Chertsey Book Barn — Chertsey
A secondhand bookshop in Chertsey, Ashburton District. Part of the Ashburton, Chertsey & Akaroa secondhand bookshops directory — see also our NZ used-book price guide.
No rights-cleared photo yet — our own photos coming soon. Open the map pin for the street location.
About
Chertsey Book Barn sits right on State Highway 1 at the Chertsey Kyle Road junction, about 20 minutes north-east of Ashburton — the easiest big-bookshop stop on the Christchurch–Timaru drive. It describes itself as the largest secondhand bookshop in the South Island, and RNZ’s Summer Weekends programme visited owner Paul Edwards in January 2026.
The Christchurch Community Directory says books are individually checked, priced and shelved in orderly rows by author and subject — so despite the scale it is browsable. It also sells CDs, DVDs, magazines and puzzles.
Christchurch readers may know its city offshoot, Book Barn on Ferry in Woolston.
Price tip: Books are individually checked and priced; most general paperbacks are a few dollars.
What you’ll find
Long rows of general fiction by author, plus non-fiction by subject, collectable hardbacks and Folio Society editions (posted regularly on its Facebook page), CDs, DVDs, magazines and jigsaws.
Practical info
- Address
- 8 Chertsey Kyle Road (junction with State Highway 1), Chertsey, Ashburton District 7772
- Hours
- Daily 9am–5pm, including Sunday
- Phone
- 03 302 2851
- Website
- www.facebook.com/pages/Chertsey-Book-Barn/432890523446727
Open seven days 9am–5pm per the Christchurch Community Directory and the shop’s Facebook page; the owner occasionally closes for holidays, so check Facebook before a long drive. Unheated — bring a jersey in winter.