Tim Van Elswijk spends 11 to 13 hours each day on average running up and down Wanganui streets in the hot sun to deliver the new phonebooks.
With only 10 days to deliver 33,300 books, it's a lucky thing the 53-year-old is "the fastest bugger on two legs", as contractor George MacLachlan puts it.
Mr MacLachlan drives his van to each street and sends Mr Van Elswijk running with a stack of phonebooks in hand to drop them at each house.
"I make sure that he drinks a litre of water an hour," Mr MacLachlan said.
At a rate of about 3500 books delivered a day, Mr MacLachlan says they need to do it "lickety-split" to get everyone their books before Christmas.