Book-lovers worm their way from all over the Bay of Plenty and beyond, to get a load of literature from the Te Puke Kiwi Coast Lions' annual book fair.
This weekend will be no different – with the Lions' 27th annual book fair on tomorrow, June 24, right through to June 26 – with books stacked and for sale as far as the eye can see.
Te Puke's Lions Kiwi Coast members have been hard at work for the last nine months collecting, sorting and loading up the books.
'We have approximately 500 boxes…and there could be 10 to 15 books in a box so it's a lot of books,” says Te Puke Kiwi Coast Lioness Helen Potter, who has been part of the club for four years.
Helen says the hottest picks for those revving to read varies each year but she does notice some trends.
'Books like westerns and the war are very popular because they're usually quite old books,” says Helen. She adds it is 'generally the older, middle-aged man” that gravitate towards these types of reads.
However, the book fair attracts everyone. '[We have] a total mix – young and old.”
Helen adds that bookworms will go the extra mile to score new books for their home collections. 'We have people come from way out of the [Te Puke] area as well, from Waihi, Rotorua, Whakatane…we've even had people come over from Matamata.”
Hidden gems
Helen says there are special moments and 'you do get the odd little gem” among donations.
'We received a collection of Sir Winston Churchill books and they were priced at $300…a chap was very willing to buy those; it was a bit of a collector's item and I think for me…that was a biggie,” says Helen.
This year there is a box of Charles Dickens' books on the fair's top table. Collectors' pieces such as this, classics and rare books will have set prices. However most books range from 50c to $4 each.
'It's good to see the public come in and get some really good bargains. [The book fair] is our biggest fundraiser for the year and it all goes back to the community so it's really good,” says Helen.
The book fair is on 8am-6pm June 24; 9am-5pm June 25; and 9am-3pm June 26; at Te Puke Memorial Hall, 564 Jellicoe St, Te Puke.