Huts - Untold Stories from Back-Country New Zealand

Author(s): Mark Pickering

NZ Non-Fiction

In honor of the more than 1,500 huts that dot New Zealand's back roads, this guide provides a fascinating look at 15 of these iconic dwellings. Setting out to discover why and how these huts were builtand to learn something about the lives of the men who lived therethe book uses historical records to find huts of hunters, shepherds, and boundary-keepers. As the years went by, the huts started to shelter drovers, roadmen, and gold miners, and in the 20th century the huts were used by climbers, skiers, and tourists. The result is a satisfying social and historical appreciation of New Zealand's glorious landscape."


Product Information

'Back-country enthusiasts have long awaited a decent book on huts. With this one, Pickering has reached a new summit.' - New Zealand Geographic 'an exhilarating and thought-provoking read' -Saturday Express 'Tiny huts and their occupants in the shadows of grand New Zealand landscapes become astonishingly characterful as a result of Mark Pickering's research.' -Christchurch Press 'a timely and valuable addition to the literature of our mountains and valleys' -Wilderness

Mark Pickering was born in England but took root in New Zealand, and has had a physical and emotional commitment to the hills honed over 30 years. He has explored many forgotten landscapes, holed up in solitary old musterers’ huts, and mulled over the left-over ruins of people who lived on and worked the lands long before he ever got there. The back country is an open-air book of history once you tune your eyes to the landscape. Twenty walking and tramping guidebooks later, Mark still finds himself looking at each place he visits with fresh eyes. He has made his living out of the mountains, and counts himself lucky that he never passed that bank manager’s exam. Mark lives in Christchurch with his partner, Rachel Barker, and their daughter Alexandra.

General Fields

  • : 9781877257919
  • : Canterbury University Press
  • : Canterbury University Press
  • : 136078000.0
  • : November 2010
  • : 252mm X 210mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Mark Pickering
  • : Paperback
  • : English
  • : 728.730993
  • : W
  • : colour illustrations