Timaru Booksellers

About Timaru Booksellers

Timaru Booksellers is Timaru's independent bookshop, located at 331 Stafford St in Timaru Central — a store whose website proudly styles itself 'Timaru Booksellers HQ'. It pairs a carefully chosen shop floor with a full online bookstore, so the same passion for matching readers with the right book runs through everything, whether you browse in person or search by title, author or ISBN from home.

The range is broad but thoughtfully curated. Fiction, non-fiction, children's books and poetry anchor the shelves, with deeper sections for science fiction, crime and thrillers, dark romance and neurodivergent representation. Collector-friendly editions get their own space too — Penguin Clothbound Classics, the MacMillan Collector's Library, Popular Penguins and Wordsworth Editions — alongside dedicated author shelves for Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Kristin Hannah and Julia Donaldson.

There's a proud local streak as well: South Island Trucking Vol 2, an A3 poster of prominent Timaru buildings and a Kevin Freeman Transport category sit comfortably beside New Zealand titles like Aroha, Dear Moko, Wawata – Moon Dreaming, Wander and the pocket guides to native trees and land birds.

And it's more than books: 500- and 1000-piece puzzles, Paperblanks journals, tarot cards, 2027 calendars and gift cards fill the cheerfully named 'things that aren't books' side of the shop. Community sits at the heart of it all — a Bookshop Bookclub with evening meets, an events calendar, a self-styled 'amazing' loyalty programme and genuine support for self-published authors. Open seven days: Monday to Friday 9-5, Saturday 10-3 and Sunday 10-2.

Timaru Booksellers: Stafford Street's Independent Home for Good Books

Stafford Street runs through the middle of Timaru, and along it you'll find Timaru Booksellers — the physical home of what its website proudly calls 'Timaru Booksellers HQ'. This is a proper independent bookshop: small enough that real people choose every title, and well-stocked enough that genre readers, gift hunters and curious browsers all leave with something under their arm.

A shelf for every reader

The core of the shop is exactly what you'd hope for from a good New Zealand independent: fiction, non-fiction, children's books and poetry, backed by a Staff Favourites shelf that does the hard work of triage when your to-be-read pile is already too tall. From there the categories get more specific — Science Fiction and Crime and Thrillers have their own homes, alongside shelves for Dark Romance, Neurodivergent Representation and the cheerfully named Jess's Fave Smutty Books.

Families are well covered too. The children's range runs from Hairy Maclary and Julia Donaldson to Pee Wee the Kiwi and Tractor Ted, with James Russell's books waiting for readers growing in confidence.

Collectors and gift-buyers are looked after as well: Penguin Clothbound Classics, the MacMillan Collector's Library, Popular Penguins and Wordsworth Editions give classics lovers options at different ends of the dress-code spectrum, while dedicated sections for Agatha Christie, Stephen King and Kristin Hannah make it easy to fill the gaps in a series.

New Zealand stories — and Timaru ones especially

What gives the shop its character is how strongly New Zealand writing is represented. Alongside international bestsellers you'll find titles like Aroha, Dear Moko and Wawata – Moon Dreaming, the Mauritau journal, A Bushman's Book of Yarns, Wander – New Zealand's Private Walks and the mini guides to native trees and land birds. The Shihad memoir Home Again sits on the non-fiction shelves next to Facing Up to Our Future, a book about the choices facing the country.

And then there's the local shelf. South Island Trucking Vol 2: From the Farm to the Works and a dedicated Kevin Freeman Transport category speak directly to the region's road-trucking culture, while the A3 Prominent Timaru Buildings poster puts the town's architecture on your wall. It's the kind of range you only get from a bookshop that actually lives here.

More than books

There's a whole category on the site called 'Things that aren't books', which tells you a fair bit about the shop's sense of humour — and its range. Puzzles in 500- and 1000-piece counts, Paperblanks journals, tarot cards and calendars for the year ahead make it an easy stop for presents, and gift cards cover the reader who's impossible to buy for.

A bookshop that pulls people together

Community is clearly part of the plan. The Bookshop Bookclub gets its own reading category so you can read along with the group, and evening sessions — advertised for 6pm on Thursdays — turn the shop into a place where books get talked about, not just sold. An Events page lists what's coming up in store.

There's also an 'amazing' loyalty programme (their word, exclamation mark and all), a pre-order section for securing new releases before they land, and genuine support for self-published authors, with a dedicated information page and a Self Published category on the shelves. Everything can be browsed and bought online — search by title, author or ISBN, build a wishlist or cart, and use the store's shipping and delivery options if you can't make it to Stafford Street.

Plan your visit

Timaru Booksellers keeps friendly, generous hours: 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, 10am to 3pm on Saturday, and 10am to 2pm on Sunday — seven days a week. Come in with a specific title in mind, or just stand in front of Staff Favourites and let someone else's taste guide yours. Ask what the team is reading; that conversation is usually where the best recommendation starts.

Signature items

• Bookshop Bookclub
• Staff Favourites
• Local and NZ Titles
• Loyalty Programme
• Author Events
• Puzzles and Gifts

Menu

Children'S

• Hairy Maclary and Friends — The much-loved Hairy Maclary picture books and their friends.
• Julia Donaldson Books — A shelf of Julia Donaldson's children's favourites.
• Pee Wee the Kiwi Books — Pee Wee the Kiwi stories for young readers.
• Tractor Ted — Tractor Ted titles for little tractor fans.
• James Russell Books — A collection of James Russell's books.

Non-Fiction

• Home Again: My Life and Times in a Band Called Shihad — Life and times in the band Shihad, told from the inside.
• Aroha: Maori Wisdom for a Contented Life Lived in Harmony with Our Planet — Māori wisdom for a contented life lived in harmony with the planet.
• South Island Trucking Vol 2: From the Farm to the Works — Volume two covering South Island trucking, from farm to the works.
• Prominent Timaru Buildings Poster A3 — An A3 poster celebrating Timaru's prominent buildings.
• Wander - New Zealand's Private Walks — A guide to New Zealand's private walks.
• My Father's Life — A memoir reflecting on a father's life.
• Dear Moko: Māori Wisdom for Our Young Ones — Māori wisdom shared with the young ones.
• A Bushman's Book of Yarns — A collection of yarns from the bush.
• Wawata - Moon Dreaming — Reflective reading on moon dreaming.
• Facing Up to Our Future: Challenges and Choices for New Zealand — Examines the challenges and choices facing New Zealand.
• The Four Wives of Windsor — The story of the four wives of Windsor.
• A Mini Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Native Trees — Pocket-size help identifying New Zealand's native trees.
• A Mini Guide to the Identification of New Zealand's Land Birds — Pocket-size help identifying New Zealand's land birds.
• Alone in the World: How to Find Courage & Clarity in Uncertain Times — Finding courage and clarity in uncertain times.
• Mauritau: A Journal to Find Balance with the 12 States of Mauri — A journal for finding balance with the 12 states of mauri.

Science Fiction

• Carl's Doomsday Scenario (#2 DCC) TP — Book two of Dungeon Crawler Carl, in trade paperback.
• The War of the Worlds — H.G. Wells' alien-invasion classic.
• Blue Mars (Mars 03) — The third instalment of the Mars trilogy.
• The End of Eternity — A classic of time-travel science fiction.
• New Dawning (#1 The Edge of Light) — The opening book of The Edge of Light series.
• Dune — The bestselling novel behind Villeneuve's Dune films.
• The Female Man (SF 86) (Best of SF Masterworks) — A landmark of feminist SF in the SF Masterworks line.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (H2G2 #1) — Book one of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
• The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 — The 2025 edition of the annual SF and fantasy anthology.
• Abaddon's Gate (Expanse #3) — The third book of The Expanse series.
• The Great Dune Trilogy (HB) — Hardcover collecting Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.
• The Time Machine: Popular Penguins — H.G. Wells' time-travel classic in the Popular Penguins edition.
• Green Mars (Mars 02) — The second instalment of the Mars trilogy.
• Doing Time — A hilarious spinoff from the Chronicles of St Mary's series.
• The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 — The 2023 edition of the annual SF and fantasy anthology.

Crime And Thrillers

• Ransom (Gabriel Allon #26) — The 26th book in the Gabriel Allon thriller series.
• Brain Damage — A title from the store's crime and thriller selection.

Collections And Editions

• Penguin Clothbound Classics — Clothbound hardback editions of classic works.
• MacMillan Collector's Library — Collector's Library editions of beloved books.
• Popular Penguins — Well-loved titles in the Popular Penguins imprint.
• Wordsworth Editions — Classics from Wordsworth Editions.

Puzzles, Journals And Gifts

• 1000 Piece Puzzles — A rotating shelf of 1000-piece jigsaws.
• 500 Piece Puzzles — Jigsaws with fewer pieces for faster finishes.
• Paperblanks — Paperblanks journals and notebooks.
• Tarot Cards — Tarot decks for divination-minded browsers.
• 2027 Calendars — Calendars ready for the year ahead.
• Gift Cards — Let them choose — gift cards for any reader.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Timaru Booksellers located?

At 331 Stafford St, Timaru Central, Timaru.

What are the opening hours?

Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 10am-3pm, and Sunday 10am-2pm.

Is there a book club?

Yes — the Bookshop Bookclub, with shared reads and evening sessions advertised from 6pm on Thursdays.

Do you have a loyalty programme?

Yes, the store runs 'Our Amazing Loyalty Programme!' for regular customers — ask in store or check the website.

Can I order books online?

Yes. The website lets you search by title, author or ISBN, add items to a cart or wishlist, and arrange shipping and delivery.

Do you support self-published authors?

Yes — there's dedicated information on the site for self-published authors, plus a Self Published category on the shelves.

Do you sell gift cards?

Yes, gift cards are available, alongside puzzles, journals, tarot cards and calendars for gifting.

Tips

• {"body":"The team's curated shelf is the quickest route to a guaranteed good read.","title":"Start at Staff Favourites"}
• {"body":"The Bookshop Bookclub Reads category shows what the group is discussing; evening sessions are advertised from 6pm on Thursdays.","title":"Read along with the Bookclub"}
• {"body":"From South Island trucking volumes to a poster of prominent Timaru buildings, the local-interest range is a real point of difference.","title":"Hunt out the local titles"}
• {"body":"Use the pre-order section online so upcoming releases are secured before they hit the shelves.","title":"Pre-order the next big thing"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Dedicated children's range, from Hairy Maclary and Julia Donaldson to Tractor Ted."}