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The Spinoff

Books May 14, 2018

The 50 best new zealand books of the past 50 years: the official listicle.

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This week’s Ockham New Zealand national book awards marks the 50th anniversary of book awards in New Zealand. To mark the occasion, we asked 50 experts – authors, publishers, academics, booksellers – to name the very best local books published since 1968.

And the winner is Plumb . Maurice Gee’s  1979 novel was almost immediately regarded as The Great New Zealand Novel and it pretty much still is, going by The Spinoff Review of Books’ landmark survey, in which experts have voted Plumb as the best book of the past 50 years.

We assembled a panel of 50 literateurs – authors, publishers, academics, booksellers, the usual suspects – and sent them the entire list of New Zealand book award winners since 1968. This week’s Ockham ceremony marks the 50th anniversary of national book awards. We wanted to mark the occasion with something special, and we came up with…a listicle. But it’s a quality listicle. As follows are the top 50 books as voted by our panel of 50 experts.

A brief note on what wasn’t considered. We acknowledge that really good books very regularly miss out on awards, but they weren’t considered. Children’s books weren’t considered, either, so no room for titles such as Hairy Maclary or Alex or that existential masterpiece Mrs Wishy-Washy. The Yellow Pages wasn’t considered. We forgot to include Michael King’s massively popular  Penguin History of New Zealand in the awards list – it actually missed out on winning anything, apart from the Readers’ Choice – and acknowledge that it’s a bit of a fucking oversight it wasn’t considered. Still, King himself didn’t regard it as his best work.

We wrote to our panel, “Name the books you feel are the very, very best. Classics, favourites, important documents, just things you plain enjoyed reading the most – whatever.” And so they went for the old canon (Gee, Frame, Stead etc), but they also went about assembling a new canon. Ashleigh Young’s book of essays, which won last year, came in at number 11. From the same year, Hera Lindsay Bird’s book of poems was only just outside the top 20.

There were fascinating differences between the experts’ list, and the list as voted by our readers a few weeks ago . The readers by and large were suckers for fiction. The experts allowed for a lot more non-fiction, or “important documents”; there were popular studies of who we are and how we came to be, and books which acknowledged New Zealand as a nation built by two peoples, with Redemption Songs by Judith Binney, Te Puea by Michael King, and The Treaty of Waitangi by Claudia Orange all making the top 20. Special mention here for Civilisation at number 30.

Readers loved Lloyd Jones’s Mister Pip . Experts much preferred his earlier novel, The Book of Fame . Readers voted CK Stead’s debut novel in their top 20. So did experts. God knows why! Surely it’s nowhere near as sophisticated and imaginative as his later novel All Visitors Ashore (voted nowhere by readers, 34th place by experts.)

Janet Frame has two books in the top 10. Emily Perkins has two books in the top 20 – it was fascinating to see the votes pouring in for her wonderful debut,  Not Her Real Name . Sue McCauley, who now farms alpacas in Dannevirke, was remembered for her explosive 1982 Pakeha-Māori love story, Other Halves . You wouldn’t think anyone remembers Anthony Alpers anymore but there he was in the top 20 with his masterly biography of Katherine Mansfield.

Further down the list, there was the photography classic South Island from the Road by Robin Morrison; Lifted by Bill Manhire was the highest ranking book of verse; and Michael King ended up with three books in the top 50, confirming him as New Zealand’s most trusted author.

Anyhow. To the results of the landmark survey, the quality listicle, with special congratulations to Nelson man Maurice Gee, 86.

1 Plumb by Maurice Gee (Oxford University Press, 1979)

We asked Nelson Arts Festival readers and writers programme co-ordinator Kerry Sunderland to ask Maurice Gee to comment on Plumb topping the chart. He emailed, “I don’t think ‘top’ can be measured but it’s good to know that Plumb is remembered and that people enjoy it. Actually, I can be more enthusiastic than that: I’m chuffed.

“Forty years after writing it I can still be clear where it came from. I’d had something like it in mind for a long time, saving it up in a way – my grandfather novel – while I wrote the four that I now look on as apprentice novels. Nothing is better for a writer of my sort than to have interesting parents or grandparents. Maurice Shadbolt agreed with me – he wrote his own grandfather novel. My maternal grandfather, James Chapple, was brought alive – made more than just an old man I sometimes played draughts with – by stories my mother told my brothers and me about his early life. He had started as a Salvationist, became a Presbyterian home missionary at Kumara on the west coast, fathered fifteen children, was ordained as a minister, quarreled with Presbyterian doctrine and became a Unitarian, emigrated to California during the first world war, came back again when America turned out to be not pacifist after all (leaving a couple of rebellious daughters behind), was sent to prison for seditious utterance – and so on. He was a true rebel, willing to pay the price – and for his family to pay. He went the whole way into communism. One of the lectures that landed him in prison was called ‘The Glorious Bolsheviks of Russia’.

“What a marvellous gift he was to me: George Plumb ready made.

“Family stories weren’t the only thing I had. James Chapple’s quarrel with his church and his trial for seditious utterance were widely reported in the newspapers of the time. I made xeroxed copies. He published two collections of essays and lectures, kept notebooks full of ideas, anecdotes, jokes, for fitting into lectures here and there. My mother gave me these along with his heavily annotated bible. All of this was ground prepared and I had to grow an imaginary figure, George Plumb, out of it. Not an easy job but one I was more than ready for. And my circumstances were right at last: my daughters at school, my wife Margareta keen to go back to work and support the family while I wrote. So, in our new town of Nelson, in  a little room I had built under the house, I sat down to write Plumb.

“Forty years have gone by and I don’t remember much about the almost two years it took to write – I  kept my head down and kept at it, using what I was given and inventing much more. I learned Plumb’s voice and how to use it, and dipped into my bag of memories when I was stuck. The Plumb children are invented, they’re not my uncles and aunts although I can’t deny similarities, and one or two of them (the aunts and uncles) weren’t pleased. But the oldest Chapple son was delighted with nasty Oliver, the oldest Plumb son. And Meg Plumb, who was to be the voice of the second novel in the trilogy, was very like my mother.

“But beyond that, beyond what I was given,  I can’t say where the whole imagined world of George Plumb came from.”

2 To the Is-Land by Janet Frame (Hutchinson, 1983)

3 the bone people by Keri Hulme (Spiral, 1984)

4 Potiki by Patricia Grace (Penguin, 1987)

5 An Angel at My Table: An Autobiography, Volume II by Janet Frame (Hutchinson, 1984)

6 Redemption Songs: A Life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki by Judith Binney (Auckland University Press & Bridget Williams Books, 1996)

7 The Vintner’s Luck by Elizabeth Knox (Victoria University Press, 1999)

8 The Book of Fame by Lloyd Jones (Penguin, 2001)

9 Other Halves by Sue McCauley (Hodder & Stoughton, 1982)

10 Te Puea: A Biography by Michael King (Hodder & Stoughton, 1978)

11 Can You Tolerate This? by Ashleigh Young (Victoria University Press, 2017)

12 Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff (Tandem, 1991)

13 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (Victoria University Press, 2014)

14 Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History by Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney and Aroha Harris (Bridget Williams Books, 2016)

15 The Life of Katherine Mansfield by Anthony Alpers (Viking, 1981)

16 The Treaty of Waitangi by Claudia Orange (Allen & Unwin, & Port Nicholson Press, 1988)

17 = Pounamu, Pounamu by Witi Ihimaera (Heinemann, 1973); A Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, 2009)

19 Smith’s Dream by C. K. Stead (Longman Paul, 1972)

20 = The Sugarbag Years by Tony Simpson (Alister Taylor, 1974); Not Her Real Name, and Other Stories by Emily Perkins (Victoria University Press, 1996)

22 =  The South Island of New Zealand from the Road by Robin Morrison (Alister Taylor, 1982); Hera Lindsay Bird by Hera Lindsay Bird (Victoria University Press, 2017)

24 The Trial of the Cannibal Dog: Captain Cook in the South Seas by Anne Salmond (Allen Lane, 2004)

25 Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918–1964 by Chris Bourke (Auckland University Press, 2011)

26 Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (Penguin, 2007)

27 Tangi by Witi Ihimaera (Heinemann, 1974)

28 Lifted by Bill Manhire (Victoria University Press, 2006)

29 Moriori: A People Rediscovered by Michael King (Viking, 1990)

30 Civilisation: Twenty Places on the Edge of the World by Steve Braunias (Awa Press, 2013)

31 The Dictionary of New Zealand English: A Dictionary of New Zealandisms on Historical Principles by Harry Orsman (Oxford University Press, 1998)

32 Living in the Maniototo by Janet Frame (Braziller, 1980)

33 Amiria: The Life Story of a Maori Woman by Amiria Stirling, as told to Anne Salmond (Reed, 1977)

34 Bread and Roses by Sonja Davies (Fraser Books, 1985)

35 Shape-Shifter by Hone Tuwhare (Steele Roberts, 1998)

36 All Visitors Ashore by C. K. Stead (Collins, 1985)

37 Tu by Patricia Grace (Penguin, 2005)

38 A City Possessed: The Christchurch Civic Creche Case by Lynley Hood (Canterbury University Press, 2001)

39 The Unfortunate Experiment by Sandra Coney (Penguin, 1989)

40 Opportunity by Charlotte Grimshaw (Vintage, 2008)

41 Let the River Stand by Vincent O’Sullivan (Penguin, 1994)

42 The Art of Grahame Sydney by Grahame Sydney (Longacre Press, 20001)

43 Māori: A Photographic and Social History by Michael King (Heinemann, 1984)

44 Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand by Audrey Eagle (Collins, 1976)

45 The 10pm Question by Kate De Goldi (Longacre Press, 2009)

46 Two Worlds: First Meetings Between Maori and Europeans, 1642–1772 by Anne Salmond (Viking, 1992)

47 Rita Angus: An Artist’s Life by Jill Trevelyan (Te Papa Press, 2009)

48 The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton (Victoria University Press, 2009)

49 Oracles and Miracles by Stevan Eldred-Grigg (Penguin, 1988)

50 Tragedy at Pike River Mine: How and Why 29 Men Died by Rebecca Macfie (Awa Press, 2014)

More Reading

As chosen by: Elizabeth Alley, Sarah Jane Barnett, Steve Braunias, Linda Burgess, Kiran Dass, Kirsty Dunn, David Eggleton, Patrick Evans, Brannavan Gnallingham, Charlotte Graham-McLay, Charlotte Grimshaw, Scott Hamilton, Ella Henry, David Herkt, David Hill, Stephanie Johnson, Louisa Kasza, Fiona Kidman, Hirini Kaa, Rachael King, David Larsen, Graeme Lay, Paul Litterick, Tilly Lloyd, Danyl McLauchlan,  Marion McLeod, Claire Mabey, Bill Manhire, Philip Matthews, Buddy Mikaere, Paula Morris, Emma Neale, John Newton, Anne O’Brien, Greg O’Brien, Aileen O’Sullivan, Harry Ricketts, Elspeth Sandys, Sarah Schieff, Thom Shackleford, Peter Simpson, Elizabeth Smither, Guy Somerset, Kerry Sunderland, Philip Temple, Jenna Todd, Brian Turner, Holly Walker, Geoff Walker, and Bridget Williams.

The Spinoff Review of Books is brought to you by  Unity Books

The Spinoff Review of Books is proudly brought to you by Unity Books , recently named 2020 International Book Store of the Year, London Book Fair, and Creative New Zealand. Visit Unity Books Wellington or Unity Books Auckland online stores today. 

17 Amazing Books About New Zealand

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Travel across Oceania with the best books about New Zealand, fiction and nonfiction. These New Zealand books are sure to teach you more and take you there.

Many great books about New Zealand are rich in Maori culture and emphasize themes of race, colonialism, gender equality, and tradition versus modernity.

On the lighter side, explore New Zealand novels that are paranormal thrillers and fantasy stories with quests into mythical vortexes.

Plus, which books set in New Zealand will inspire your next vacation or at least encourage a little armchair travel there?

It goes without saying that with so many wonderful New Zealand books, it’s hard to choose what to read next.

Below, we are sharing just a few of the best books about New Zealand to read now. Of course, “best” is subjective, and we couldn’t possibly name all of the books NZ has to offer.

Be sure to let us know your favorites in the comments as you explore New Zealand authors, mysteries, mysteries, and contemporary fiction. Let’s get started.

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Table of Contents

12 Must-Read Books About New Zealand

By Dagney McKinney

1. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

Eight-year-old Kahu is a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, and her main hobby is trying to get the attention of her great-grandfather, the chief of the tribe.

Unfortunately, he has no time for Kahu, for he is a traditionalist and believes females to be something of a lost cause when it comes to leadership.

This is a huge problem for him and the tribe because there are no male heirs and Kahu is the only descendant of the chief.

But Kahu is determined to prove herself, and when hundreds of whales beach themselves on their island, she shows them that she truly is destined to lead the tribe.

For Kahu’s people proudly trace their heritage right back to the legendary Kahutia Te Rangi – the famed “whale rider” – and Kahu has inherited his ability to talk to whales.

Many of the best books about New Zealand are rich in Maori culture, and author Witi Ihimaera’s blend of myth and reality is no exception as he explores themes of race, gender equality, and the battle between tradition and modernity.

Read The Whale Rider : Amazon | Goodreads

2. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

In 1866, Walter Moody arrives in Hokitika, New Zealand as a prospector, looking to take advantage of the booming New Zealand gold rush.

Making his way through the stormy night to the Crown Hotel, he finds himself among the company of twelve men in the smoking room at the hotel.

The group has come to discuss a series of strange and unusual events that have recently taken place.

Among them is the death of a local hermit who was found to have a stash of hidden gold, the disappearance of a well-liked and wealthy young man, and the case of a prostitute who was found unconscious in the road, seemingly having attempted suicide.

As the men go over the incidents from their own perspectives, they find that Walter Moody also has a tale of import to tell, for while he was aboard ship on his journey to Hokitika, he believes he saw a ghost.

Coming in at over 800 pages, this is one of the longest books about New Zealand on this list.

But it is also one of the most loved New Zealand books ever printed, and the mixture of period drama, ghost story, and mystery thriller will have something entertaining for everyone. Read The Luminaries : Amazon | Goodreads

3. Falling into Rarohenga by Steph Matuku

On a day like any other, 16-year-old twins Tui and Kae come home from school to find that it is actually anything but.

Because today, their mother has disappeared – taken from the real world by their estranged father, and pulled through a mystical vortex that has appeared in her room.

Following on her trail, the twins find themselves plunging into the realm of Rarohenga, the Maori Underworld.

Now they have to find her in a world where everything is strange and seemingly no one can be trusted. And if they can’t do it in time, they’ll be trapped in Rarohenga forever.

Falling into Rarohenga is one of the more recent creative YA books NZ has to offer.

The world author Steph Matuku creates is evocatively written, and both the humor and the spirit of adventure needed for an exciting quest story are present. Read Falling into Rarohenga : Amazon | Goodreads

4. Butcherbird by Cassie Hart

Jena Benedict’s grandmother is dying, and even though the two are estranged, she makes the journey back to the family farm. Because Jena has questions that need answering.

Jena has been gone for twenty years, ever since her grandmother Rose banished her, following a fire that took the lives of Jena’s mother, father, brother, and baby sister.

Now, after all this time, she wants to know what really happened that night, and the real reason she was sent away.

Another person who wants these answers is Will, Rose’s live-in caregiver. He’s sure there’s something unusual and ominous about the farm and is determined to investigate.

But dredging up the ghosts of the past will have some dire consequences, as Jena and Will must deal with forces beyond explanation in order to solve this mystery.

A tense psychological horror, Butcherbird will be a great read for anyone looking for unnerving books set in New Zealand. Read The Butcherbird : Amazon | Goodreads

5. Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett

Against all odds, in 1864 two entirely separate crews, those of the Grafton and the Invercauld, were shipwrecked on opposite ends of one of the most remote islands in the world.

Auckland Island is just under 300 miles to the south of New Zealand, by which it is technically governed. But this inhospitable deserted island can feel like the end of the world to anyone shipwrecked here.

Two crews, two wildly different survival methods.

One crew is able to band together and survive. But on the other side of the island, unbeknownst to them, the other crew has descended into chaos and violence.

Island of the Lost is a true story about survival and leadership, and what a fine line we all walk between order and chaos.

This is one of the best non-fiction books NZ has to offer and is a must if you love books about shipwrecks .

Read even more books set on islands , including some deserted ones. Read Island of the Lost : Amazon | Goodreads

6. A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

When Anahera left her small, coastal New Zealand town of Golden Cove eight years ago to pursue her music career, she vowed never to return.

She was desperate to escape the poverty and lack of options that Golden Cove offered.

But after her wealthy husband unexpectedly dies and she discovers he had a mistress – a pregnant one no less – at the funeral, Anahera decides it’s time to return home and hopefully find some closure.

Golden Cove is a quiet town where very little of note has happened aside from the disappearance of three female hikers 15 years prior, when Anahera was a child.

That’s exactly why Will was banished here after a personal tragedy made him fall apart.

So when Miriama, a Maori girl with a scholarship out of Golden Cove, disappears without a trace shortly after Anahera’s return, Will knows he is in over his head.

And as an outsider, he’s going to have to work three times as hard to get the locals to open up and share secrets.

Nalini Singh is well known for her paranormal romances, but her foray into suspense shows just how talented she is.

A Madness of Sunshine is one of the best books about New Zealand for anyone who loves slow burn thrillers about social issues. Read A Madness of Sunshine : Amazon | Goodreads

7. Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff

Set in a squalid and violent housing project, Once Were Warriors tells the story of the Heke family.

They variously try to escape the harsh realities of their existence, find meaning in life, and keep the family from falling apart.

Jake Heke is the patriarch, spending his time getting drunk in the local pub and fighting anyone who he feels steps out of line.

His wife, Beth, is attempting to quit drinking, but finds it hard to avoid relapsing when the pressures of her home life become too great.

The eldest son, Nig, is trying to find the family connections he lacks at home in a street gang, and his brother Mark is in danger of being taken away and relocated by the state.

Only thirteen-year-old Grace shows any sign of wanting to educate herself, despite the odds against her.

It should be said that Once Were Warriors is both tragic and brutal, and one of the most full-on books about New Zealand on this list. However, it tells an important story very well.

This is the first of a series but still works as a stand-alone book. Explore even more Indigenous books, short stories, and poetry collections . Read Once Were Warriors : Amazon | Goodreads

8. The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield

In the titular story, we follow Laura, the daughter of a wealthy family throwing a garden party.

Throughout the day Laura becomes increasingly aware of her role within society as she is pushed by her family to be more proper and respectable.

In another story, we meet a young music teacher who is devastated that her fiancé has called off the wedding and urges her students to sing sad songs. While other stories are really more musings on life.

As with most short story collections, there are definitely some that are better than others.

However, the collection as a whole certainly offers insight into what life was like as a well off White woman in New Zealand at the time.

Written as she was dying from tuberculosis in Europe, this final short story collection is set around her home country of New Zealand.

It explores many universal themes such as isolation, societal roles, and grief, while at the same the characters often express great reverence for the wonderment of the world around them.

Classics definitely aren’t my thing, but Katherine Mansfield is said to be the only other author whose writing made Virginia Woolf jealous.

So if you love classics, this should be one of the first New Zealand books you pick up. Read The Garden Party and Other Stories : Amazon | Goodreads

9. Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame

Still just as powerful as it was on its first publication in 1957, this seminal and experimental novel follows 20 years of the lives of the Withers family, focusing on the young Daphne.

As she struggles to come-of-age in post-war New Zealand, she is deemed to be mentally unsound, and institutionalized.

Whilst undergoing some very questionable treatments, Daphne’s view of the world distorts as the boundary between sanity and madness becomes blurred.

Containing prose, poetry, and dreamlike imagery, Owls Do Cry doesn’t exactly have a plot, per se.

However, this is a deliberate choice, and it adds to the overall feel of the book, putting us closer to being in the shoes of our main protagonist.

Author Janet Frame drew upon her own experiences in mental institutions to create this tragic tale, a story which is considered to be one of the classic New Zealand books and a modernist masterpiece. Read Owls Do Cry : Amazon | Goodreads

10. Cousins by Patricia Grace

Mata, Makareta, and Missy are the three titular cousins in this historical fiction novel that centers Maori culture and history.

The book starts shortly after WWII and jumps forward through several important events throughout New Zealand’s history that profoundly affected the Maori population, such as the 1975 Land March and Maori urban migration.

Through it all, we see this history through the cousin’s eyes as the book’s POV rotates between the three at different times in their lives.

As these events and the cousins’ stories unfold, we also see the effects of colonization on their family and lives.

Patricia Grace is a Maori author, and she writes with love and rage for her people and culture.

Cousins is one of the most eye-opening books about New Zealand’s stolen generation and the devastating ripple effects of colonization. Read Cousins : Amazon | Goodreads

11. The Last Time We Spoke by Fiona Sussman

One evening’s events, and nothing will ever be the same again.

While preparing to celebrate her wedding anniversary, Carla Reid’s farmhouse home is invaded by Ben Toroa and his gang member associate.

After a series of brutal crimes, the robbery results in one person dead, one gravely injured, and Carla’s life in ruins.

But even when the criminals are captured, tried and imprisoned, Carla must still come to terms with how things have turned out.

Even though justice has been served, nothing will bring back the life she had.

And while Ben considers how all his unfortunate circumstances led him to this situation, the two find that their fates have been inexorably combined.

A poignant study of grief, recovery, and the circumstances that lead us to do the things we do, The Last Time We Spoke is one of the most unsettling books about New Zealand and perfect for those who love a hard-hitting thriller.

Just make sure to check for trigger warnings before you go in. Read The Last Time We Spoke : Amazon | Goodreads

12. Poison Bay by Belinda Pollard

When you’re suffering from a broken heart, it can be a good idea to get away from it all.

This idea is what spurs TV reporter Callie Brown to join in with a reunion of old friends who have decided to trek into the dangerous and remote mountains of New Zealand.

But what makes this trip even more unusual is that one of them wants the rest dead.

In a similar vein to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None , Poison Bay is an isolated murder mystery that sees a group of people unravelling as secrets come to light and allegiances shift.

Although this isn’t necessarily a groundbreaking addition to the genre, its unique setting in the breathtaking Fiordland National Park makes it worthwhile.

For those looking for fast-paced atmospheric books about New Zealand, Poison Bay is a great option. Read Poison Bay : Amazon | Goodreads

More New Zealand Books

Save The Best Books About New Zealand For Later:

Grab your favorite New Zealand novels for later:

Thank you to TUL contributor, Dagney McKinney

Dagney (pronouns: any) is a neurodivergent writer who loves all things macabre and weird. She likes outrageously spicy food, long walks through graveyards, and historical tangents. You’ll most likely find her wandering around somewhere quiet or underground, buying salt, or whispering to camels.

What are your favorite books set in New Zealand?

Have you read any of these books about New Zealand, and who are your favorite New Zealand authors? Are there any more New Zealand books we should add to our list? Please let us know in the comments!

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7 brilliant books about New Zealand

Recently updated on July 19th, 2023 at 03:27 pm

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books about New Zealand that get you in touch with the people, culture and landscapes. Before you travel to New Zealand , get your head stuck into one or all of these great reads to learn more about the land of the long white cloud .

Let these nonfiction and fiction novels be your New Zealand travel guide as you get lost in the pages before seeing the fantastic country up close and in real life. These New Zealand books will let your imagination run wild, then when you visit you can compare your thoughts and ideas with reality while exploring the north and south islands.

Pounamu Pounamu (1972) by Witi Ihimaera

Written by one of New Zealand’s most famous Maori authors, Witi Ihimaera is best known internationally for his novel Whale Rider that was also turned into a film . Dive a layer deeper and read Pounamu Pounamu, which is considered a literary classic. The New Zealand book is actually a series of short stories that explore what it is like to be a New Zealander, but from a Maori perspective. They examine the crossroads of Maori culture, tradition and family life in the 1960s in New Zealand. 

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The Penguin History of New Zealand (2003) by Michael King

Let this book about New Zealand’s history educate you with the most interesting facts and historic gems. Michael King was a leading historian and this book is an unchallenged contemporary reference on the history of New Zealand. Did you know it was the last place to be settled by humankind? Or that it was the first full democracy? From colonisation to independence, this novel charters everything including the relationships with the indigenous Maori people and all the social and cultural change over the years.

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Wild Journeys (2018) by Bruce Ansley

If you plan to travel to New Zealand, plan to spend time outdoors. It’s here that spectacular landscapes and incredible moments are made. In this non-fiction book, New Zealand travel guide Bruce Ansley tells the tales of the most iconic Kiwi journeys in history. Retrace the path of doomed surveyor John Whitcombe across the Southern Alps, sail around the north and south capes, hunt for the South Island’s Grey Ghost and so many more. Let these journeys inspire your own exploring.

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RELATED CONTENT: 5 local New Zealand travel experiences you can do that give back to the community  

Wildboy (2015) by Brando Yelavich

Let a young Brando Yelvich be your New Zealand travel guide as he circumnavigates the coastline by foot. In this true story a 19-year-old Brando spends 600 days walking 8700 kilometres across his country. Setting out for the adventure of a lifetime, this book about Brando is New Zealand’s answer to Bear Grylls. Read on as he takes you on a journey through the great outdoors, catching fish and hunting food, coming up close with seals, sharks and more.

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GET INSPIRED: Contrasts of New Zealand

We Can Make a Life (2018) by Chessie Henry

When Christchurch ws badly rattled by the 2011 earthquakes, Kaikōura-based doctor Chris Henry crawled through the burning CTV building to rescue those who were trapped. In this brave memoir his daughter Chessie interviews her father to better understand the trauma that led to his burnout, unravelling stories about her own family history, and the psychological cost of heroism, home and belonging along the way.

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Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All (2008) by Christina Thompson

Another memoir, this New Zealand book illustrates a cultural collision between Maoris and Westerners from the 18th and early 19th century through to her own love story now. Grown from decades of research, this novel tells the extraordinary love story between Thompson, an American woman, and her husband, a Maori man, while looking back at the relationship between the two wildly different cultures. 

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The Luminaries (2013) by Eleanor Catton

If you love a long, challenging fiction read this complex novel twists fate, fortune and New Zealand’s gold rush into a page-turning tale. Set in 1866, a young Walter Moody arrives on a stormy night and is drawn in by a number of mysterious and unexplainable situations. Join him in this world of banking, shipping and the gold rush boom and bust.

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GET INSPIRED: New Zealand Uncovered

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (1954-55) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Okay, so reading about the fantasy set in Middle Earth isn’t exactly going to educate you about New Zealand and its many wonders. But since all three of the films, adapted from the books, are set exclusively in New Zealand, it might be worth brushing up on the fantasy series. There is also a behind-the-scenes book called Anything You Can Imagine by Ian Nathan that goes in-depth into the filming process with cast and crew interviews and more. If you travel to New Zealand and are a big LOTR fan, you absolutely must visit Hobbiton and other film locations.

If you are planning to travel to New Zealand, which New Zealand books would you read before departing? Let us know in the comments…

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• 10 of the Best New Zealand Books

By Orla O Muiri

4 minute read

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These New Zealand authors have managed to capture historic events, moments and works of fiction that demonstrate New Zealand’s personality to its full extent. If you’re looking for some ideas of books to read before you visit New Zealand, then picking one or two from this list will give you an interesting insight into our rich cultural heritage. Here are just a few of the best New Zealand books.

1. The Bone People by Keri Hulme (1984)

It’s not a light and easy read, but after 12 years in the making, it deserves a bit of time to get the teeth into. The ambitious story follows three characters as they struggle very hard to find out what love is and how to find it - all amidst tackling the clash between the Māori and European people. It’s not a romantic story as such, in fact, it’s filled with violence, fear, and twisted emotions, but it’s beautifully and poignantly written. 

“In this novel, New Zealand's people, its heritage and landscape are conjured up with uncanny poetry and perceptiveness.”Sunday Times

The author, Keri Hulme, won New Zealand’s Pegasus Prize for Literature (1984) for the book. It then went on to win the prestigious Booker Prize (1985).

2. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013)

Another award winner, this incredible work of fiction won the Man Booker Prize in 2013 and was recently made into a BBC/TVNZ mini-series. The novel showcases a piece of Victorian-era New Zealand during the 1860’s gold rush period. The story follows Walter Moody, a young man trying his luck in the country’s goldfields. On arrival in Hokitika on the South Island’s West Coast, he finds himself in the midst of a series of unexplained events, from the vanishing of a wealthy man to the discovery of a large fortune in a drunkard’s home. it is one of the best books about New Zealand and truly captures life on the West Coast goldfields.

3. A Good Keen Man by Barry Crump (1960)

This book is one of the most read books in our history! It’s a hilarious take on life in New Zealand and a great representation of our typical New Zealand ‘bloke’. You’ll find yourself transported to the rugged backcountry as you discover what it takes for a young New Zealand man to master the art of deer culling and being a good bushman.

4. Pounamu Pounamu by Witi Ihimaera (1972)

Witi Ihimaera wrote this book in 1972 and is one of our most famous Māori authors. In fact, his novel Whale Rider was made into a very successful movie . Pounamu Pounamu is well thought of as a literary classic and is made up of a series of short stories that capture the intersection between Māori culture, tradition and contemporary family life in 1960s New Zealand. The story explores what it’s like to be a New Zealander from a Māori perspective.

5. The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King (2003)

New Zealand may indeed have been one of the last places to be settled by humankind, but there are still many historic gems to uncover. This book offers you one of the most comprehensive narratives of the country’s journey from colonization to independence and all the cultural, social phenomena that came with it. If you’d like to learn more about our history, this is one of the best books about New Zealand.

6. Squashed Possums: Off the Beaten Track in New Zealand by Jonathan Tindale (2015)

OK, so now for something a bit more light-hearted! For a spot of travel inspiration, you can’t beat this. The book follows the adventures and mishaps of Tindale during a year spent in New Zealand. His story follows his life as he makes his home in a caravan, dubbed the Squashed Possums, as he gets a taste of life in the wilderness across all four seasons – including the coldest winter the country had experienced in decades. Not the time to be in a caravan!

7. Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff (1990)

This is a heavy story but an important one to be told. Once Were Warriors is a bestselling novel and was made into a movie with the same name. Alan Duff’s incredibly raw depiction of domestic violence and the social struggles of the Māori population is what makes this book a force to be reckoned with. The story follows the Heke family and conveys the relationship between tradition and an overall loss of a sense of place.

8. The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox (1998)

One of the most famous works by award-winning New Zealand novelist Elizabeth Knox. The Vintner’s Luck is an unconventional love story set in 17th Century France. A young vintner comes face-to-face with a mysterious angelic figure, and the angel becomes his main counsel and protector as life’s tribulations, from marriage to the impact of the Napoleonic Wars, unravel around him.

9. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd (1983)

A brilliant kids book! If you haven’t read this one to your kids or grandkids then bag yourself a copy now. This is the first (and most famous) book out of Lynley Dodd’s Hairy Maclary series. Hairy Maclary is a Scottish Terrier dog who gets in all kinds of shenanigans with his friends. In Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, you’ll be introduced to the characteristic rhyming patterns and colourful illustrations that have made these books a favourite among Kiwis of all generations.

10. A Kiwi Year: Twelve Months in the Life of New Zealand Kids by Tania McCartney & Tina Snerling (2017)

In this gorgeous children’s book, the New Zealand identity is captured through the main characters Charlie, Ruby, Oliver, Mason and Kaia, who each represent a different cultural background. You’ll travel with them on an illustrated journey through the year and learn more about the country’s celebrations, traditions and events. You’ll discover more about our modern-day culture, heritage and the everyday life of kids around the nation.

Now take your pick and get reading! Let us know what you think and if there are any other books we should add to the list.

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Academy of New Zealand Literature

Best Books 2021

Our literary year began with confidence — books published, festivals and book awards back in person — and ended with Covid-related distribution delays, event postponements and reduced programmes. National Poetry Day happened online only for the second year in a row. For several months Auckland writers couldn’t attend live events elsewhere in the country — including Verb Wellington and a delayed Word Christchurch — and a slew of books had lockdown launches, or no launch at all.

A number of events, like the National Māori Writers Hui, moved to November and then into 2022. Still, despite the reduced footprints and numbers of international writers at our festivals New Zealand audiences turned up, embracing long-distance live streaming of literary events — including Kazuo Ishiguro at the Auckland Writers Festival. That festival had over 60,000 attendees, and the Ockham NZ Book Awards attracted 700 to its live event in the Aotea Centre, its largest-ever audience .

Our festival audiences weren’t the only ones supporting local books and writers. In November, Booksellers NZ reported an increase in books sold, up 17 per cent from 2020 in year-to-date sales .

At the ANZL we continued to commission and publish in-depth book reviews — with shortened versions of many appearing in Canvas magazine in the Saturday New Zealand Herald— and host round tables, including the Ockham fiction finalists and a conversation on literary biography, memoir and letters in New Zealand. Recently we began publishing book charts for fiction and nonfiction every Monday, in partnership with the award-winning Time Out Bookstore.

For Christmas we canvassed regular contributors for their favourite books of the year, and spoke to both Time Out and McLeod’s Book Shop in Rotoroa about their best sellers. Jemma Morrison, manager of McLeod’s, compiled a list of their top-selling Māori titles in 2021, revealing that all but two of their top ten (for adult readers) are nonfiction. The two fiction titles are Auē by Becky Manawatu, winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at last year’s Ockham NZ Book Awards, and psychological thriller Tell Me Lies by J. P. Pomare, another 2020 title that continues to win new fans.

McLeod’s top Māori title of the year is Hinemoa Elder’s Aroha: Māori wisdom for a contented life (Penguin), published pre-Christmas last year and still selling around the country: it features on this week’s ANZL Time Out chart. Well-being, health, cosmology and matauranga Māori are the subjects of some of the other Māori top-sellers this year, including Matariki: The Star of the Year by Rangi Matamua (Huia 2017) and Living by the Moon: Te Maramataka a Te Whānau-ā-Apanui by the late Wiremu Tāwhai (Huia 2014). Two books by Ngahuia Murphy (published by He Puna Manawa) are both perennial sellers for McLeods: Te Awa Atua: Menstruation in the Pre-Colonial Maori World (2013) and the bilingual Waiwhero: The Red Waters—A Celebration of Womanhood (2014).

One of the most beautiful books in McLeod’s top ten is Hinemihi: Te Hokinga—The Return by Hamish Coney, with photography by Mark Adams, and contributions by Keri-Anne Wikitera, Lyonel Grant and Jim Schuster (Rim Books 2020). This is a celebration of the house Hinemihi o Te Ao Tawhito, carved by Tene Waitere and Wero Tāroi, and soon to return to her original owners here — Tūhourangi and the wider Te Arawa iwi — after a century standing in the gardens of Clandon Park in Surrey.

The top ten also includes two language titles: Hona Black’s He Iti te Kupu: Maori Metaphors and Similes (Oratia 2021), with almost 500 sayings in te reo and English, and Scott Morrison’s ever-popular Māori Made Easy (Penguin 2015).

Time Out has the same 2021 bestseller as McLeod’s — Hinemoa Elder’s Aroha (Penguin 2020) — and its top ten is also dominated by nonfiction titles. At number two is the memoir sensation of the year, The Mirror Book , by Charlotte Grimshaw (Vintage 2021) — more on that title below.

Other memoirs on the year’s top ten are This Pākehā Life: An Unsettled Memoir by Alison Jones (BWB 2020), a deserving nonfiction finalist in this year’s Ockham NZ Book Awards and reviewed here by Stephanie Johnson , and Michelle Langstone’s essay collection Times Like These (Allen & Unwin 2021), reviewed here by Angelique Kasmara . Kasmara also reviewed another top nonfiction seller for Time Out , the true-crime Missing Persons by Steve Braunias (HarperCollins 2021).

The final nonfiction title on their list is Shifting Grounds: Deep Histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland , by Lucy Mackintosh (BWB 2021), only published in November but selected for numerous best-of lists: it’s been Time Out’s top nonfiction seller since its publication.

One poetry collection — Tayi Tibble’s acclaimed second book, Rangikura (VUP 2021) — makes the Time Out list. The three works of fiction on the year’s top ten were all finalists or winners at the Ockham NZ Book Awards, suggesting the increased impact of our annual national prizes: Bug Week by Airini Beatrais (VUP 2020); Auē by Becky Manawatu (Mākaro 2019); and Catherine Chidgey’s Remote Sympathy (VUP 2020) — reviewed here by Sally Blundell .

Time Out’s top title for younger readers this year was Spark Hunter by Sonya Wilson (Cuba Press 2021), set in a magical Fiordland. At McLeod’s, top-selling Māori titles for young people this year included two illustrated titles, Kia Kaha by Stacey Morrison and Jeremy Sherlock (Puffin 2021) — ‘a collection of true stories about amazing Māori’ — and the stunning Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes by Gavin Bishop (Puffin 2021).

We asked our own regular contributors for their favourites, confining them to books published in 2021. One book appeared in so many ‘best’ lists we’ve singled it out as book of the year, in a category all its own. It’s Charlotte Grimshaw’s The Mirror Book , reviewed here by Rachael King . Other ANZL contributors describe it as ‘honest, engaging and humble’; ‘explosive and delicate’; and ‘an utterly riveting account of how an author made (and remade) herself.’

We asked Charlotte about the (massive) response she’s received from readers. She says: ‘Most readers say the book has made them think about their own families and the complexity of their own experiences. I’ve had lots of emails from psychologists, too. To me, the most superficial and irrelevant response is to call the book “literary gossip” and to wonder what in it is “true.” (It’s all true.) The readers who’ve got the point of it have understood that the themes are universal. As I said in the Frank Sargeson Memorial Lecture, “We could have been any family, in any country. My father could have been a poet published only in Icelandic, say. This is a book about the  mind. ”

‘My family did have an unusual problem, that of compulsive fictionalising, and that was central and interesting to me, but it’s a book about trauma, memory, difficult relationships, love, personality disorders, and growing up in New Zealand. It’s not intended only as a book about personal experience. It’s about conformity and dissidence, autocracy and democracy. It’s about the family as a power structure, as a microcosm of a regime. It’s about politics in the age of Trump, and it’s about literature, and the way we fictionalise experience. I think if it was only a book about “the Steads” it would be entirely trivial. As I’ve said and will keep saying, It’s not a book about me me me, it’s really a book about  all of us.  ‘

From memoir to a roman à clef: Crazy Love by Rosetta Allan (Penguin 2021) was one of our fiction picks of the year, about a ‘devoted but difficult marriage’, reviewed here by Stephanie Johnson . Another contributor notes: ‘For me the central question in this raw, visceral work is if love does indeed conquer all, is it worth the cost?’

Emma Neale ’s The Pink Jumpsuit: Short Fictions, Tall Truths (Quentin Wilson 2021) was another favourite, described by one contributor as ‘a wicker hamper of pyrotechnics’ and ‘intensely engaged with what it means to be alive’. It was reviewed here by Josie Shapiro .

Honourable mentions to speculative thriller Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (Cuba Press 2021), reviewed here by Tom Moody , and Sue Orr ’s novel Loop Tracks (VUP 2021), reviewed here by Stephanie Johnson .

Our top poetry title this year was The Sea Walks into a Wall by Anne Kennedy (AUP 2021), recent recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement. A (rave) review by Sophie van Waardenberg will be published on this site after Christmas. David Eggleton notes that the world of the book ‘is both holy and fallen. These poems range widely, from Hawaii and Iowa, to Florence and London, to Māori land protestors standing in the rain at Ihumātao, and throughout the poet weaves a deft pattern of connections. She writes of floods, storms, and thunderous waves; and about the narratives of the moment, the human surplus that eludes legal tidiness and finality of judgement.’

Our contributors also cited Sleeping with Stones by Serie Barford (Anahera Press, 2021), Burst Kisses on the Actual Wind , by Courtney Sina Meredith (Beatnik Press, 2021) and Vunimaqo and Me (Kava Bowl Media) by Daren Kamali. The first two were reviewed here by David Eggleton. One ANZL contributor urges everyone to ‘see Kamali perform live — he’s mesmerising.’ A special mention for Cold Hub Press of Lyttelton, champions of neglected authors, who published Rejoice Instead: Collected Poems by the late Peter Hooper, an environmentalist and avid  tramper.

Aside from The Mirror Book , nonfiction was a crowded category for ANZL contributors, with enthusiastic endorsements for Vincent O’Malley’s Voices from the New Zealand Wars / He Reo nō ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa  (BWB 2021): it ‘goes deep into the historical sources and reveals how the Māori-Pakeha conflicts of the 1840s–70s continue to shape us.’

Two essay collections made multiple lists: John Summers’ The Commercial Hotel (VUP 2021) with its tales of ‘a small-town, twentieth century New Zealand rapidly receding in the rear vision mirror’; and the vivid, lyrical Small Bodies of Water (Allen & Unwin / Canongate 2021) by Nina Mingya Powles , exploring diasporic homes and identities via swimming, eating and travelling.

Two titles from the Time Out list appeared on our own lists —Missing Persons by Steve Braunias and Lucy Mackintosh’s Shifting Grounds— and we were also impressed with Alexander McKinnon’s Come Back to Mona Vale (OUP 2021), an ‘intimate and sometimes horrifying history of a disputatious Christchurch dynasty’.

One anthology featured on our year’s-best list: A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa NZ , edited by Paula Morris and Alison Wong (AUP 2021). This landmark collection of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction by 75 emerging writers — featuring work by Angelique Kasmara as well as ANZL members Gregory Kan , Nina Mingya Powles and Chris Tse — was reviewed here by Saradha Koirala .

Finally, some of our contributors made cases for some ‘overlooked’ books of the year. Ian Wedde lobbied for Bruce Connew’s photographic essay A Vocabulary  (Vapour Momenta Books), including written work by Rangihiroa Panoho. ‘The photographs are of headstones and other types of hard memorial texts that are the material ghosts of colonialism and resistance to it in many forms.’ David Eggleton recommended Vaughan Rapatahana’s poetry collection ināianaei/now  (Cyberwit), with its ‘playfight between te reo Māori and demotic Kiwi English in the backyard that sometimes turns into a serious scrap.’

Josie Shapiro’s choice was first novel The Disinvent Movement by Susanna Gendall (VUP), with its ‘gorgeous prose, philosophical meanderings and a darkly funny underground protest movement.’ Angelique Kasmara also picked a first book, Ten Acceptable Acts of Arson and other very short stories by Jack Remiel Cottrell (Canterbury UP), reviewed here by Victor Rodger : ‘a volume this pithy, inventive, and funny should at least be shallow,’ says Kasmara, but Cottrell ‘dives deep, coming up with dark insights and genuinely poignant moments.’

'I started to feel very guilty, as though I’d perpetrated a crime, a rort' - Stephanie Johnson

BOOKS TO READ BEFORE VISITING NEW ZEALAND

by Jub | Apr 25, 2021

The following are books about New Zealand you should consider reading before travelling the country.

I’ve personally read each book, and they talk about New Zealand from a variety of different angles in different genres.

Where practical, I include:

• an introduction to the book about New Zealand
• why you should read the book
• some of my favourite quotes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Legacy by James Kerr 2. The Real McCaw: The Autobiography by Richie McCaw 3. Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff 4. Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump 5. The Meaning of Trees by Robert Vennell 6. Dictionary of Slang in New Zealand by Noel Kelly

6 BOOKS ABOUT NEW ZEALAND

1. legacy by james kerr.

James Kerr wrote this book in an attempt to understand how the All Blacks have experienced sustained success over a long period of time and what principles he (and us) can apply to our own lives and business. As a byproduct, you get to learn about the NZ culture too.

James distilled his learnings into 15 chapters:

Character, Adapt, Purpose, Responsibility, Learn, Whanau, Expectations, Preparation, Pressure, Authenticity, Sacrifice, Language, Ritual, Whakapapa, and Legacy.

WHY READ THIS BOOK?

• It’s a super easy read considering academic books on this topic can be a tough slog.
• Knowing something about the All Blacks will help you connect with Kiwis.
• The book references Maori culture and the haka throughout.

5 OF MY FAVOURITE QUOTES

• “The haka reminds us of the inherent fragility of all life. How little time is given to each of us. And how much we still have to do. It reminds us: This is our time.”
• ‘The history of All Blacks rugby has been so successful that the expectation in New Zealand is that we win every Test,’ says Graham Henry, ‘and I think that is good for the team. If you didn’t have that expectation, I’m sure we wouldn’t reach the standards we do.’
• For a whānau to function, everyone must move towards the same point.
• No one person has all the answers, but asking questions challenges the status quo, helps connect with core values and beliefs and is a catalyst for individual improvement. After all, the better the questions we ask, the better the answers we get.
• ‘…”You don’t own the jersey, you’re just the body in the jersey at the time.” It’s your job to continue the legacy and add to it when you get your opportunity. The current All Blacks team is playing for the guys that have played in the jersey before. That’s hugely important to the current guys.’

BUY ON AMAZON HERE

RELATED POST: VISIT THE NEW ZEALAND RUGBY MUSEUM

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2. THE REAL MCCAW: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY RICHIE MCCAW

What makes this book more intriguing is that All Blacks went onto win the 2015 Rugby World Cup, a few months after this was published. In doing so Richie cemented his legacy of one of the greats, if not the greatest.

The book avoids any gossip and instead focuses on Richie himself. It starts way back in his home growing up in Canterbury and provides many insights into how his family influenced him as he became one of the countries most famous people (but doesn’t love the limelight).

You get a real insight into how Richie developed as a person, in a career that has provided so many highlights, he doesn’t ignore the lowlights and goes into how he addresses them.

• The book starts from when Richie was a child, letting you get some insight into what it’s like growing up in New Zealand.
• Richie is one of the greatest rugby players of all time, with one of the most important roles in New Zealand (All Blacks Captain).
• Richie provides insight into his goal-setting and preparation, with practical takeaways you can use.
• In RWC knockout, it’s binary: two columns, win or loss; the classic zero-sum equation: for every winner, there has to be a loser. If winning was pro forma, victory wouldn’t be worth striving for. Victory is only sweet because you always risk losing.
• ‘If you learn from your own mistakes you pick up experience, if you learn from someone else’s mistakes you pick up wisdom.’
• Gratification doesn’t have to be instant. The further I get from that final whistle on 23 October 2011, the more I enjoy it.
• I tell myself that if it’s like that for this week, I’m sweet. I can get through. If you’re ever going to be a bit tough, if ever you’re going to grit your teeth and get on with it, this is the time.
• When you look at that black jersey with the silver fern, yes it’s unique, but it’s just a piece of cloth sitting there. It only becomes something special when it’s filled by men who have the right to wear it, men who are prepared to do things that others aren’t prepared to do.

3. ONCE WERE WARRIORS BY ALAN DUFF

Once Were Warriors is a book that was also made into a movie. And the movie was a popular one that teachers loved us to study for English. I haven’t watched the movie for 10 years or so, so reading the book (for the first time) in 2019 was super interesting as I wasn’t expecting the different endings.

In short, the plot focuses on Maori culture and domestic violence, which, unfortunately, depicts a scene that hasn’t changed for a lot of families despite being written over 25 years ago.

It’s a brutal read, but one that touches on the not-so-perfect aspects of New Zealand. You’ll pick up some slang along the way too.

• Kiwis are known to shorten/combine multiple words…this book has a lot of examples!
• It’s a story that’ll get you emotionally.
• It’s not a feel good story and must have been hard to write, which is even more reason to read it.

4. WILD PORK AND WATERCRESS BY BARRY CRUMP

Wild Pork and Watercress was published in 1986 with well-known New Zealander Barry Crump. Known as a bloody good bloke, this book was what the 2016 movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople was based off. The book goes into more depth than the movie but does manage to retain its comedy value throughout making it one of the best books in NZ for hikers .

The story focuses on two main characters. Ricky is a misfit of a kid who had started going down the wrong road in life but ends up living in NZ with his Aunty Bella and Uncle Hec. Unfortunate events see Uncle Hec and Ricky off to the bush where the majority of the story is told.

They have their ups and downs, but the best part of the book is you can really picture them in the bush! It’s incredible, and an easy read for people of all ages.

• Hunt for the Wilderpeople was released 30 years after the book. Loved the movie? You’ll love the book.
• It’s an fun easy read, but you’ll get an insight into some struggles NZ families go through (it’s a relatable story for many early on).
• You might find yourself hiking in Urewera National Park where the story is based.

5. THE MEANING OF TREES BY ROBERT VENNELL

What an awesome book! If you’d asked me to read a book about trees growing up, I would have laughed at you. But I really enjoyed this book all about New Zealand’s native trees. I’m mostly gutted I didn’t get it until the week before I was flying out of NZ again, so I’ll have to wait until my return trip to apply and reaffirm everything I learned in this book.

For a book on trees, Robert makes this a surprisingly easy read. There are a couple of scientific bits which are unavoidable, but for the most part, the book is written in a conversational tone and has plenty of stories (including Maori legends regarding various trees) making it enjoyable throughout.

• You’ll love being able to identify some of the trees and their properties when you go hiking.
• You can save money by learning what trees you can eat 😀
• The Maori legends told in the book are super interesting!

3 THINGS I LEARNED

• Maori parents have been known to put a sprig of kawakawa under the bed during sex for good luck when trying to get pregnant You can make your own kawakawa tea easily .
• Bracken roots were regularly eaten in the early days by Maori, unfortunately, it has constipation effects…which meant it was often used to treat diarrhea…it’s also now known as a carcinogen.
• The leaves of the Rangiora tree make good toilet paper as they’ve got a soft-paper-like feel. Collect them when you see them!

6. DICTIONARY OF SLANG IN NEW ZEALAND BOOK BY NOEL KELLY

The New Zealand accent is hard enough for many to understand, but add in New Zealand slang and many are left wondering if we’re speaking English at all.

There are a few books on the countries slang, but this book is comprehensive and includes every possible word, even if the origin of the words is debatable. It’s great for a laugh, although like any dictionary you won’t be reading it from start to finish. It’s a coffee table/conversation starter material.

• It’s good for a laugh.
• Learning the local lingo/slang is a great way to connect with people.
• It’s a great conversation starter for the coffee table.

5 FUN SLANG DEFINITIONS

• Sure beats shovelling shit! an exclamation of muted acceptance of a so-so job/opportunity/situation.
• Hit it off to have a good relationship with someone.
• Pig Island the South Island for North Islanders.
• Piece of piss an easy task, a simple activity, a very easy result.
• Mabes maybe (abbreviation)

You can’t buy the book on Amazon.

You can contact the author on Twitter here . Send him a private message to arrange payment and the shipping of the book (he can send the book overseas).

What do you think are the best books about New Zealand?

If you’d like to share your own suggestion, leave a comment below or email [email protected] .

RECOMMENDED READING

• Love house sitting? Check out my Kiwi House Sitters review
• Some facts about NZ
• 70 Tips for travelling New Zealand

Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.

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15 Best Books Set in New Zealand

This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a commission at no additional cost to you.

If you like to read and perhaps you are preparing for your trip to New Zealand or you simply really like this country, here you will find a list of books that you can start devouring to get involved in its culture and landscapes.

New Zealand is a popular tourist destination that has inspired many tales through the years. The country’s literature perfectly captures all facets of its landscapes and people, from the cultural to the natural.

In Maori, it is known as Aotearoa (“Land of the Great White Cloud”). NZ is a country on the continent of Oceania, separated from Australia by 2000 km of ocean. It is made up of several islands, with much of its population on two main islands: the North Island and the South Island.

A very interesting fact is that New Zealand was the last territory discovered by Europeans and also the one that was later inhabited by humans. Maori culture is the heart of New Zealand. In it reside the values of the first humans who inhabited these islands, and although they now live in cities and towns, they have preserved their language and traditions.

Add these stories to your to-read list. The list contains fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and young adult books!

Grab your favorite New Zealand books here:

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Novels and Fiction set in New Zealand

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

In this book, Eleanor Catton shows a part of Victorian New Zealand. Set in New Zealand’s South Island in 1866, the novel follows a young Walter Moody who has come to make his fortune in New Zealand’s goldfields.

Instead, he stumbles into a tense meeting between twelve local men and is drawn into a complex mystery involving a series of unsolved crimes: a wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk.

The novel’s structure is based on the system of Western astrology, with each of the twelve local men representing one of the twelve signs of the zodiac, and with another set of characters representing planets in the solar system.

Buy on Amazon | View in Goodreads

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

The story is set in New Zealand and is about three emotionally wounded but sympathetic characters: a man, a woman, and a child.

Each character carries a personal story of fear, suffering, and twisted emotions. As they struggle to discover what love is and how to find it, they have a long way to go to accept that they don’t deserve to be alone and that they can find happiness, family, and friendship.

The book forces the reader to consider the complexity of human behavior and how thin the line between love and abuse can be.

The Colour by Rose Tremain

Set in New Zealand in the mid-nineteenth century, The Colour is a historical fiction that displays the beauty and hardship of a newly colonized land. 

The story begins with the arrival of newlyweds Joseph and Harriet, along with Joseph’s mother, in New Zealand to start a new life after some unpleasant events in England.

When Joseph finds gold in a creek bed, he hides the discovery from both his wife and mother and becomes obsessed with the riches awaiting him, even if he must leave his farm and his family.

In the book, Rose Tremain gets deep inside the hearts and minds of the characters, sifting through their hopes and despairs and secret motivations.

Died in the Wool by Ngaio Marsh

For mystery fans, this novel will be a great option to pick. The story is set on the South Island of New Zealand at the time of World War II.

Over a year after a missing woman, Florence Rubrick turns up dead and packed into a bale of wool from her own wool farm, Roderick Alleyn is called to help solve the mystery.

After many witness interviews and investigations of suspects, Alleyn sets a trap to catch a murderer and a spy. The trap works but who will be found in it and why?

 A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

A thriller/suspense story about the secrets that rest in small towns where everyone thinks they know everyone but where there are dangerous secrets.

Anahera Rawiri left New Zealand at twenty-one, fleeing small-town poverty and the ghosts of her childhood with no plans to look back. But eight years later, she returns.

Shortly after her arrival, a local woman named Miriama Hinewai Tutaia vanishes while jogging. At first, people assume she was injured or got lost in the forest, but when a search party fails to find her the community fears the worst.

Will Gallagher is a police detective recently assigned to Golden Cove, leading a search that quickly escalates into an official investigation after this case is connected with similar ones from the past.

Wild Journeys by Bruce Ansley

Bruce Ansley captures the essence of wild NZ with his and others’ experiences, retracing the steps of those mainly long gone.

Including stories like the mythical path to Erewhon, George Wilder’s prison escape route through the volcanic plateau, the Maori prophet, and faith-healer Rua Hepetipa’s track in the Ureweras, searching for the grey ghost in Fiordland or finding New Zealand’s most remote gold-mining settlement and surviving the graveyard trip on the Bluebridge ferry.

Non-fiction books about New Zealand

The Happy Isles Of Oceania by Paul Theroux

In this book, the American writer recounts his experiences on the long journey through the South Pacific. With a kayak, he embarks on an 18-month tour in which he visits 51 different islands.

Starting in the New Zealand rainforests where he treks (on the Routeburn Track), he learns about Maori culture, admires the country’s beautiful landscapes, and interacts with fellow travelers and New Zealanders. Until he reaches the coast of Hawaii where he ends his journey.

If you are interested in the islands of the South Pacific, you will probably enjoy this book.

100 Amazing Tales from Aotearoa by S. Morton and R. Hotere

Writing a book about museums must be almost as difficult as designing the museum itself. But the authors have done an amazing and very interesting job of compiling 100 short stories about the exhibits.

The book is a behind-the-scenes look at the most prized pieces at the Te Papa Tongarewa museum in New Zealand.

It’s a book that will appeal to adults and children alike because the combination of information and entertainment is perfect.

We Can Make A Life by Chessie Henry

Spanning a family history of adventure, love, bravery, and loss, Chessie Henry writes tenderly about her family’s journey through multiple traumatic experiences – including the Christchurch and Kaikōura earthquakes – and their unbending courage in the face of them.

The book opens with an email from Christopher Henry, Chessie’s father, describing his burnout following years of non-stop work as a rural doctor. But it is not only a call for help from Chris, the letter is a warning against the overwork of the New Zealand medical personnel.

From there, Chessie begins to recount pieces of her family history, before and during her existence as her daughter in that family. The result is a neatly ordered memoir: each chapter tells a segment of the family story.

In summary, We Can Make a Life is a beautiful, thought-provoking, and brave memoir that many readers in New Zealand and around the world will connect with.

The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King

If you want to know practically anything about New Zealand or anyone of consequence to its history, Michael King is your reference source.

The author keeps a great balance between the Maori, Pakeha, and European perspectives. King begins by describing prehistoric New Zealand. He describes its geological and biological history, its unique and impressive indigenous lifeforms, and the mythology of the earliest human occupants.

From there, King moves forward covering New Zealand history in chronological order. It is a book you must read if you want to learn about this wonderful country.

Children’s books set in New Zealand

New Zealand: Travel for Kids by Dinobibi Publishing

This is the best travel guide for kids to learn about New Zealand culture and geography.

With Dinobibi and Jack, kids will have fun discovering New Zealand: its history, geography, flags and symbols, wildlife, culture, and more!

Inky the Octopus by Erin Guendelsberger

This is an amazing book based on an actual escape by an octopus from his tank in an aquarium in New Zealand. The best octopus book for kids looking to learn more about aquatic animals, marine biology, and aquariums, and the illustrations are large and vivid, perfect for capturing the attention of children and grownups. 

Koko and the Great Bear by Rosie Chenault

Before Koko can become the chief of his tribe, he must first go on an adventure in search of a mysterious bear to help him overcome his fear. A heart-warming tale about finding courage from within in order to reach your dreams.

Young adult books set in New Zealand

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

This book by the Maori writer conveys the historical link between New Zealanders, the sea, and the whales.

It is the story of Kahu, an 8-year-old girl, the last descendant of the tribe who claims descent from the legendary “whale rider”. Her great-grandfather is the chief of this tribe, called Whangara. In each generation, a male has inherited the chief title.

But now there is no male heir, only Kahu. She should be next in line for the title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees her as a useless child.

However, she will fight to please her grandfather and be loved by him, to show him that she has what it takes to become a chief, lead her people, and communicate with the whales.

Awakening by Natalie King

A captivating read that will thrill and inspire, intrigue, and mystify young adults.

Zelie Taylor moves with her family to New Zealand, but she has no idea how drastically her life is about to change. When she pulls a lost necklace out of the icy waters of the lake, she begins to think she’s crazy to hear a male voice in her head.

But what she doesn’t know is that Tamas’ soul has been trapped in the silver necklace since 1918. His body is nearby, sleeping, and Zelie must help him awaken.

And what is waiting for Tamas when he does emerge? It seems that the sinister force that trapped him all those years ago has returned and is growing more powerful.

What Are Some Of Your Favorite Books In New Zealand?

Have you read any of these books set in New Zealand? Do you know some great books that I’ve missed? What is your favorite book set in New Zealand? I’d love to hear your thoughts on your favorites in the comments below!

More Great Books

Start by checking out all our books set in destinations around the world, or if you’re after more set in and around Oceania, try these books set in Australia .

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At NZ Booklovers we are passionate about books and believe they inspire and enhance people's lives. Find out about the best books as they publish! Check here for reviews, author interviews, articles and competitions.

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22 Of The Best Books To Read In 2024

By Jessica Best

2nd Feb 2024

Whether you’re a life-long bookworm or you’ve never quite gotten into reading, now is the perfect time to fall in love with books. As it's our 10th birthday we asked for your favourite read right now and you didn't disappoint. From crime and romance to non fiction wonders and heartbreaking reads, there's something for everyone in this list. 

The ultimate way to escape reality and travel through time periods and continents, put these epic books to the top of your reading list.  

Chai Time At Cinnamon Gardens

By shankari chandran.

Guys, when a book wins a Miles Franklin award—you read it.  Chai Time At Cinnamon Gardens  has taken out the aforementioned literary award for 2023 so take this as your sign to add this one to your bookshelf (or your Kindle collection, you do you). Ultimately delving into themes of family, inequality, memory, community and race, the story takes place at Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home based in Westgrove, Sydney. Set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War and spanning multiple timelines, you'll read about the nursing home's residents and their colourful histories, a busy kitchen and a recreation schedule to boot. On paper, Cinnamon Gardens should be a sanctuary but naturally, prejudices end up challenging its very existence. We love it and we know you'll love it. Buy it here.

Seeing Other People

By diana reid.

If there's one book we've been waiting for, it's Diana Reid's Seeing Other People . It's been just over a year since Reid's debut novel, Love & Virtue , hit shelves and rocked the literary boat so strap yourselves in for your summer reading essential. After two years of lockdowns, Eleanor has just broken up with her boyfriend and Charlie’s career as an actress is starting up again. They’re finally ready to pursue their dreams—relationships, career, family—if only they can work out what it is they really want. When principles and desires clash, Eleanor and Charlie are forced to ask: where is the line between self-love and selfishness? In all their confusion, mistakes will be made and lies will be told as they reckon with the limits of their own self-awareness.  Seeing Other People  is the darkly funny story of two very different sisters, and the summer that stretches their relationship almost to breaking point. Buy it here.

12 Steps To A Long And Fulfilling Death

By sarah smith.

Brought to us by Sarah Smith—TV writer and showrunner on the likes of Amazing Grace, Bite Club, All Saints, McLeod’s Daughters and more— 12 Steps To A Long And Fulfilling Death is impossible to put down. Set in Los Angeles, Stacey is seemingly living the good life until she realises she is, in fact, dead. Now the question remains—who killed her? Her perfect fiance? Her sociopathic ex? Her slightly creepy therapist? Not your typical murder mystery, this book is full of dark humour and is hugely entertaining. Buy it here . 

Sad Girl Novel

By pip finkemayer.

If you finished Seeing Other People in record time, pick up a copy of Pip Finkemayer's stunning debut,  Sad Girl Novel . Told through the eyes of Kim, a twenty-something Australian navigating the complexities of love, friendship, and mental health in Berlin, this novel will have you laughing, crying and wanting more. A book about finding yourself, losing yourself and everything in between, Finkemayer will draw you in with her stark realism and heartbreaking honesty. Buy it here .

Over This Backbone

By ya reeves.

Over This Backbone  takes readers on an emotional journey that moves seamlessly between Peta's present-day trek across the Australian Alps Walking Track and her turbulent past. As the story unfolds, you'll witness Peta's transformation and her journey of self-discovery as she runs from the toxic relationship which drove her to walk the 680km alone. Follow Peta as she rebuilds her strength and fall in love with the Australian landscape in Ya Reeves' debut novel. Buy it here .

The Ninth Life Of A Diamond Miner: A Memoir

By grace tame.

Yep, the legend that is Grace Tame has written a book and it’s set to hit shelves this September. Titled The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner , Tame’s memoir is everything you’d expect it to be—sharply intelligent, funny and an essential read with an optimistic vision for our future. She’s also illustrated the cover “using a cheapo $1 ballpoint pen from Woolies”. We already love it. Buy it here.

Wildflowers

By peggy frew.

Meg and Nina have been outshone by their younger sister Amber since childhood. But Amber's life has not gone the way they all thought it would and now the three of them are together for the first time in years, on the road to a remote holiday rental in Far North Queensland, where Meg and Nina plan on helping Amber overcome her addiction. This one will be pretty impossible to put down. Buy it here.

This Devastating Fever

By sophie cunningham.

This Devastating Fever feels a bit like a blast from the past and in the best way possible. This is Cunningham's first fiction in almost 15 years which, to us, is already a sign that you should run to the bookstore and buy it now. Written from the perspective of Alice, this one takes you back to a time when worse disasters were yet to come. Environmental collapse. The return of fascism. Wars. A sexual reckoning. A plague. Buy it here.

The Lessons

By john purcell.

Alright, this is the comfort read for you when everything else in your life is spiralling—thank us later (especially if you go weak at the knees for any book featuring themes around love and betrayal). In 1962,  teens Daisy and Harry meet, it feels so right they promise to love each other forever. However, in 1960s England everything is stacked against them: class, education, expectations—it's a no dice kind of situation. This one feels like  Persuasion and  A Room With A View.  Buy it here.

Forty Nights

By pirooz jafari.

Tishtar runs a small legal practice in Melbourne where he has a new client, Habiba, who wants to bring her orphan nieces to Australia from war-torn Somalia. He is also a migrant, having left the civil unrest in Iran to find a new life in a new country. As Tishtar becomes consumed with Habiba’s tales of war-torn Somalia, his own childhood memories return and he reflects on the time he spent at his grandmother’s house to escape the atrocities that unraveled post the Islamic Revolution.​ Buy it here.

Something Blue

By alex sarkis.

Trust us when we say this is the read of the month. In this whip-smart and heartfelt social comedy, 26-year-old Nicole Najim is struggling to find herself after a painful breakup, just when she thought she was going to settle down. Working a dead-end job in the family car dealership and at a loose end, she picks up her camera and returns to the melting pot of Sydney’s West to rediscover her roots. When she catches up with her childhood friend who makes his living in Sydney’s underbelly, their relationship intensifies just as the law starts to close in. Buy it here.

FIFO—Fit In Or F*ck Off!

By melody dia.

FIFO – Fit In or F**k Off!  explores the challenges fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers and their families face, including the disconnect to family and friends, feelings of displacement, isolation, and the ever-present drug culture. The play follows two families, Jono, Mary and Janey, whose lives have been impacted by mining. The book is filled with all the wry humour, turbulent emotions and unflinching truths everyone needs to hear. Buy it here.

Cartwarra Or What?

By alf taylor.

This novel is a selection of poems and stories from Alf Taylor’s works that span several literary genres, and is representative of an older generation of Blak writers who were survivors of the Stolen Generations. This collection delicately weaves together his past works for a new generation, in which not much has changed. Buy it here.

When Things Are Alive They Hum

By hannah bent.

There's no question that this award-winning book should be your next read. In When Things Are Alive They Hum , Marlowe and Harper share a bond deeper than most sisters, shaped by the loss of their mum when they were younger. For Harper, her and Marlo are connected by an invisible thread, kind of like 'the hum that connects all things'. For Marlowe, they are bound by her fierce determination to keep Harper, born with a congenital heart disorder, alive. At 25, Marlowe is finally living her own life abroad, pursuing her studies of a rare species of butterfly secure in the knowledge Harper’s happiness is complete, having found love with boyfriend, Louis. But then she receives the devastating call that Harper’s heart is failing. She needs a heart transplant but is denied one by the medical establishment because she is living with a disability. Buy it here.

Yiayia Next Door: Recipes From Yiaia’s Kitchen And The True Story Of One Woman’s Incredible Act Of Kindness

By daniel and luke mancuso.

Your favourite Instagram account has just been turned into a tangible book you can hold, hug and squeeze for eternity. By now, you should all know the incredible story behind the famed Instagram account @yiayianextdoor — a truly heartwarming story of how a Greek grandmother next door stepped in and started looking after and passing home-cooked meals over the fence to young Daniel and Luke Mancuso after they tragically lost their beloved mother Teresa to domestic violence. Now, the wholesome trio have banded together to bring you a collection of traditional recipes from Yiayia’s kitchen , and those of yiayia’s from all around Australia, for that matter. You can flick between spanakopita, hearty pastas, mouussaka, baklava and that damn delicious custard-filled galaktoboureko. The best bit? A percentage of the sales of this book will actually be donated to the Australian Children Foundation, a support network for children who have been abused or hurt by family violence. Buy it here.

Cleopatra And Frankenstein

By coco mellors.

Alrighty people, ome are saying this is the next big read geared for a Netflix adapation (bar Boy Swallows Universe , of course) so let's just say you'll want to hook your literary teeth into this one sooner, rather than later. Told from varying perspectives, Cleopatra And Frankenstein is about all the shock waves caused by one couples impusive marriage. The interwining narratives are oddly relatable too, in their own kind of weird, as Cleo and Frank (who is 20 years Cleo's senior) fall head over heels in love with each other, only to painfull fall out of love some years later. Centred in privelege and New York's elite, thank us later. Buy it here.

The Lost Daughter

By elena ferrante.

You've watched the Netflix movie from Maggie Gyllenhaal, so now what? Well, good news is The Lost Daughter was a sensation read before it hit the screen, Elana Ferrante being one of Italy's most cherished author's. Leda is devoted to her work as an English teacher and to her two children so when her daughters leave home to be with their father in Canada, Leda decides to take a holiday by the sea, in a small coastal town in southern Italy. But after a few days of calm and quiet, things begin to take a menacing turn. Buy it here.

To Paradise

By hanya yanagihara.

If you know anything about the book world, you'll be well across the incredible author that is Hanya Yanagirhara. An American novelist, editor and travel writer from Hawaii, Yanagirhara is the incredible brain behind the modern classic— A Little Life , (which we've obviously included further below) a stunning and complex telling spanning three centuries about family and loss through the American experiment.

In Yanagihara's next book, To Paradise , things are set in an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people can live and love whomever they please. The young descendant of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist's damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him - and solve the mystery of her husband's disappearance. it's mega and by god you need to read it, stat. Buy it here.

The Night Circus 

By erin morgenstern .

Compared to the wonders of Harry Potter , the book follows the intriguing Le Cirque des Rêves which magically appears in Victorian London one day, drawing attention for its black and white striped tent and odd operating hours—sunset to sunrise only. But behind the bright lights, the story really centres around two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been pitted against each other since birth. But despite the competition and everything that is at stake, the two fall in love and suddenly everything—including which magician will be left standing— hangs dangerously in the balance. Read it here.  

The Road Trip

By beth o'leary.

If smart, thoughtful, romantic dramas are your vibe (aka the perfect weekend read) then look no further than this novel from Beth O'Leary. The Road Trip follows Addie who along with her sister, embarks on a road trip to a wedding in Scotland. But everything is derailed when they get into a car accident… with Addie's ex, Dylan, who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier. Dylan and his mate are heading to the wedding too, and they've totaled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets… what could go wrong? Read it here . 

Villa Vanessa 

By gary brun.

It tells the story of Paul Greene whose life is torn apart when his daughter Vanessa is killed in a terrorist attack in Paris. In an effort to feel closer to her, Paul packs up his life in Australia and moves to France. Consumed by his grief his days begin to bleed together, a mess of drunken afternoons by the sea. But when a surprise email from his daughter’s mysterious friend arrives, everything changes. With plans to restore a villa over the summer in the memory of his daughter, the pair grow close—eventually falling in love before falling apart. Read it here . 

Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life

By emily nagoski.

Come As You Are uses groundbreaking science and research to prove that the most important factor in creating and sustaining a sex life filled with confidence and joy is not what the parts are or how they’re organised but how you feel about them. Which means that stress, mood, trust, and body image are not peripheral factors in a woman’s sexual wellbeing; they are central to it. Divulging new information and research on mindfulness, desire, and pleasure, Nagoski has crafted a revolutionary book. Read it here.

Once you've finished these awesome reads, work your way through the best new movies on Netflix in Australia or New Zealand . 

Image Credit: Cool Book Club Official

Urban List editors independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. Urban List has affiliate partnerships, and if you purchase something through the links in this article, we will earn a commission from those partners. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here .

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This week’s bestselling books – May 10

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ReadingRoom in association with

1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)

A free copy was up for grabs in last week’s free book giveaway. Readers were asked to share a story of wartime or military bravery, honour, or sacrifice. There were a great many entries and all of them made for powerful reading; they told of Gallipoli and Vietnam, they spoke of stretcher bearers and warzone correspondents, they were full of the kind of humility and modesty that was such a hallmark of Pippa Latour, who operated behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied France, and never spoke of her experiences until the truth slowly started to emerge.

I liked all of these stories. I would like to read more, and declare that the giveaway remains open.

To enter the draw to win a copy of the book which will surely stay at number one for weeks, share a family wartime story, or a personal wartime story, or any kind of wartime story you read or heard about and has stayed with you, and email it to  [email protected]  with the subject line in screaming caps  I WANT TO READ THE LAST SECRET AGENT WITH MY OWN EYES.  (Please, for God’s sake, don’t just send an entry without bothering to write something, which so many time-wasters do; their emails are trashed.) Entries close at midnight on Sunday, May 12.

2 Foraging New Zealand by Peter Langlands (Penguin Random House, $50)

3 Evolving by Judy Bailey (HarperCollins, $39.99)

4 Feijoa by Kate Evans (Hachette, $39.99)

5 Hine Toa by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (HarperCollins, $39.99)

I hereby declare that this stunning new memoir is one of the three best books published this year, along with the essay collection  The Beautiful Afternoon  by Airini Beautrais, and Peter Walker’s book about the giant Haast’s eagle , Hard by the Cloud House , which ReadingRoom is devoting all this week to covering. ReadingRoom recently devoted all week to covering  Hine Toa , too; it included  an extract from her memoir, recalling two violent incidents when being lesbian in Aotearoa put her life in danger  and a review by Talia Marshall, who wrote, “Even as a grandmother she is sexy as fuck. I pored over the glossy photographs that make up the middle of the book because back in the day she was hot stuff.”

6 The Team that Hit the Rocks by Peter Jerram (David Bateman, $39.99)

Powerful account of the Wahine disaster. It includes an eyewitness describing what it was like for survivors picked up by a tug, and sent below: “It was horrible down there: people vomiting over each other, over the furniture, over crew members’ clothes; people in shock. I felt more insecure down there than at any other time. I wasn’t exceptionally cold in just trousers and an Aertex shirt, but it was a scene from hell, really.”

7 Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder (Penguin Random House, $30.00)

8 M ā ori Made Easy Pocket Guide by Scotty Morrison (Penguin Random House, $24)

9 Dame Suzy D by Susan Devoy (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)

10 Dinner, Done Better by My Food Bag (Penguin Random House, $40)

1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)

2 The Secrets of the Little Greek Taverna by Erin Palmisano (Hachette, $36.99)

3 The Space Between by Lauren Keenan (Penguin Random House, $37)

4 Amma by Saraid de Silva (Hachette, $37.99)

5 the prism and the rose and the late poems by Schaeffer Lemalu (Compound Press, $30)

Posthumous collection of poetry by the author (1983-2021) whose work also featured earlier this year in the anthology Katūīvei: Contemporary Pasifika Poetry from Aotearoa New Zealand . Co-editor of Katūīvei , David Eggleton, was asked in a Massey University Press questionnaire to choose a stand-out poem, and replied, “Many poems in this collection are inspirational or revelatory, but if I must choose one, let it be the long, self-probing, self-questioning, introspective poem ‘im’ by the late Schaeffer Lemalu, which speaks very much to our immediate, almost apocalyptic, moment with its Pasifika-centred global anxieties and uncertainties that we are all caught up in.”

6 Sewing Moonlight by Kyle Mewburn (David Bateman, $39.99)

7 The Call by Gavin Strawhan (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)

8 Dark Sky by Marie Connolly (Quentin Wilson Publishing, $37.99)

Crime fiction. A professor of astronomy is found dead in one of the telescope domes at  the Mt John Observatory near Lake Tekapo! My father lived in Tekapo for a while, and worked as a cook at the observatory; he fed his signature dish, beef stroganoff, to very large American scientists and technicians. It’s an amazing place, high up in snow country, quite desolate and very beautiful – I was reminded of it years later when I went to Scott Base in Antarctica, which would also make a really good setting for a murder. Bravo to Connolly for thinking of placing a dead body on top of Mt John. The stroganoff did it, lol.

9 The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $35)

10 Bird Child and Other Stories by Patricia Grace (Penguin Random House, $37)

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Top 10 best-selling NZ Books: May 11

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Our most popular books for early May. Photos / supplied

1. The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin)

This June, it will be 80 years since D-Day. Pippa Latour, who died in West Auckland late last year aged 102, helped lay the groundwork for the operation’s success by acting as a secret agent in France for Britain during WW II.

“I was not a James Bond-style spy,” said Latour. “I was a secret agent whose job it was to blend into the background and cause quiet chaos.” It was exhausting work; she was unable to trust anyone, had several code names and was often hungry. It was desperately perilous, too. Many of the 13,000 Special Operations Executives were killed, including 14 women out of 39 in France. The average life expectancy of male wireless operators in France when she served was six weeks. Latour’s was a truly remarkable life all around, and The Last Secret Agent, co-written with Jude Dobson, is a clear and fluent account. Read the review here.

2. Foraging New Zealand by Peter Langlands (Penguin)

Kiwis clearly love the idea of foraging our forests and fields and riverbanks for edible wild plants, and in current times there’s probably an economic element as well. Liv Sisson’s Fungi of Aotearoa sold pallet-loads when it came out last year, and we can expect Peter Langlands’ book, from the same publisher, to do the same. Langlands is perhaps the country’s only professional forager, collecting wild flora for restaurants and running workshops. It’s a chunky guide, 500 pages, that picks out 250 plants and fungi from about 7500 edible species. The book warns of stuff not to touch, and plants that look like others but are verboten. The range is impressive. You may know you can eat samphire and wild chervil, but be surprised that you can scarf parts of rengarenga, pōhutukawa stamens, wandering willie. You can read an interview with Peter Langlands here .

3. Evolving by Judy Bailey (HarperCollins)

In which the person who presented our TV news from 1986 to 2005 (“I just fell into it”) offers an “inspiring and personal guide to ageing well and with happiness”. It covers older health, fitness (she does Pilates), finances and embracing joy, as well as the inevitable losses and griefs of a life. Bailey says being in your 70s today is a world away from what it used to be. “We’re out there doing things and we’ve got a lot to contribute,” she told the Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.

4. Feijoa by Kate Evans (Moa Press)

A new guide to and history (with recipes) of our second-favourite oval fruit.

David Hill in the Listener said: “Feijoas: there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground with them. You either breathe in their sun-and-summer scent as you anticipate that first honey-lush slide of them over the papillae (indeed, I’m salivating), or you recoil from contact, going ‘Ewww! Too perfumed! Too sickly!’ … Foreign? Well, yes: they originated some 30 million years ago, in Brazilian highlands and Uruguayan valleys. There’s something pleasingly incongruous about a plant with such provenance becoming commonplace in Kiwi side streets.

“Raglan-based, internationally published journalist Kate Evans offers this as ‘a book about connections’. So it is: connections with other feijoa fanatics (Evans neatly calls them ‘disciples’); between plants and the animals who spread their seeds; between ‘tamed’ varieties and environments; and, of course, between humans and nature. No plant is an island.

“Evans is an irrepressible investigator, phoning or visiting experts across multiple continents. From its origins in South America, the feijoa was studied in Germany, collected in France, domesticated in the US, transplanted to NZ. She heads to virtually all venues.” You can read more from Kate Evans about feijoas here .

5. Hine Toa by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku (HarperCollins)

Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku is a respected Māori scholar, an expert on tā moko, and now an emeritus professor. But in 1981, she was the first Māori woman to be awarded a PhD in New Zealand. To achieve her success, she had to fight against family pressure, peer contempt, the academic and Māori establishment, racism, sexism and homophobia. And she would take up political fights, leading protests for the Vietnam War, the 1970 All Blacks tour of South Africa, Waitangi Day, women’s liberation.

Her childhood, centred around “the pā”, Ōhinemutu, on the western shore of Lake Rotorua, is richly evoked in this memoir. “This was a place of drifting thermal mists and streams of trout and crayfish; her family had its own bathhouse, mostly open to the sky and sandy below.” But if anyone still imagines New Zealand in the 50s and 60s as a wholesome pastoral idyll, Hine Toa will dispel those illusions. “Ngāhuia’s parents separated, but to attend her local school she had to live with her abusive father. He beat her and perhaps more.”

The memoir is ultimately a contradiction, “honest but often frustratingly oblique; explicit in some places and coy in others … And yet this is an important book: vital to write, vital to publish and vital to read.” Read the review here.

6. Brown Bird by Jane Arthur (Penguin)

“The morning I met Chester was hot and still, one of those very-summer-holidays kinds of mornings when you wake up early and see the day spread out ahead of you like a vast, glinting sea, if the sea was something calm and full of sensible options for passing the time, rather than a dark, deep pit of unknown danger.”

So Wellington author and poet Jane Arthur sets that scene in her first book for children. It features 11-year-old Rebecca, who “tries to make herself invisible so people won’t call her weird”, notes the publisher. Resigned to spending the holidays by herself in a new neighbourhood while her mum works, she meets Chester, who has come to stay for the summer. “He is loud and fun and full of ideas. But will Rebecca be able to cope with being taken so far from her quiet comfort zone? Rebecca is about to find out that she can be braver than she ever thought possible.”

7. The Team That Hit the Rocks by Peter Jerram (David Bateman)

In April 1968, the interisland passenger ferry Wahine hit Barrett Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour in a cyclone, the worst storm recorded in New Zealand’s history. Among the 610 passengers and 125 crew was the Lincoln College cricket team, with one Peter Jerram among its number. Some 53 people lost their lives and while the cricket team all survived, the disaster had a huge impact on them.

Initially, they didn’t discuss their experiences, but over the years that has changed. Drawing on the written and oral testimony of his teammates, crew and rescuers, Jerram tells their stories, and examines what led to the disaster and loss of life, finding serious fault with the Court of Inquiry into the tragedy.

The Listener said that there have, of course, been other books and documentaries about the catastrophe but few, if any, that have captured the catharsis of the event so directly and with undemonstrative emotion. “These are remarkable stories; enduring but unvarnished personal accounts of what it means to confront death … [it’s] an intensely felt exploration of tragedy and survival.”

8. Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (A&U)

Laura is a successful communications manager on a break from work and back in her home town for a visit before walking from one end of New Zealand to the other. But her plans get thrown out the window when the family of her long-term ex-boyfriend, Doug, come back into her life. Then Doug’s kid brother, Mick, begins to take an interest.

From the Listener’s review: “ Take Two is a great small-town drama in which local gossips try to make mischief with Laura’s situation, while the family bookshop needs to be kept running and a murky property development is being sold to vulnerable locals. It’s a cosy read, though the author isn’t afraid to broach some bigger issues such as how families manage illness, women deal with infertility and the sometimes tricky relationships between mothers and daughters.”

9. Aroha by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin)

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I flew in business class for the first time. It cost $6,000 and was the best flight of my life, but I wouldn't do it again for 5 reasons.

Posted: March 25, 2024 | Last updated: March 26, 2024

• I took a 12-hour, business-class flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand.
• Air New Zealand's business-class seats on this route typically cost $6,000.
• It was the most luxurious flight of my life, but I can't justify paying that much anytime soon.

Every time I book a flight, I eye the first-class and business-class seats. 

The extra space, the delicious food , and the endless bubbly seem like pure luxury. Just as I'm tempted to turn my daydream into reality and switch from economy class to first , my brain reminds me that I don't have an endless budget.

Things changed during the summer of 2021 when Air New Zealand invited me to its headquarters to cover the airline's redesigned cabins . For the 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, I'd sit in business class for the first time . 

It was easily the most glamorous ride of my entire life, and I disembarked knowing that I likely wouldn't do it again anytime soon.

Minutes after settling into business class on an Air New Zealand flight, I had the realization that this plane ride was going to be unlike any other flight I'd taken.

Before I found seat 1A on the Boeing 787-9 aircraft, I was already being treated like royalty. 

One flight attendant was pouring me a glass of sparkling wine. Another one was helping lift my carry-on bag into the overhead bins . A third soon followed to introduce herself and welcome me on the Air New Zealand flight. 

If those first few minutes were any indicator of the rest of my ride, I knew I was in for a glamorous time. 

I also knew that business-class passengers around me had likely dropped around $6,000 for their one-way ticket, according to Air New Zealand's website . Round-trip tickets are often priced closer to $10,000. 

Before this flight, I'd never spent more than $1,400 on a plane ticket. Most vacations involve free campsites and nights spent in a $20 tent I bought off Facebook Marketplace. 

I was appreciative of the indulgent flight — years later, I'm still thinking about the chocolate tart served for dessert. But even after all the perks, I'm convinced flying business class isn't worth the splurge. 

Every expectation of business class was met, but I'd ultimately never shell out $10,000 for a round-trip ticket. It's not like the plane will get there faster than it would if I were sitting in coach.

Every part of the 12-hour flight was filled with luxury .

I was handed a warm towel before a three-course dinner. I received a turndown service, and flight attendants converted my seat into a lie-flat bed. I slept better than I had on any flight and woke up to a fruit smoothie and warm coffee.

Even with those perks, it was hard to ignore the fact that the flight was the same 12 hours as it was in coach. 

No amount of wine could distract me from the fact that I was still confined to a tight space. No number of free toiletries could make me ignore the fact that I was about to spend days jet-lagged. 

Ultimately, I would feel cramped and jet-lagged whether I sat in the front or the back of the plane for 12 hours.

Now if my business-class ticket came with turbo speed that could transport me to New Zealand in fewer hours than an economy ticket could, perhaps I'd think twice about the cost. 

For the same price as a round-trip flight, in theory, I could've paid for another three weeks in New Zealand, covered months of rent, or put a down payment on a new car.

When it comes to traveling, I'm typically willing to sacrifice comfort for the experience. For example, I'd much rather pay money to go skydiving or bungee jumping than stay in a five-star hotel .

And $10,000 could fund a lot of life experiences. The cost of my business-class seat on the same route could buy another vacation, pay for multiple months of rent, or be used as a down payment on a new car that could take me on adventures across the US . 

I could also replicate my entire 21-day trip to New Zealand and Australia for less than the cost of a round-trip ticket to New Zealand since the trip cost closer to $9,000. 

While I loved the business-class experience, I'd trade it in a heartbeat to go diving in the Great Barrier Reef again , stay in more magical tiny homes , and continue exploring the two epic countries. 

The flight also taught me that I don't truly embrace the motto: "It's about the journey, not the destination." To me, flights are all about getting from point A to point B.

I've probably reiterated the phrase dozens of times. To a degree, I stand by the concept that life is often about the journey. 

I've embarked on plenty of road trips where the best memories happened in the passenger seat of the car — not the destinations we were driving to. 

But when I look at the highlights of past trips, plane rides never stand out.

I think that's because the entire experience — regardless of your cabin class — still has challenges. Between possible delays, dry air, cabin pressure, limited space, and potential jet lag, I've never been all that eager to board a plane.

I absolutely love the rush when the plane lifts off the ground, and I savor the views and conversations with strangers on each flight.

But the excitement I experience is more about where I'm going. It's not about being cramped on a plane. 

I previously never considered the environmental toll of sitting in business class.

Before my trip, I knew that flying was one of the more carbon-intensive transportation options. Aviation makes up about 2% of global carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency .

Two months after my business-class flight, I was chatting with sustainability experts about how to make trips and vacations more sustainable . They told me that a large part of a vacation's carbon footprint will likely come from the flight, and if I do need to fly to my destination, it's more responsible to sit in economy class. 

That's because a business-class seat takes up significantly more space on a plane. This means that fewer passengers can fit onto the aircraft and, therefore, there's a larger carbon footprint.

For example, a business-class row of seats on Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 fits three people. Meanwhile, a row in economy on the same plane fits nine passengers. Those nine people have a much smaller personal carbon footprint than the three sitting in business class. 

As someone who never had the chance to sit in premium economy, much less business class, before this trip, I hadn't considered the different carbon footprints each cabin class has on planes.

As I continue searching for more sustainable ways to travel, like train travel, I'm also booking economy for future flights.

I am privileged to be able to sit in an economy cabin as an able-bodied person, and I plan to do so for as long as possible.

I'm young and able-bodied. And while sitting in economy is never a blast, especially on long-haul flights, I am fortunate that I can. Planes aren't designed for everyone.

As BuzzFeed reported, flying as a plus-sized passenger is both stigmatized and challenging. Some airlines like Southwest at one point had "customer of size" policies that stated passengers "who are unable to lower both armrests when seated should book another seat because of complaints."

As Business Insider previously reported, a Qatar Airways passenger said she was denied boarding and asked to buy a first-class ticket because of her size. 

It's not just plus-sized passengers who face flying struggles. Planes are not often a comfortable experience for many people with disabilities. Rebekah Taussig, a wheelchair user, wrote for Time that "flying has always felt disempowering." And a survey by Disability Horizons reported that 43% of surveyed wheelchair users who've attempted to fly now avoid it. 

Flying — especially in economy class — isn't something everyone has the privilege to do. I'm fortunate that I can fit into and relax in an economy seat on a long-haul flight. For me, wanting the luxury of a business-class seat doesn't seem necessary at this point in my life. 

Ultimately, I'm at a point in my life where every dollar and every day of exploring matters to me. For now, I'll skip paying for a business-class seat.

There are a few circumstances where I'd consider splurging on a premium-economy ticket, such as a monumental birthday trip or a honeymoon. But I can't envision an instance where I would pay $10,000 for a regular long-haul, business-class flight.

From the environmental toll to extra time in a destination, I would rather use that money elsewhere, and I plan to stick with economy class for future flights. 

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