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Things of Interest I want to tell you about various interesting books and web sites connected to where I live and the things that interest me. Contents: Books I started to have an interest in New Zealand authors from conversations with my neighbour, Barbara Leslie, who is descended from one of the early settlers of the Kaiwaka area. We'd be chatting away about the things in our life, as you do, and at times she would come out with little bits of interesting information about the district's history and the people living here. One day, she told me that a novel had been set in Kaiwaka, and subsequently loaned me her copy of the book. That is the point at which I decided it was time I started reading New Zealand authors and broadening my range of genres, almost exclusively science fiction and mystery until then. From there, I also developed an interest in New Zealand history. I haven't gone out and spent a fortune on books, but have bought most of them second-hand. "The Piggery" in Whangarei has been one of my favourite sources for books since this love-affair began. Here are some of the books I've been reading; unless I say otherwise, I recommend them for a good read; if I haven't made much comment, my FMS-affected memory has robbed me of the pertinent points and I prefer to not say anything than make an idiot of myself or lead you astray: Fiction
Sylvia Ashton-Warner I didn't finish this one. It was successful enough upon its release to be reprinted at least four times in its first two years, so maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for it at the time.
Ian Cross When I first saw this author's name on a book, I thought it couldn't possibly be the same person who used to head Broadcasting in New Zealand, but I was wrong. :-) I also had vague memories of this story being turned into a tv program (1976) when I was young, but couldn't remember any detail. This is an incredible story, written from the point of view of a young boy. "The Family Man"
Alan Duff Gritty reading about urban, poor, Maori life. Not bed-time reading at all, but a good read all the same. I first saw the movie of this book when it was released in 1994; I remember I spent the entire next day feeling like I'd been through an emotional war.
Natalie Fernandez Beware of self-published books - there's probably a good reason why a publisher wouldn't accept it! The writing isn't as professional as you see in books normally, but the tale itself is an interesting look into the High-Country life in Hawke's Bay. This book was one of two given to me by my grandmother after she heard that I was interested in New Zealand authors.
Janet Frame
"Living in the Maniototo"
Kevin Ireland I'm not so sure that I'm a fan of this author, though I did make it to the end of the books. I probably won't buy any more by him.
Fiona Kidman Set in post-war Northland. I enjoyed the book, although it has been a while since I read it and I'm not up to writing a description of it, sorry. "Mrs Dixon & Friend" A collection of short stories, some of which are parts of other works by Kidman. "Paddy's Puzzle" "The Book of Secrets" This one caught my eye because Waipu was mentioned in the blurb - a town just to the north of us. This was an interesting story, and I've been told by a local that there was some basis in truth. "The House Within" A part of this book was previously published in "Mrs Dixon & Friend". I've really enjoyed the books by Fiona Kidman that I've read, and I will be looking out for more by her when I go shopping for books again.
Elizabeth Knox
"The Vintner's Luck"
John A Lee A harrowing tale about life in the trenches in World War I France. "Soldier"
Jane Mander Set in the Kaiwaka district, the 'river' is the Kaiwaka River, a tidal river which flows into the Otamatea River and on into the Kaipara Harbour. The novel talks about logging of kauri trees from Pukekaroro, Kaiwaka's own 'mountain' (300m high) which is a part of the fantastic view from our house. There is a plaque at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Mountain Road to celebrate the tram line that ran nearby from the mountain to the river, as described in this novel. Local rumour has it that some of the characters in the book were modeled on real people in the district, which caused some consternation at the time of the book's release. "Allen Adair" Another novel set within the Kaipara Harbour region, this time further north around Dargaville and Pahi. See also Auckland City Libraries for further information about Jane Mander.
Sue McCauley This has been made into a film.
Maurice Shadbolt A delightful tale about a community living on an island, Motutangi, off the shores of Auckland, when a dolphin begins visiting one summer. I can well imagine the islands of Waiheke and Motuihe as I read this book. Everyone on the island has their own reason for living there, away from the crowds of the city; the dolphin's presence brings crowds in, invading the quiet place. Despite this, the dolphin affects everyone in some way, and it is a thoroughly good read.
C.K. Stead An amusing story about a boy growing up in New Zealand, a woman making her way in the movie world in LA, and the connections between them. I enjoyed reading this book.
Non-Fiction Books
Mona Anderson This is Mona Anderson's first book, a ripping tale of life on a High Country station in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, where contact with the outside world was controlled by the river that had to be crossed to reach the road. At times, sometimes for days or weeks, the Wilberforce River was impassable, even on horseback. "The Good Logs of
Algidus" A history of the Mt Algidus Station, where Mona Anderson moved to upon her marriage to Ron, the manager of the station. "Over the River" This was the first of Mona Anderson's books that I read, and I was hooked from the start, and dying to find her other titles by the end. This was one of the two books given to me by my grandmother in 2003; I loaned the other titles by this author to her and she enjoyed them immensely, too. "Over the River" describes how she came to be writing her first book, and her life during that time. I was saddened to hear recently of her death in May this year (2004); see the obituary in the New Zealand Herald "A Letter from James" The story of how the Tarling family, Mona Anderson's ancestors, came to New Zealand. An excellent read.
John Logan Campbell This is Campbell's own account, written for his children, from his journey from Scotland, where he was fresh from medical school, to the founding of his first commercial business as a trader when Auckland was first established in the summer of 1840/41. John Logan Campbell is widely recognised as one of the 'founding fathers' of Auckland. His insight into life in New Zealand at a time when Europeans were uncommon, is remarkable to me, reading in the 21st century.
Rae McGregor A wonderful book about the life and times of Jane Mander, author and school-teacher.
William Pember Reeves This book caught my eye in the second-hand bookstore because I recognised the author's name, and was curious to see if it was the same William Pember Reeves who I'd learned about for School Certificate History. It was; he was responsible for some of New Zealand's early labour reform legislation while he was Minister of Labour, and went on to become the High Commissioner for New Zealand in London. I found this history to be rather interesting, from the point of view that it was written over a hundred years ago, when the country was still quite young (and still is, but progressing past it's colonial beginnings these days :-)
Desmond Stewart This book was launched at the Kauri Museum at Matakohe on Friday 25 June 2004. I purchased my copy of it from the Museum's Kaiwaka shop today (July 3rd, the day I started this particular web page), where Des was selling autographed copies. There was a good turnout of locals at the shop, and many copies of the book have been sold today. I'm expecting this to be a great read, about the early settlement of Kaiwaka, the town I live in. I don't know yet if it is mentioned in the book, but the house on the cover of the book is the house in which Jane Mander set parts of her novel "A Story of A New Zealand River". W.R.
Wade Yes, that is not a mis-print; this book was first published in 1842, just two years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. William Wade, according to the original title page, was a missionary in New Zealand before he went on to minister at Hobart, Australia. He went on a journey through place such as the Bay of Islands, Waikato, Rotorua, and wrote a marvelous account of his travels and his observations.
NZ Tree Crops Association Speedway The car was stripped down, repaired and repainted over the winter, and the next race season saw the standard stockcar 28A racing for the first time. If my memory serves me correctly, Peter and Phil shared the driving at Waikaraka Park on Saturday nights, while Nigel took it up to the Whangarei Speedway to race on Sunday afternoons. I have a temporary page of photos here. ... more to be added as I have the time! |
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