Literary Tourism: New Zealand

Tarquin the Honest: The Hand of Glodd

by Gareth Ward

Holly says: "The cover of this book got me halfway to buying it, and once I discovered that the author owns a local bookstore in Napier, I was hooked. Based on the author’s own Dungeons & Dragons wizard Tarquin the Honest, this story follows the scoundrel of a wizard on a perilous quest to recover The Golden Gauntlet for a mysterious patron. I’ve never read any D&D inspired fiction before, although I'm a big fan of most fantasy, and so far this has been a fun and entertaining read."

Harbouring

by Jenny Pattrick

Holly says: "A fantastic exhibit at the Aotearoa New Zealand Maritime Museum featured a collection of stories about colonization: those who traveled from afar to start a new life, the Indigenous peoples who were displaced, and how they learned to live together. This novel explores some stories like these, tracing a Welsh family who came to seek a better life, an enslaved woman hoping for freedom and reunion, and the birth of the city of Wellington. Pattrick is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s well-known historical fiction writers, setting most of her works in locations throughout the country."

The Bookseller at the End of the World

by Ruth Shaw

Holly says: "Running two tiny bookshops at the end of the world sounds like the absolute perfect career, so I can’t wait to read this memoir from bookseller Ruth Shaw. (I actually traveled through Manapouri in 2015, and I'm sad I didn’t know about these tiny bookstores then. A reason to return? That works for me!) This is described as a funny and heartbreaking memoir about the people who visit Ruth’s bookstores and bittersweet stories from her life before bookshops, much of which took place at sea."

No Man’s Land

by A.J. Fitzwater

Holly says: "A historical fantasy and love story that I can’t wait to read, this book follows one of the many young women who went to work in the farms when the men left to serve in the Second World War. Dorothea ‘Tea” Gray finds more than she expected while working on the dusty and remote farm, including a love that surprises her. This feminist, queer story was inspired by forgotten women’s history. Author Fitzwater was an Artist in Residence at The Christchurch Arts Centre 2021, and their short fiction has been published in multiple editions of the Year's Best Aotearoa and New Zealand Science Fiction and Fantasy anthology."

The Boy from Gorge River

by Chris Long

Holly says: "From memoirs like Tara Westover's Educated to fiction like Jonathan Evison’s Legends of the North Cascades, I’m always compelled by stories of isolation and survival. Chris Long's memoir is about his experience of growing up two days’ hike from the nearest road, on the west coast of the wild and rugged South Island. Born to parents committed to living a life away from capitalism and connected to the natural world, Chris shares his journey from a wild childhood to becoming a teenager wondering about the rest of the world, and finding his way as an adult chasing adventure while staying true to his roots."

Gone Bush: A Life in the Backcountry and Beyond

by Paul Kilgour

Holly says: "Aotearoa New Zealand is known for its outdoor beauty and adventures, so I had to add at least one hiking/outdoor memoir to this list. Gone Bush follows wanderer and long-distance tramper Paul Kilgour throughout a lifetime of walking the backcountry. He shares stories of the people he met in his travels, the 1200 huts he’s visited, and his end-to-end walk of the country. The publisher calls it a “charming, meandering, transportive read—like setting off on a serene tramp in the mountains, a heavy frost underfoot and the sun on your back.” I can't wait to read it."

Straight Up

by Ruby Tui

Holly says: "You can’t visit Aotearoa New Zealand without seeing an All Blacks or Black Ferns game on the screen, so this memoir by one of the top female players caught my eye. The daughter of a Samoan father and a mother with Irish/Scottish heritage, Ruby Tui overcame a difficult and unstable childhood to become an Olympic Champion and some say the world's best rugby sevens player. I know even less about rugby than I do other sports, so I’m eager to read Ruby’s story and learn more about the game that inspires such fiery fan adoration in so many."

Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood

by Witi Ihimaera

Holly says: "A celebrated memoir and winner of the Ockham New Zealand Book Award in 2016, this is the first of two volumes exploring Witi Ihimauera’s childhood and early life growing up as Māori. If you’ve seen the film The Whale Rider, it’s adapted from one of Ihimaera’s stories. I’m also planning to pick up a copy of his collection Navigating the Stars: Maori Creation Myths."

A Quiet Kitchen

by Nici Wickes

Holly says: "I’m not a huge cookbook reader, but this one caught my eye. Aotearoa New Zealand native Nici Wickes became a household name in the country through her travel and cooking show World Kitchen. These are the recipes she turned to during lockdown in her cottage by the sea. In addition to food, she tackles topics like living solo, daily ocean swimming, menopause and middle age, and more."

Nici Wickes

Kāwai: For Such a Time As This

by Monty Soutar

Holly says: "Esteemed Māori historian Soutar’s first novel follows a young Māori man through an epic historical adventure in pre-colonial Aotearoa New Zealand. Inspired by and tracing Soutar’s own ancestral line, the novel paints a picture of Aotearoa New Zealand from the mid-18th century through the first arrival of Europeans, exploring themes of colonization, indigenous culture, and the rich history of the island’s peoples. This is a doorstopper of a book and one I’ll seek out in digital format."

Aotearoa Books

Better the Blood

by Michael Bennett

Holly says: "I first saw this book featured on Unity Books Auckland's Instagram account and I’m so glad I brought it home with me! Māori author Michael Bennett’s debut novel, it follows Māori detective Hana Westerman as she balances a complicated family life, racial tensions, and career pressure while trying to hunt down Aotearoa New Zealand’s first serial killer. Set in and around Auckland, I was drawn in by the compelling story and the perspectives on history, colonization, and the echoes of violence across time. While it does feature a serial killer, I didn’t find it to be too graphic, and it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through to the end. I hope there’s more from Bennett and Detective Westerman in the future!"

Peninsula

by Sharron Came

Holly says: "This debut novel won the 2021 Adam Foundation Prize, and follows three generations of a rural family through ten interwoven stories. As they encounter change and navigate relationships, their lives are set against the backdrop of Aotearoa New Zealand—sheep, huts, peacocks, and more. This is a format I particularly enjoy, so I’m looking forward to stepping back into the rural landscape through Came's stories."

Call Me Evie

by J. P. Pomare

Holly says: "I saw books by this Rotorua native on many bookstore shelves, so when the owner of McLeod’s suggested this title, I had to snag it. While I haven’t cracked it open just yet, it’s described as a Gone Girl-esque thriller that is set between an isolated Aotearoa New Zealand beach town and Melbourne, Australia. Evie is a teenage girl on the run, who can't trust the man who isn’t really her uncle, can’t remember what she might have done, and oh—Evie isn’t actually her real name. Pomare’s second novel In the Clearing is being adapted for Disney+, and I’m excited to see how it turns out."

Kurangaituku

by Whiti Hereaka

Holly says: "I was fascinated by the format of this myth retelling from the perspective of the “monster.” You read the first half as usual, then flip the book over and start from the back to read in the other direction. And you can start at either end! Kurangaituku, the bird woman, takes us on the journey of her extraordinary life—from the birds who sang her into being, to the arrival of the Song Makers and the change they brought to her world, and her life with Hatupatu and her death. This book won the Ockham New Zealand Book Award in 2022, and Hereaka has also written award-winning books for children and young adults."

Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant

by Cristina Sanders

Holly says: "After visiting the Aotearoa New Zealand Maritime Museum and learning about the fascinating sea-going history of the island nation, this book seemed like a perfect pick to enjoy a fictional maritime adventure. Set in 1866, a three-masted sailing ship full of illicit gold is wrecked and leaves only fifteen survivors. The castaways must work together to survive, while navigating the secrets they each have and a resentment against the lone surviving woman. The publisher calls it 'a vivid imagining of the story behind the enduring mystery of one of [Aotearoa] New Zealand’s early shipwrecks.'"

Auē

by Becky Manawatu

Holly says: "I'm an outlier here in MMD land because I don’t really love complex family dramas, and this book has that in spades, while also being a gritty crime novel. It was the best-selling Aotearoa New Zealand novel in 2020 and 2021, and as a 2020 Ockham New Zealand Book Award winner, it’s sure to be a great pick for readers who seek out this genre! Told from several perspectives, it’s been described as raw, sublime, and masterfully written. Sensitive readers should know that many reviewers mention the gang violence which is starkly written on the page."

Literary Tourism: New Zealand

Tarquin the Honest: The Hand of Glodd

Harbouring

The Bookseller at the End of the World

No Man’s Land

The Boy from Gorge River

Gone Bush: A Life in the Backcountry and Beyond

Straight Up

Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood

A Quiet Kitchen

Kāwai: For Such a Time As This

Better the Blood

Peninsula

Call Me Evie

Kurangaituku

Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant

Auē

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Literary Tourism: New Zealand

summer reading starts May 16th

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood