McLeods Booksellers

There’s plenty of history on the walls at McLeods Booksellers, and that’s because the business has been around in various forms since 1896 when Rotorua was a much smaller township. As the town's population has grown and changed, so too has this historic bookshop, but their dedication to great quality literature remains at the forefront of this locally owned business. Selling everything from fiction to sports, music, arts and recipe books, McLeods Booksellers' appeal is the sheer magnitude of books on offer, as well as the top-rate customer service from people who really get the love of reading.

What is it that makes bookshops so tranquil? It’s hard to say, but we’re certainly not complaining. At any given moment there are customers quietly going about their business of flipping through magazines, reading the blurbs on the latest fiction books, or talking with the well-read staff about what’s hot on the favourites shelf this week. There’s a dedicated te reo Māori children’s book section (one of the biggest in the country) as well as plenty of New Zealand history for the adults, making this bookshop feel rightly aware of its town’s heritage.

Renowned for its wide selection of Māori books, curious visitors often pop in for exactly that reason, and they’re not likely to be disappointed. There are notebooks and journals, cards and wrapping paper, and the books here are laid out so beautifully that it’s impossible not to pick them up straight away.

Whether you’ve been a reader for life or you’re just getting into it, there’s no doubt that walking into McLeods Booksellers will instil in you a love for literature that will see you coming back, time and time again.