Whanganui book lovers be warned: temptation awaits!
The Rotary Club of Whanganui annual Monster Book Fair is on over two weekends in April and there are thousands of books.
Over the past few weeks, in a very large car park beneath one of Whanganui's prominent buildings, small teams of volunteers have been sorting, pricing and boxing the books, ready to take to their penultimate destination with the help of a truck and a forklift.
Kate Smith, Whanganui Rotary's book fair co-ordinator, is in charge of this novel operation, although novels are just a part of what's on offer.
No-one has any real idea of the number of books held in that space, but the point is, it's not how many they have, but how many they can sell.
But if you must have a precise figure – "Exactly lots of many and more," says Kate.
The fact that there are that many banana boxes is astounding enough.
"We have various people popping in to supermarkets [procuring boxes]."
And how many volunteers are helping out?
"Not as many as I'd like, but the ones who are here know what they are doing and just come in and get going. We've had two that came because of the Rivercity Press article; Graham is from Rotary North; John, Dennis and myself … Whanganui Rotary Club; and Neil is attached to Whanganui Rotary Club."
Neil Boyd takes care of all the special books, collectibles, sport, military and New Zealand, to name a few. He and his wife Christina are always seen at the Victoria Avenue entrance of the book fair in the former Farmers homeware store, in charge of the pricier items. Naturally, that section contains a large number of Scottish themed books. Neil is also the author of an autobiography, covering his life in Scotland and New Zealand and all parts in between.