The very first maps, oral maps made by early Polynesian and Maori settlers, were waypoints, lists of places in songs, chants, karakia and stories that showed direction. Hundreds of years later, Abel Tasman made the first attempt at a physical map; followed more than a century later by James Cook, whose more detailed map was made as he circumnavigated Aotearoa. Once the detail of the coastline was filled in, it was the turn of the surveyors, explorers, rockhounds, gold diggers and politicians to negotiate the internal detail. The story of these maps is also the story of Aotearoa New Zealand. Disclaimer: Due to limitations of ebook files, the finer details of some maps in this ebook are not entirely clear.
Beautifully illustrated with a selection of fascinating maps, Singing the Trail is the story of New Zealand through its maps - and the story of the explorers who made those maps.
One New Zealand sports team endures in international sporting and cultural mythology 100 years after running onto the field: the Originals -- the All Blacks whose 1905-6 tour of Britain, France and the US was nothing short of extraordinary. On Friday 8th September, 1905, the Rimutaka docked at Plymouth to deliver a team of New Zealand rugby players. They were amateurs -- men who played the game at home and for their country for the love of it -- but their approach set the standard. Over the next six months, these 'Originals' would play a staggering 35 matches, winning 34 of them and losing only, famously, to Wales. They would score 976 points and concede only 59. Their rugby odyssey has since become a foundation stone of New Zealand's proud All Black tradition. It has rightly taken its place in our folklore. This book details the place of rugby in New Zealand before 1905 and the build-up to the tour. It offers a commentary on the tour (with feature pages highlighting major aspects such as the role of the legendary Dave Gallaher as the team's captain, and the loss to Wales) and the return home. It examines the enduring legacy left by the players, many of whom went abroad again a decade later to represent their country in another arena -- at war. Finally, in THE ORIGINALS John McCrystal describes the changes we've seen since the year of the tour: in New Zealand rugby and in New Zealand at large.
Photographic essay by John McCrystal, offering a personal selection of classic American cars from the 1940s, 50s and 60s, which have found their way to New Zealand. Text is divided into categories such as: American Motors, Chrysler-Dodge and Ford. All photographs are full-colour and details of each car featured include: Year, Manufacturer, Marque and Model.
A compendium of curious and unusual New Zealand information, including odd, arcane, extraordinary and surprising facts and figures and the sort of who knew? trivia that fills rainy afternoons at the bach. Lists include: New Zealand towns with the most brothels, gangs, weird crimes, dinosaurs most New Zealanders never knew we had, Shortland Street conquests, famous animals, uses of sphagnum moss, pubs on a university pub crawl, most popular snogging spots and more. It's wacky, fun, and more than a little bit weird.
GLOBAL WARMING – the result of human activity or just another environmentalist bandwagon? His interest piqued by the profound policy implications of global warming, and by evidence he'd seen on his motorcycle tour of the world, Gareth Morgan decided to find out the answer to the above question. His method was to hire the finest international scientists available to present their best arguments. Some were staunchly of the view that human beings are damaging the delicate climatic balance; others were equally convinced the evidence suggests that nothing out of the ordinary is under way. Far from an orderly discussion of the evidence from the natural world, Morgan and co-author John McCrystal found themselves stuck in the middle of a fractious, at times catty, but always mesmerising debate between two sides that are poles apart. Over the next eighteen months, the authors' task was to sift through the arguments and counter-arguments, the mud-slinging and the name-calling, the distractions and the distortions – much as a jury must, in a trial involving expert testimony from both sides. Slowly, painfully, the weight of evidence began to favour a single verdict. Poles Apart sets out the authors' conclusions as well as the path that led them there – because, after all, getting there was half the challenge.
One of New Zealand’s greatest rally drivers and a hill-climbing superstar tells his inspiring story for the very first time. Rod Millen was a hero of New Zealand rallying in the 1970s. Having won several championships he quickly established himself as New Zealand's number one driver. But thereafter Millen went on to do what very few Kiwis have achieved, finding podium success in American motorsport. He won the North American Race and Rally Championship in 1979, 1980 and 1981, then in 1989 Millen achieved perhaps his greatest feat, winning the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, America's second oldest motor-racing event. Writing his name into history, he went on to win the race more times than any driver. The hill-climb is often referred to as 'Millen's Mountain'. Rod Millen is also a highly successful businessman. As a continuation of his off-road driving interests, he founded Millenworks in California in 1980, specializing in cutting-edge light tactical vehicles, armored and off-road vehicles and subsystems for the US military and theme parks. Millen has recently returned to New Zealand, building a 140-acre, ocean-front estate at Hahei with a racetrack as a driveway, modeled on his favourite hill-climb corners around the world. He's also established Leadfoot Festival, a unique weekend held every two years at the estate, bringing together a mix of classic cars, vintage motorcycles and motorsport legends, inspired by the famous British Goodwood Festival of Speed. Aside from rallying, Rod is well known for other forms racing such as super touring, drifting and extreme off-road races like the Baja 1000 (often considered the most dangerous race in the world) and Transsyberia rally (which he won in 2007). Rod also won the Race to the Sky hill-climb in New Zealand in 2002 and posted the fastest time at the 2002 Goodwood Festival of Speed in England - and he still has the record up his own front driveway. The Cutting Edge is Rod's story, in his own words, of a life lived pushing the boundaries, of record-breaking off-road driving, working at the forefront of motorsport technology, and of creating the ultimate petrol-head heaven, right in his own backyard.
ON THE BUSES tells the whole story - from the rise of the mass motor transport and the days of "pirate" buses and cut-throat competition that ensued. Read about the hardy drivers and hard-working mechanics, the passengers and hostesses - and the dedicated industrial associations that kept the wheels moving throughout.Climb aboard - and kindly move down the back.
Austin Somerset, Morris Minor, Standard Vanguard, Ford Prefect, Vauxhall Wyvern, Jowett Javelin, Hillman Super Minx . . . names redolent of the heyday of British car manufacturing, and for a great many of us representative of the cars we grew up with. From dated-looking Forty-niner Fords and Chevy Fleetlines, to the 'otherwordly' Forward Look Chryslers; from the chastened lines of mid-60s Ramblers, Larks and Fairlanes, to the last of the genuinely stylish American cars: Mustangs, Camaros and Firebirds - these are the cars of movies and television, of magazines and novels, of hopes and dreams. A combined and updated edition of John's previous books Yank Tanks and The Cars We Loved, this book features the British and American classics adored by all New Zealanders.
Extraordinary escapades from a late-life adventurer 'Jo Morgan is a woman for our times. Fearless, determined, resourceful. An inspiring story of courage, vividly told with wry humour. A thoroughly engaging read.' JUDY BAILEY Mountaineer, adventurer, avid motorcyclist and constant traveller, Jo Morgan has lived an extraordinary life. The youngest of eight children, Jo was brought up largely by her mum after her father died when she was only one, and she has always had an adventurous side. As soon as she turned 15, Jo got her driver licence and bought her first motorbike: the start of a lifelong love affair. After meeting her future husband, Gareth Morgan, Jo got married and had a baby. Instead of settling down, though, the couple bought a passenger bus to live in with their children, setting the scene for a life less ordinary. Jo, along with Gareth and friends, has driven a motorbike through more than 110 countries and visited nearly 140 countries in total. But she would leave her greatest adventures till later in life when she took up climbing in her late fifties. She set herself a goal of summiting all 24 of New Zealand's 3000-metre-plus mountain peaks, with the help of her guide and friend Wolfgang, nicknamed The Machine. They would ascend all but two of them before tragedy struck, killing both Wolfgang and his colleague Martin. In Dancing with the Machine, Jo recounts the remarkable, often hair-raising and occasionally tragic story of her unconventional life.
New Zealand's health system is a political football, held together only by the high quality of our nurses and doctors, according to a new book from Gareth Morgan. While the local health system scrubs up surprisingly well globally, Dr Morgan finds a substantial mismatch between the public's expectations and what the health system actually delivers. From interviews with those working in the sector through to a detailed examination of the latest major review of the system known as the Horn Report, Morgan and Simmons go behind the scenes of the New Zealand public health system and bring clarity to the issues that need to be addressed if crisis is to be avoided. The book explores the consequences of ongoing avoidance of the tough calls on rationing and prioritisation. It considers how many New Zealanders are already suffering or missing out from health care because of ad-hoc interventions in response to pressure groups. Co-authored with former Treasury analyst Geoff Simmons, and written in Morgan's frank style, this book takes no prisoners as it explores which patients and treatments need to be given priority.
The ship was the ice-capable vessel, the Spirit of Enderby, and aboard were Gareth Morgan and 50 others, bound on a 30-day sea voyage to our far south - through the Southern Ocean, via the subantarctic islands and all the way down to Scott Base in Antarctica. With some of New Zealand's leading experts on the region along for the ride, the ship became a university by day and a party ship by night. And meanwhile, the wonders of this little-known part of the world - the wildlife, the sea-, land- and ice-scapes - unfurled before their eyes. Join Gareth and his crew on their voyage of discover, as they mix with penguins, albatrosses, seals, elephant seals, sea lions and whales on the way. Hear all about the issues: the race for resources on the frozen continent and in the Southern Ocean, the effects of over-fishing, climate change and habitat destruction - facing the region. Learn a little about the history and the ecology of these remarkable places. And laugh with the crew, too. By journey's end, you too will have an appreciation of what we stand to lose if we don't act to protect our far south. You'll never look at a mouse the same way again"--Back cover.
The Silk Rider trip was conceived after three biking trips of shorter duration - two in the Himalayas and one in the Andes. It was very clear that month-long trips are great but there is another level - a number of countries to navigate and borders to negotiate; a trip without any pre-arranged accommodation; a motorcycle journey without support vehicles so each rider is self-contained; and finally a theme to ride bikes by. That theme was "In the footsteps of Marco Polo" and it set a backdrop to this traverse of Eurasia. Marco (1254-1324) was born on Korcula, an island in the Adriatic off Split in Croatia. But he was raised in Venice and in 1271 set out with his two uncles for Cathay. The return journey took 24 years - outbound by land alone taking 3 years, in China for 17 years and then home by sea, dictating his book, "The Travels of Marco Polo", from a Genoa prison cell 3 years later in 1298. As he lay on his deathbed he confessed, "I have not told half of what I saw". Gareth, Jo and friends also started their trip in Venice and ended in Xanadu (Shangtu) - north-west of Beijing - where the summer palace of the Mongol (Tartar) leader Kublai Kan was located and where he met Marco Polo in 1275. Their timeframe (3 months) was a mere 1/12th of Marco's for the one-way land traverse and while most of it was along the route he took, they had a few diversions to take in points of interest - such as the dried-up Aral Sea.
The small business success story of New Zealand's first craft beer and the revolution it started. This is the story of a revolution - a very Kiwi kind of revolution, involving more beer than blood, although there was also plenty of sweat and tears. There was a time, not so very long ago, when you walked into a bar and ordered a beer: that was about as complicated as it got. You would end up with a glass of something fizzy, light brown to pale gold in colour, its flavour notable for what it lacked rather than anything it delivered. It was a strange state of affairs, because New Zealanders have always loved beer. But that all changed in 1981 when Terry McCashin and his wife Bev cobbled together a 'number eight wire brewery' and Mac's Brewery was born. The phenomenon we now know as the 'craft brewing movement' had begun. After two decades of hard work the McCashins sold the very successful Mac's brand to one of their competitors, and the story could have ended there. But Bev and Terry's children recently launched the latest incarnation of the McCashin family business, Stoke Brewery. This, then, is the story of the New Zealand brewing revolution sparked by Terry McCashin. Along the way, New Zealand - politics, society, the way New Zealanders do business, the place of former icons such as rugby and beer - everything changed profoundly over this period. The story of the McCashin family's business is also the story of so many of the small business owners that make up this country, and it's the story of the great Kiwi entrepreneurial spirit.
Historical and contemporary photographs with detailed captions show a cross-section of the social and economic history of New Zealand communities from the 19th century to the present day.
A miscellany of rugby trivia for the footy equivalent of trainspotters (and let's face it, there are thousands and thousands of them). Ranging from the weird to the drop-dead serious, the lists include: ACC's top rugby injuries, animals on the field, best rugby grounds 2nd or 3rd div, best-ever NZ fifteen, biggest gates, black days u eg 1981, broken limbs that changed the course of history, cases of rugby prowess used as criminal defence, famous and infamous yellow and red cards, most common medical operations for rugby players, famous ops (eg Jones's knee), curiosities from early years (eg Munroe's stick), family dynasties, famous altercations, great excuses for losing, greatest moments (according to 10 players), greatest try scorers, grudges, hazardous moves, international incidents, jokes, literary masterpieces centred on the oval ball, most valuable collectables, nicknames, odd team names, songs, scandals and conspiracy theories, streakers and much much more. It's every rugby fan's dream book, a way to while away the hours immersed in rugby arcana.
This second volume of The John McPhee Reader includes material from his eleven books published since 1975, including Coming into the Country, Looking for a Ship, The Control of Nature, and the four books on geology gathering under the title Annals of the Former World: Basin and Range, In Suspect Terrain, Rising from the Plains, and Assembling California.
Historical and contemporary photographs with detailed captions show a cross-section of the social and economic history of New Zealand communities from the 19th century to the present day.
An engaging woman-against-the-odds story about an entrepreneurial South Island sheep farmer. When occupational therapist Beverley Forrester's husband died suddenly she was left to run a farm she had barely worked. She set to, and learnt to farm it. She got serious about her wool and set up shop in the UK. She started exhibiting at trade fairs in England and exporting to Japan and Brazil and visited woollen mills in China. She joined the mission to save wool. At Black Hills, she restored the farm's historic limestone buildings. She is on the committee of the Canterbury AandP show and is an international sheep and wool judge. She also has her own fashion label and in 2013 she debuted at Fashion Week! Resilient, big-hearted, entrepreneurial and determined, Beverley Forrester is a treasure and this is her engaging story. It's also the story of North Canterbury's beautiful Hurunui district, and the pioneers who built it.
The John McPhee Reader, first published in 1976, is comprised of selections from the author's first twelve books. In 1965, John McPhee published his first book, A Sense of Where You Are; a decade later, he had published eleven others. His fertility, his precision and grace as a stylist, his wit and uncanny brilliance in choosing subject matter, his crack storytelling skills have made him into one of our best writers: a journalist whom L.E. Sissman ranked with Liebling and Mencken, who Geoffrey Wolff said "is bringing his work to levels that have no measurable limit," who has been called "a master craftsman" so many times that it is pointless to number them.
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