Where can I buy a fan? Good luck, shops are selling out fast

Trish Reynolds says the demand for fans has gone "crazy" this summer. Photo/George Novak

The last five remaining fans are sitting on the counter at Sunny's Variety Store in Mount Maunganui, but they won't be there for long.

The demand for fans around the Bay has increased this summer as temperatures soar.

Trish Reynolds, second in charge at Sunny's Variety Store in Mount Maunganui, said fan sales had gone "crazy" over the past few weeks.

She said three pallets of fans were ordered at the start of summer and distributed between the Sunny's Variety Stores around the country, and about 80 individual fans were sold out of the Mount Maunganui store.

"All week we have had people asking us where the fans are so we've put what we've got left on the front counter."

Reynolds said she had even sold one of the fans the staff used behind the counter before stocks were replenished.

David Cairns, manager of Sunny's Variety Stores Bay of Plenty, was reordering more fans.

"There has been a huge demand in this sweltering heat."

There were 12 remaining fans at the Katikati store yesterday morning and all but one were sold by the end of the day. The Warehouse, Farmers, Kmart and Mitre 10 all showed most, if not all, of their fan stock was sold out online.

Trade Me spokesman Logan Mudge said the recent hot spell had seen thousands of Kiwis heading to Trade Me for fans.

"Last week we saw more than 24,000 searches in 10 days for fans.

"Sales are far exceeding last year when New Zealand's summer was a little less intense."

MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said it was on track to be the hottest January for Tauranga in decades.

"Last year the average temperature in Tauranga was 19C and this year we are tracking at 21.5C."

It is no wonder people around the Bay are turning to fans to keep cool, with the average overnight temperature 18C.

Murray said this January there had been only three nights where the average overnight temperature was below 18C, while the highest overnight temperature hit 21C.