Know Your New Zealand Birds by Lynnette Moon; Geoff Moon

$15.00 NZD

Category: Natural History | Reading Level: very good

Featuring 80 of New Zealand's best-known bird species, this book provides key facts on appearance, call, behaviour and nesting details that allow the layperson to identify common species.

Know Your New Zealand Trees by Lawrie Metcalf

$15.00 NZD

Category: Natural History | Reading Level: very good

New Zealand is home to a remarkalbe variety of trees, many of which occur nowhere else in the world. This beginner’s guide from the authoritative pen of Lawrie Metcalf forms an easy-to-grasp introduction to over 80 of New Zealand’s best-known trees. Though free of jargon and extraneous information, the text is lucid and packed with all the key facts on shape and appearance, foliage, blossom and fruit details that will enable the layperson to identify the species they commonly see in bush, reserve and beyond. Each entry is accompanied by a succinct data panel and a full-page, full-colour portrait photograph – plus on occasion, detail photographs of fruit, flowers, etc. ...Show more

Exploring the Hauraki Gulf from Bream Head to the Coromandel by Linda Bercusson; John Walsby

$14.00 NZD

Category: Travel | Reading Level: very good

The Hauraki Gulf is a region of exceptional natural beauty and abundant recreational opportunities. A third of all New Zealanders live nearby, and many others come from around the country and overseas to enjoy the beaches, islands and waters. Exploring the Hauraki Gulf is an informative and handy guide for visitors and locals alike. Previously published as The Hauraki Gulf: From Bream Head to Cape Colville (Shoal Bay Press, 1999), this useful book has been extensively revised and greatly expanded to include the most up-to-date information. ...Show more

Pukewa Waihi by Don Lockwood (ed)

$50.00 NZD

Category: Regional | Reading Level: near fine

Price to be confirmed. A history of gold mining in the Waihi district. Pukewa Waihi is the Maori name for the hill also known as Martha in the town's centre. Martha Mone became the richest hard-rock gold and silver mine in New Zealand. It closed in 1952, reopened in 1987 as an opencast mine and is due t o close for the last time in 2007. ...Show more

A Man's Tall Dream - The Story of Eastwoodhill by John Berry

$25.00 NZD

Category: Natural History | Reading Level: very good

The Story of Eastwoodhill Arboretum.

One More Mile on the NZR by R C Reid

$30.00 NZD

Category: railway | Reading Level: very good

A first-hand account of working the railways of Otago and impressions of the area. The scope of change in the administration and operation of railways in New Zealand over the past 20 or so years means that these and other stories of this type have increasing historical value. Almost all the events and m achines described here are no more. This book is intended to appeal to railfans, also historians and anyone interested in transport and working life in past times. ...Show more

Lost Christchurch by John Wilson

$16.00 NZD

Category: Architecture | Reading Level: good

Maori Action Songs by Alan Armstrong; Reupena Ngata

$20.00 NZD

Category: Maori | Reading Level: good

80 Years behind the Lens

$40.00 NZD

Category: New Zealand | Reading Level: near fine

Footrot Flats 16 by Murray Ball

$10.00 NZD

Category: Humour | Reading Level: very good

Empire City - Wellington Becomes the Capital of New Zealand by John E Martin

$40.00 NZD

Category: Regional | Reading Level: very good

Empire City: Wellington Becomes the Capital of New Zealand takes Wellington from the first encounter between Māori and the New Zealand Company in Te Whanganui-a-Tara in 1839 to its becoming the Empire City by the 1870s. It tells the story that began with a small and fragile New Zealand Company Pākehā se ttlement relying only on whaling and racked by earthquakes. The story is how Wellington created a durable economic base and became a thriving political and commercial centre and the capital of New Zealand. With a prospering rural hinterland, an energetic mercantile community and an expanding port, and the administrative structure of central government, Wellington in the 1870s could look forward with confidence to its future as Empire City – the central nexus of the country and the local nexus of empire. Empire City brings the story of Wellington to life, from the invasions of iwi from further north in the early 1800s and uneasy coexistence of different iwi to the purchase of land by the New Zealand Company and the beginnings of Pākehā settlement. Whaling was replaced by pastoralism, the mercantile community rose to prominence, and a viable town with a polyglot population was established. The tales are wide-ranging and compelling, from politicians butting heads, to merchants prospering and others going bankrupt, to earthquakes and shipwrecks, Māori endeavouring to keep the peace or resisting the depredations of Pākehā settlement, the impact of the military in town, the citizenry’s establishment of a variety of social institutions and their enjoyment of diverse entertainments and sports, tales of the distressed and unfortunate underclass as exposed in court, and prisoners escaping from gaol. For its long-term future Wellington needed to secure a rural hinterland but it was hemmed in by rugged hills and heavy bush and the lack of land further north. The war that erupted in 1846 consolidated British sovereignty, purchases of land in Wairarapa and the west coast and the extension of roading helped the town gain a stronger economic footing, while its commercial sector developed apace. Gaining its own provincial government allowed a voice for Wellington and the long campaign began for it to become the capital. Political deadlock and the involvement of the lower North Island in the wars for a time hindered the town’s development and its agitation to become the capital, but in 1865 what had been a long-held dream became a reality. Wellington had truly become the Empire City. In the contributions made by Māori, the New Zealand Company, early Pākehā settlers, merchants, shopkeepers, working people, worthy and less worthy citizens alike, together with a host of institutions and organisations, we appreciate how Wellington came to be from such unpromising beginnings. This diverse, rich and turbulent story is the key to understanding Wellington’s status as the capital of New Zealand. ...Show more

Mana Whakatipu - Ngāi Tahu Leader Mark Solomon on Leadership and Life by Mark Solomon; Mark Revington

$15.00 NZD

Category: Maori | Reading Level: near fine

In 1998, just as South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu was about to sign its Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the government — justice of sorts after seven generations of seeking redress — a former foundryman stepped into the pivotal role of kaiwhakahaere or chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, the tribal council of Ngāi Tahu, Mark Solomon stood at the head of his iwi at a pivotal moment and can be credited with the astute stewardship of the settlement that has today made Ngāi Tahu a major player in the economy and given it long sought-after self determination for the affairs of its own people. Bold, energetic and visionary, for 18 years Solomon forged a courageous and determined course, bringing a uniquely Māori approach to a range of issues. Now, in this direct memoir, Tā Mark reflects on his life, on the people who influenced him, on what it means to lead, and on the future for both Ngāi Tahu and Aotearoa New Zealand. ...Show more