From towering concoctions to $1 slushies.

There are many, many ways to evade the stifling discomfort of summer’s heat and humidity: retreating indoors, turning on a fan, taking a dip in a body of water, dressing skimpier. But few strategies are as satisfying, or as delicious, as a bowl of shaved ice.

Unsurprisingly then, across the world and, apparently, Tāmaki Makaurau, a heap of frozen crystals has become a kind of universal canvas for inventive, hot weather-alleviating sweetness. Saturated in brightly hued syrups and crowned with fruit, jellies, nuts and more, the multifarious strains of shaved ice are not only reprieve from summer’s heat, but also small, transcendent pleasures. Here are eight of Auckland’s best interpretations.

Shaved ice bowls at Seasons Dessert & Coffee

442B Khyber Pass Rd, Newmarket ($14.90-$15.90)

Among the varied roster of highly considered Chinese desserts at this Newmarket joint, it is the portion of the menu titled ‘shaved ice creations’ that beckons the loudest. Here you’ll find four variations, each an aesthetically inviting study in texture and paired-back sweetness. In these instances, shaved ice is treated with a fastidious hand: the foundational base, a coconut-based ice, is shaved into absurdly thin threads of ice which maintain their luxurious strand-like form even as they melt against your spoon: ethereally soft. There’s a sea salt and matcha version freckled with chewy red bean or taro balls; a sea salt and chocolate number; and a soy milk and taro one too. The standout, however, is the charmingly named ‘snowy coconut dream’ – which is faintly sweet, topped with a blob of icecream, a scattering of lychees and toasted shards of coconut. Superlative icy bliss. 

Thai shaved ice at Charm Noodles or Zood

10/14 Bishop Lenihan Pl, East Tāmaki ($7.90)

164 Sandringham Road, Sandringham ($9.50)

Cool off from both the heat and the scorching spice of your meal at either of these recently opened restaurants with a lovely little bowl of Thai shaved ice. Known as namkhaeng sai, this dessert takes various incarnations across Thailand, and at Charm Noodles it is served in perhaps its most established form: a neat pile of crunchy shaved ice drenched in an audaciously rosy (and sweet) syrup and a generous pour of condensed milk, then festooned with little lumps of white bread which offer a terrific textural contrast. Zood’s version takes a more verdant direction with the obligatory bits of bread, but also a neon green syrup, candied yams, palm seeds and grass jelly.

Halo halo at KANTO Filipino Food Stall 

6 Kilham Ave, Northcote ($14)

At this Northcote food court, you’ll find one of the city’s finest renditions of a cornerstone of the Filipino dessert canon. Here, a layered riot of shaved ice, ice cream, sweetened fruits, jellies, wafer biscuits, puffed rice and leche flan is assembled into a towering plastic cup – a kaleidoscope of colour and texture. Quite messy to eat, but very much worth it.

Kakigōri at DĀDĀ 

G1/428 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden ($18-$21)

The Japanese shaved-ice confection kakigōri is the glinting jewel in the crown of this Dominion Road spot. Choose from three flavours – matcha, strawberry or mango – and you’ll be presented with a sherbet glass brimming with an avalanche of airy shaved ice garlanded with housemade syrups and jams, Japanese condensed milk, fresh fruit, red beans and mochi balls. Even better, beneath the frosty outer layer is a hidden core of vanilla ice cream. They look truly spectacular, and the taste lives up to the plating.

Bingsu at Snowman 

42/44 William Pickering Dr, Rosedale

30 Bellingham Rd, Flat Bush (both $20-$50)

The name of this place (which has twin outposts in Rosedale and Flat Bush) speaks to its singular devotion to shaved ice, or more precisely, the Korean iteration bingsu. The creations themselves, of which there are many, are real showstoppers: comically towering constructions that arrive in fluted red bowls, layered and lacquered with a bounty of embellishments. Some are carpeted in red beans, others strewn with melon balls, or flecked with almonds, or scattered with matcha, or crowned with whorls of whipped cream or the biggest scoops of ice cream you’ve ever seen in your life. Portions are quite big, so go with a friend. 

Snow ice at Sweetory

7/94 Clyde Road, Browns Bay ($16.50-$17.90)

They draw on a comprehensive range of shaved ice traditions here, with textures that range from fine, feathery strands to glittering shards of crystal, and flavours which nod to Filipino, Taiwanese, Korean and Thai tradition. Adding to the fun is that most of the offerings arrive partially deconstructed, meaning that you’re able to build your own balance of sweetness, chew and crunch. If you’re unsure, try their Thai-style shaved ice, a jubilant composition served on a tray alongside various additional toppings, skewers of squidgy bread sticking out of it, and then a jaunty paper umbrella to punctuate it all.

Slushies at Smiley Dairy

Unit 5/28 Remuera Rd, Newmarket ($1-$2)

Up at the counter of this eccentrically stocked dairy right beside the Newmarket train station you’ll spot four slushy machines – raspberry, blueberry, sour grape and cola – churning away. They offer these delights in two sizes, both improbably inexpensive: a dollar for a small cup, two dollars for a big cup. They’re self-serve too, which means that you can mix flavours. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking or beautiful or even very good about these, and that’s part of their allure. Sometimes the finest icy dessert is not the rarest or most perfectly composed, but the one that you can buy with the loose change rattling around in your wallet while you wait for the next train.

Es campur at Raos Indonesian Street Food 

433 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden ($11)

One of the prettiest concoctions on this list can be found at Raos Indonesian Street Food on Dominion Rd. The es campur, which literally means “mixed ice”, arrives as a delicate bowl of wispy ice shards, covered in sugary syrup and condensed milk. That sweetness is punctuated by seasonal fruit which lends the whole thing the soft, pastel palette of a water colour. It’s wonderfully balanced, and wonderfully refreshing and the perfect way to reboot before heading back into the heat.

An offbeat bonus shaved ice: Pay a visit to San Ray (118 Ponsonby Rd, Grey Lynn) and order oysters adorned with a glistening green granita of lime and tequila for $7 a pop.