Hoards of Kiwis are embarking on something of a treasure hunt for a limited edition Kiwiana-style biscuit tin.
The 'Classic Kiwi Summer' biscuit tin featuring 12 iconic Kiwi images by Kiwi artist Glen Jones has landed in selected Countdown stores, but they aren't staying on shelves for very long.
Bikkie fanatics posting online reported hunting in multiple Countdown stores in their quest to find the tin. New Zealanders living overseas are tagging friends and family in posts, cajoling them to hunt out the tin on their behalf.
Rumours were swirling around as to where and when you could find the product, fans helping each other out with store locations and shipment arrival times.
"Apparently some woman bought 10 yesterday," one woman wrote.
According to Countdown, the retro-style tin contained a selection of "delicious cream biscuits'. It was limited edition and exclusively sold in Countdown stores.
The man behind the artwork, Glenn Jones, said it was "pretty cool" seeing the excitement over his work and the sweet treats inside the tin.
"People were loving it. We have a whole lot of fans of our work so the tins provide them with something usable with a selection of our works on it."
Jones, who owns an online art store with his wife, said he was contacted by a company called World Wide Imports, which created a whole lot of tin designs and sold them on to supermarkets.
'Glenn Jones Art - Online Art Store' sells more than 200 different prints and artworks that are often printed upon other products.
They supplied the work and hadn't heard anything of it until around a month ago when he received a sample - disappointingly without any biscuits inside.
"They're all Kiwiana-style pieces of art - they wanted summery types of prints, too," he said.
Countdown's merchandise manager Steve Mills said it was the first time the chain had sold the range of biscuits - which was clearly resonating with customers.
"We have seen a lot of eager customers on Facebook trying to find our Classic Kiwi Biscuit Tin," he said.
To those itching to get their hands on a tin, his recommendation was to go the extra mile and have a chat with the customer service desk at their local.
There was back-up stock at the distribution centre, he said, so staff could arrange to order more in.