Whitcoulls Merivale

About Whitcoulls Merivale

Whitcoulls Merivale is the Merivale Mall branch of Whitcoulls, the New Zealand bookseller, located at Shop 2, 189 Papanui Road in Christchurch. It pairs the chain's extensive online catalogue with a physical shop floor where the season's new releases, the Top 100 and the Kids Top 50 are all close at hand — a handy stop for Merivale locals chasing the latest must-read, a gift, or something for the kids.

Inside, the range runs wide: children's books from picture books to activity and early learning titles; fiction spanning crime, romance, historical, graphic novels and science fiction & fantasy; a dedicated romantasy section; cookbooks; young adult; and shelves for biography, business, computing, crafts, design, dictionaries, family & health, history, home & garden, humour, Maoritanga and mind, body & spirit.

What gives the shop its character is the curation: the Whitcoulls Top 100 and Kids Top 50 charts, the Whitcoulls Recommends list and Joan's Picks each offer a way into the shelves beyond the obvious bestsellers. Pre-orders, BookTok picks and deluxe special editions round out the offer, and the full catalogue is browsable — and purchasable — at whitcoulls.co.nz.

Whitcoulls Merivale: Christchurch's Mall Bookshop for New Releases, Top 100 Picks and Kids' Favourites

Whitcoulls Merivale sits at Shop 2 of Merivale Mall on Papanui Road, bringing the New Zealand bookseller's familiar mix of new releases, children's favourites and curated recommendation lists to Christchurch. It is the kind of store that works equally well as a destination and a detour: come in for the specific book everyone is talking about, or wander the shelves and leave with a small stack you hadn't planned on. Behind the shopfront sits the full Whitcoulls online catalogue at whitcoulls.co.nz, complete with checkout and account login, so the browsing doesn't have to end when you leave the mall.

Something for every kind of reader

The range is deliberately broad. Children's books stretch from picture books and activity titles to early learning, educational material, poetry and annuals, true stories and reference. Fiction runs from adventure and classic novels through crime and thriller, graphic novels, historical fiction, horror and ghost stories, romance, science fiction and fantasy, myth and legend, and short stories. There is a dedicated romantasy section and a substantial cookbook offer covering everything from baking and budget cooking to New Zealand cooking and vegan and vegetarian titles.

Beyond those, the shelves cover young adult, biography and true stories, business, computing and infotech, crafts and hobbies, design and the arts, dictionaries, family and health, history and military, home and garden, humour, Maoritanga — including Maori language, history and art — and mind, body and spirit. In practice, that means most readers can walk in with any brief and find a section built for it.

The lists people actually follow

A big part of the Whitcoulls experience is its curated charts. The Whitcoulls Top 100 is the flagship: currently led by Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing, with Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns & Roses and The Assassin's Blade, Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary and Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games rounding out the top five.

For younger readers there is the Kids Top 50, where Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone edges out Dog Man, Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy, Wings of Fire and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Beyond the charts, Whitcoulls Recommends gathers titles the bookseller is championing — this time around Beth Brower's The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Robert Harris's Agrippa and Lynda La Plante's The Governor — while Joan's Picks offers a more personal shortlist, from Ariel Lawhon's The Pirate Queen to Anthony Byrt's Dying Days and Lisa See's Daughters of the Sun and Moon.

New, next and collectible

The new releases table currently features the likes of Gruffalo Granny from Julia Donaldson, Jamie Oliver's 20 Minute Meals, Rebecca F. Kuang's Taipei Story and Laurie Gilmore's Maple Hollow: Big Bad Wolf. BookTok readers have their own section, stocked with Alex Aster's Barbie: Dreamscape, Victoria Aveyard's Tempest and Olivie Blake's Dreamland.

Pre-orders are a strength: the limited deluxe Empyrean: Threshing Day, the next two ACOTAR trade paperbacks from Sarah J. Maas, Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie and Elle Kennedy's Bad Idea are all open for advance orders. Collectors, meanwhile, can chase deluxe and anniversary editions — from a 15th anniversary Divergent to collector's editions of City of Heavenly Fire and Better Than the Movies.

Planning a visit

You'll find the branch at Shop 2, Merivale Mall, 189 Papanui Road, in the Merivale area of Christchurch. Opening hours for this branch aren't published on the pages sampled here, so it's worth checking the store finder at whitcoulls.co.nz/stores before making a special trip. If you'd rather browse from home, the full range — new releases, pre-orders, the Top 100 and more — is available through the website's checkout, with an account login for regulars.

And if you're stuck for a gift, the curated lists double as a shortcut: find your recipient's shelf on the Top 100 or Kids Top 50, or pick up a deluxe edition of their favourite series, and you're most of the way there.

Signature items

• Whitcoulls Top 100
• Kids Top 50
• Whitcoulls Recommends
• Joan's Picks
• BookTok
• Pre-Orders

Menu

BookTok

• Barbie: Dreamscape — A BookTok pick from Alex Aster.
• The Wolf Queen (Pre-Order) — An upcoming fantasy from Lauren Palphreyman.
• Tempest — A new novel from Victoria Aveyard.
• Stonewater Kingdom #02: The Knave and the Moon — Book two of Rachel Gillig's series.
• Dreamland — The newest from Olivie Blake.

Pre-Orders

• Empyrean: Threshing Day - Limited Deluxe Edition — A limited deluxe edition from Rebecca Yarros, open for pre-order.
• ACOTAR #06: A Court of Splintered Harmony (Trade Paperback) — The next Court of Thorns & Roses instalment from Sarah J. Maas.
• ACOTAR #07: A Court of Forgotten Melody (Trade Paperback) — Book seven of ACOTAR, available to pre-order.
• Emily Wilde #04: Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie — The fourth Emily Wilde book from Heather Fawcett.
• Bad Idea — The latest from Elle Kennedy, coming soon.

Kids Top 50

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone — J.K. Rowling's series opener, No. 1 on the Kids Top 50.
• Dog Man — Dav Pilkey's comic favourite at No. 2.
• Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy — Lynley Dodd's Kiwi classic at No. 3.
• Wings of Fire #01: Dragonet Prophecy — Tui T. Sutherland's dragon fantasy at No. 4.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid — Jeff Kinney's journal-style favourite at No. 5.

Joan'S Picks

• The Pirate Queen — A Joan's Picks title from Ariel Lawhon.
• Never Say War — A pick from Asne Seierstad.
• Dying Days — A Joan's Picks title from Anthony Byrt.
• Rule of Lies — A pick from Jamison R. Firestone.
• Daughters of the Sun and Moon — Lisa See's novel on Joan's Picks.

New Releases

• Gruffalo Granny — A new Gruffalo tale from creator Julia Donaldson.
• 20 Minute Meals — Quick weeknight cooking from Jamie Oliver.
• Taipei Story — A new novel from Rebecca F. Kuang.
• Maple Hollow #01: Big Bad Wolf — The first Maple Hollow book from Laurie Gilmore.
• Tom Burne Has Left The Chat — One of the newest titles on the New Releases table.

Special Editions

• Divergent 15th Anniversary Edition — A celebratory edition marking 15 years of Veronica Roth's Divergent.
• The Mortal Instruments #06: City of Heavenly Fire Collector's Edition — A collector's take on Cassandra Clare's series finale.
• Starside Special Edition — A special edition release from Alex Aster.
• Heated Rivalry Deluxe Edition (Pre-Order) — A deluxe pre-order edition of Rachel Reid's novel.
• Better Than the Movies Collector's Edition — A collector's edition of Lynn Painter's romance.

Browse The Shelves

• Children's Books — Picture books, activity books, early learning, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, true stories and reference.
• Fiction — Adventure, classics, crime & thriller, graphic novels, historical, horror, romance, sci-fi & fantasy, short stories and more.
• Cookbooks — Baking, budget cooking, NZ cooking, celebrity chefs, vegan & vegetarian, gluten free and more.
• Young Adult — YA fiction, non-fiction, educational material and personal & social issues.
• Romantasy — A dedicated section where romance meets fantasy.
• Biography & True Stories — Biographies and true stories across subjects.
• Business — Management, economics, finance & accounting and industry titles.
• Computing & Infotech — Programming, computer science, networking, security and digital lifestyle.
• Crafts & Hobbies — Crafts, hobbies & games, antiques & collectables.
• Design & The Arts — Architecture, art history, film & TV, music, performing arts and photography.
• Dictionaries — Dictionaries, thesauri and bilingual & multilingual references.
• Family & Health — Parenting, fitness & diet, popular medicine and family relationships.
• History & Military — World history, archaeology, military history and warfare & defence.
• Home & Garden — Gardening, garden design and home maintenance.
• Humour — Cartoons, jokes & riddles, parodies and TV tie-in humour.
• Maoritanga — Maori art & crafts, language (Te Reo), history and customs & traditions.
• Mind, Body & Spirit — Complementary therapies, healing & health and dreams & interpretation.

Whitcoulls Top 100

• Fourth Wing — At No. 1 on the current Top 100, from Rebecca Yarros.
• ACOTAR #01: A Court of Thorns & Roses — Sarah J. Maas's series opener, sitting at No. 2.
• Throne of Glass #0.5: The Assassin's Blade — The Throne of Glass prequel from Sarah J. Maas, at No. 3.
• Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir's sci-fi adventure at No. 4.
• The Hunger Games — Suzanne Collins's dystopian classic at No. 5.

Whitcoulls Recommends

• The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion #01 — A recommended read from Beth Brower.
• Agrippa — A current Recommends title from Robert Harris.
• The Governor — Lynda La Plante's latest, on the Recommends list.
• The Four Wives of Windsor — A Recommends pick from Simon Vigar.
• The Correspondent — A current Recommends title from Virginia Evans.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Whitcoulls Merivale located?

At Shop 2, Merivale Mall, 189 Papanui Road, Merivale, Christchurch 8014.

What are the store's opening hours?

Hours for the Merivale branch aren't published on this listing. Check the store finder at whitcoulls.co.nz/stores before visiting.

What can I buy at Whitcoulls Merivale?

A wide range of books: children's books, fiction, cookbooks, young adult, romantasy, biography, business, computing, crafts, design, dictionaries, family & health, history, home & garden, humour, Maoritanga and mind, body & spirit, plus new releases, pre-orders and special editions.

Can I pre-order books before they're released?

Yes — titles such as Empyrean: Threshing Day (Limited Deluxe Edition), the next ACOTAR trade paperbacks, Emily Wilde #04 and Bad Idea are all listed for pre-order.

What is the Whitcoulls Top 100?

A curated countdown of standout books. The current top five includes Fourth Wing, A Court of Thorns & Roses, The Assassin's Blade, Project Hail Mary and The Hunger Games.

Is there a good selection for children?

Yes — a dedicated children's department covering picture books, activity books, early learning and more, plus the Kids Top 50 chart currently led by Harry Potter, Dog Man and Hairy Maclary.

Can I shop Whitcoulls online?

Yes — whitcoulls.co.nz carries the full catalogue with online checkout and an account login for regular shoppers.

Tips

• {"body":"Stuck for a gift or your next read? Work through the Whitcoulls Top 100 and Kids Top 50 — currently led by Fourth Wing and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.","title":"Start with the lists"}
• {"body":"Upcoming titles like Empyrean: Threshing Day and the new ACOTAR trade paperbacks can be ordered ahead through whitcoulls.co.nz.","title":"Pre-order the big ones"}
• {"body":"This branch's opening hours aren't listed here — confirm via the store finder at whitcoulls.co.nz/stores before making a special trip.","title":"Check hours before you go"}
• {"body":"Whitcoulls Recommends and Joan's Picks surface titles you won't find on the mainstream charts, from Ariel Lawhon to Lisa See.","title":"Look beyond the bestsellers"}
• {"body":"Collector's and deluxe editions — like the Divergent 15th anniversary edition — make a standout pick for fans of a series.","title":"Hunt the special editions"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Dedicated children's department with picture books, activity books and the Kids Top 50 chart."}