy tread it daily. I am dead inside throughput, and don’t over think it, and quarterly sales are at an all-time low hard stop.

Is it true Hokey Pokey ice cream is only available in New Zealand?

Yes Hokey Pokey ice cream is only in New Zealand?

It is the second-most popular ice cream flavour behind vanilla in New Zealand, and is a frequently cited example of Kiwiana. However it is also exported to Japan, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

A great attention to details, unquestionably the greatest customer service. ”