Independent bookshop in Auckland, New Zealand
A Grey Lynn shop with a lovingly crafted selection.
The Bookshop Atlas
Bookshops in New Zealand
157 independent bookshops in 53 towns, 32 of them selling secondhand.
Unfolding the map…
SecondhandAntiquarianNewCharity
Worth the pilgrimage
Featured in New Zealand
Secondhand in Auckland, New Zealand · since 1983
A New Zealand institution that began in a Ponsonby garage in 1983 and has grown into one of the country's largest secondhand dealers, now settled in Eden Terrace. Expect a vast general stock, a serious New Zealand section and rare first editions, open every day of the week.
New ZealandFirst editionsGeneral stockRare books
Independent bookshop in Auckland, New Zealand
A High Street shop stacked high on every surface.
Independent bookshop in Christchurch, New Zealand
A Christchurch independent with a long history in the city.
Step-free access
Antiquarian in Christchurch, New Zealand · since 1894
Founded in 1894 and selling secondhand books since the 1960s, Smith's lost its three-storey Manchester Street home in the 2011 earthquakes and found a new one in the Tannery at Woolston. It remains fiercely independent and is the place for rare and out-of-print books on New Zealand history, te ao Māori, the arts and the outdoors.
New ZealandTe Ao MāoriRare & out of printRare books
Antiquarian in Dunedin, New Zealand
The southern outpost of Hard to Find, a few steps from Dunedin's Octagon, sharing the firm's huge catalogue and its fondness for New Zealand books. A good rainy-afternoon browse in a city that takes its reading seriously.
New ZealandGeneral stockRare booksRare books
Secondhand in Wellington, New Zealand
A central Wellington favourite on Manners Street, packed with used books across fiction, history, art, children's and cooking, with a good showing of New Zealand writers and a cabinet of older and antique volumes.
New Zealand authorsGeneral stockAntique books
Secondhand in Wellington, New Zealand
About 13,000 new and used books in two Newtown rooms.
Secondhand
Secondhand in Wellington, New Zealand
A beautifully curated secondhand shop off Cuba Mall.
Secondhand
Towns and cities, A–Z
Each has its own guide with a map and, where the shops are close enough, a walking route.
Towns and cities
- Alexandra1
- Auckland40
- Auckland1
- Christchurch18
- Cromwell1
- Dunedin9
- Featherston2
- Feilding1
- Gisborne1
- Greerton1
- Greymouth1
- Greytown1
- Hamilton5
- Hastings1
- Havelock North2
- Hibiscus Coast2
- Inglewood1
- Kerikeri2
- Lake Tekapo1
- Lawrence1
- Lower Hutt3
- Lyttelton2
- Napier9
- Nelson3
- New Plymouth1
- Newtown1
- Ōamaru1
- Ōrewa1
- Ōtaki1
- Oxford1
- Palmerston North1
- Pāpāmoa1
- Paraparaumu1
- Picton1
- Porirua2
- Pukekohe1
- Queenstown1
- Raglan2
- Rakaia1
- Ranfurly1
- Rangiora1
- Rotorua3
- Tauranga1
- Thames2
- Upper Hutt1
- Waihī1
- Wānaka1
- Wellington14
- Wellsford1
- Whangamatā1
- Whanganui1
- Whangārei2
- Whitianga1
Finding bookshops in New Zealand
- How many bookshops are listed in New Zealand?
The Atlas currently lists 157 active bookshops across 53 towns and cities in New Zealand. This is the number in our directory, not a claim that every shop in the area has been recorded.
- Can I find secondhand bookshops in New Zealand?
32 listed shops are categorised as selling secondhand books. Stock changes frequently; ask a shop directly if you need a particular book.
- Are the opening hours and accessibility details checked?
The Atlas displays available source information. A listing without opening hours or access details is incomplete, not necessarily closed or inaccessible. Check each shop's website and confirm anything essential before travelling.
- Can I add a shop or correct a listing?
Yes. Send the shop's name, location and a reliable website or other source. Suggestions and corrections are reviewed before changing the Atlas.
Suggest a shop
Shop data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence, with descriptions of featured shops by Creasy Spines. Opening hours change — check before a long journey. Suggest an edit