Any good non-fiction on NZ (especially South Island) to read while travelling?
 

And preferrably not too heavy ones :)

thanks,
kat

"Slipping into Paradise - Why I Live in New Zealand", by Jeffrey Mason. An American professor who moved to NZ writes about his love affair with his new country.

"Kiwi Tracks - A New Zealand Journey", by Andrew Stevenson. This travel author wandered about NZ, describing interesting places and characters as he tries to find his own lost way.

"This is New Zealand", by David Wall. A good comprehensive description of NZ's land and culture, with lots of photos.

Thanks, ALF!

The author of "Slipping into Paradise" is Jeffrey Masson. He has a unique outlook on life, which makes his impressions of New Zealand quite interesting.

"Kiwi Tracks" is a good read as well.

Lee Ann

Thanks, ALF and Lee Ann!

We won't be tramping in NZ (yes, pity). I did a search for "Kiwi Tracks" on amazon.com and am under the impression that it is mostly about tramping - would we be able to appreciate the book?

Thanks,
Kat

Well, it is true that during much of the book, Stevenson is tramping, but he spends most of that time talking about the people he meets, the discussions they had, and his own musings about NZ relative to his own life. As someone who has covered some of the same ground (literally), that was a great part of the book, but if you never ventured out on a single track, it would still be an interesting read. He does spend a little too much time feeling sorry for himself, and I wanted on several occasions to grab him by the collar and tell him to snap out of it and stop whining (or whinging). Other than that, I really enjoyed Kiwi Tracks.

Thank you for the "Slipping into Paradise" recommendation. I've requested it from the library and am looking forward to reading it!

ALF's assessment of Kiwi Tracks is spot on. Stevenson does whine a bit, but the conversations he has with the people he meets are really interesting.

Masson's book has a good-sized recommended reading list; I haven't read the books on it yet, but I plan to look for some of them.

Lee Ann

"Pavlova Paradise Revisited" is a funny and fascinating view of New Zealand by British MP Austin Mitchell. Kind of like a Bill Bryson "notes from.." book

I took along "Blue Latitudes". Everwhere you go in NZ, there are references to Captain Cook, so this is a good book to have read.

http://www.bluelatitudes.com/

Hello Matt,

I can't seem to find the book on amazon... but I did find "The half-gallon quarter-acre pavlova paradise" by Mitchell, published in 1972. But I don't think that's the one you were referring to?

Thanks,
Kat

Interest book - Otis! As it is a rather heavy book to bring to the trip (which is in just a week's time) I was wondering if you remember how much of the book is about New Zealand.

Thanks,
Kat

There's only one chapter about New Zealand but it's the voyages themselves that are interesting. Their impact is still felt today in the Maori relationships with the Pakeha. In the 18th Century, his expeditions had an impact similar to that of the manned space missions of the 20th or Lewis and Clark in the 19th.

It's a paperback that I have and not overly cumbersome. Whether or not you read this book, a little knowledge of Captain Cook's voyages will be helpful because they did have such an impact on New Zealand.

hi kat,
pavlova paradise revisited is the sequal to the book you refer to (original written in 1970's, and the sequal in 2002 ) It doesn't seem to be on amazon, but you can get in on nzbooks.com

http://www.nzbooks.com/nzbooks/produ...hell0143018264

Thank you so much, everyone! I think a trip to a bookstore while we get to NZ is in order :)

Kat