Book lovers lined up for hours before sprinting to get in first as one of the country’s largest used book fairs got underway in Nelson this weekend.
Christchurch bookshop owner Paul Edwards has been coming to the Founders Book Fair in Nelson for more than 10 years.
He and others arrived well before the 10am opening time on Saturday.
“I arrived about quarter past eight but some people have been here since quarter past seven,” Edwards said.
He said he was searching for hidden treasures on behalf of others.
“I find a book and someone’s been after that for three years or something and I find it I go ‘fantastic, fantastic’. So it sort of makes your day.”
People lined up for hours in the cold before the gates opened to one of the largest book fairs in the country. (Source: 1News)
Taupō book dealer Neville Clout said he and his wife travel down every year and have a plan of attack.
“Well I’m quite a fast runner so I’m considering I will probably mow down the people in front of me,” he joked.
As the gates finally opened, dozens of people made the 100-metre sprint, large bags billowing in the wind, to get in the door first. Many came prepared with shopping bags, boxes and even suitcases.
Volunteers collect books all year around and sort them twice a week in order to stay on top of things.
Founders Heritage Park’s David Finlay said everyone in Nelson knows about the fair.
“I think people almost set their calendars to the fair, to be honest. We’re asked all year round, right after the last fair, ‘When is the next fair?'”
He said the fair – one of the largest of its kind in the country – usually raises around $100,000 for the museum.
Around 300,000 second-hand books are up for grabs as well as records, DVDs, puzzles and more.
“I though last year was the biggest we’ve been but there’s definitely more this year,” Finlay said.
The Founders Book Fair runs until June 8.
