What do you think?
Rate this book
Coast: A New Zealand Journey
Several times in 2012 and 2013, acclaimed New Zealand writer Bruce Ansley and eminent photographer Jane Ussher climbed into a car for another stage of an epic road trip around New Zealand's coast. They travelled north and south, east and west, meeting remarkable, sometimes eccentric but always passionate New Zealanders on the way.
From surf lifeguards to cray-fishermen, farmers to artists, conservationists to scientists, and everyone in between, in this landmark book Ansley and Ussher document their encounters with affecting words and gripping images.
And then there is the coast itself: by turns uplifted, battered, encircling, dangerous, beguiling, sustaining, energising ... it challenged and fascinated and moved them.
This magnificent book pays homage to the narrow margin between the ever restless Pacific and Tasman and the fragile hinterland we New Zealanders call home. - See more at: http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/books/br...
From surf lifeguards to cray-fishermen, farmers to artists, conservationists to scientists, and everyone in between, in this landmark book Ansley and Ussher document their encounters with affecting words and gripping images.
And then there is the coast itself: by turns uplifted, battered, encircling, dangerous, beguiling, sustaining, energising ... it challenged and fascinated and moved them.
This magnificent book pays homage to the narrow margin between the ever restless Pacific and Tasman and the fragile hinterland we New Zealanders call home. - See more at: http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/books/br...
464 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
32 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Ansley
18 books5 followersBruce Ansley is the author of eight books. His book Coast: A New Zealand Journey, with photographer Jane Ussher, won best illustrated non-fiction book at the New Zealand Post Book Awards in 2014.
His television credits include writing for A Week of It and McPhail and Gadsby.
He has worked in England and New Zealand, in radio, television and newspapers, and for two decades was a writer for The New Zealand Listener before becoming a full-time author in 2007. He has won fellowships to Oxford University and Cambridge University, and a number of journalism awards.
Ansley tells stories of a New Zealand he loves. He is a keen tramper and has walked over much of the country. He has driven over all of the 60 roads in Wild Roads, some of them many times. He has lived in the four main cities, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.
He was once a commercial fisherman in Fiordland and a deer farmer on Banks Peninsula. He has built a house in the far reaches of Pelorus Sound and for many years spent a good part of his life in a tiny, traditional bach in Golden Bay. He loves the water and will be found out on the water any good day in his Norwegian motor-sailer. Ansley has three sons. He and his wife Sally have moved from their beloved Christchurch to Waiheke Island to be closer to family.
His television credits include writing for A Week of It and McPhail and Gadsby.
He has worked in England and New Zealand, in radio, television and newspapers, and for two decades was a writer for The New Zealand Listener before becoming a full-time author in 2007. He has won fellowships to Oxford University and Cambridge University, and a number of journalism awards.
Ansley tells stories of a New Zealand he loves. He is a keen tramper and has walked over much of the country. He has driven over all of the 60 roads in Wild Roads, some of them many times. He has lived in the four main cities, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.
He was once a commercial fisherman in Fiordland and a deer farmer on Banks Peninsula. He has built a house in the far reaches of Pelorus Sound and for many years spent a good part of his life in a tiny, traditional bach in Golden Bay. He loves the water and will be found out on the water any good day in his Norwegian motor-sailer. Ansley has three sons. He and his wife Sally have moved from their beloved Christchurch to Waiheke Island to be closer to family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 13, 2017
Each chapter focuses on a specific coastal region of NZ providing some historical and geological background but more importantly profiling local people who engage in a range of different coastal activities and what draws them to their life on the coast.
For me it captures the essence of a particular feature of NZ life (or at least one that I grew up with) notably an egalitarianism and relationship with the natural world. While many of these unique lifestyles are now being squeezed or diminished eg there are now less fish to be caught, less birds to be seen and heard and pressure from developers impacting on the tradition of the bach, the power of the ocean and the land and the endurance of the natural world are captured through the beautiful photographs.
For me it captures the essence of a particular feature of NZ life (or at least one that I grew up with) notably an egalitarianism and relationship with the natural world. While many of these unique lifestyles are now being squeezed or diminished eg there are now less fish to be caught, less birds to be seen and heard and pressure from developers impacting on the tradition of the bach, the power of the ocean and the land and the endurance of the natural world are captured through the beautiful photographs.
Displaying 1 of 1 review