Straying from the Flock: Travels in New Zealand

by Alexander Elder

An illuminating road trip through the history, life, and attractions of one of the most beautiful countries in the southern hemisphere
The beauty and grandeur of New Zealand has captured the imagination of movie-goers over the past couple of years, and the country is a dream destination for many around the world. Straying from the Flock is an intimate and personal account of one passionate traveler's visit to this incredible country, its mountains and beaches, fjords, rainforests, vineyards, and hidden eateries. Each of the fifty chapters describes one day in his travels-fishing, flying, cattle herding, befriending locals at every turn. Filled with colorful stories and memorable personalities, the book not only describes the trip of a lifetime, but captures a life-altering experience for its writer. From mountains and rainforests to cities and beaches, Straying from the Flock is both a moving memoir and personal travel guide to this amazing country.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2005

About the author

Dr. Alexander Elder is a professional trader based in New York City. He is the author of a dozen books, including Come into My Trading Room (Barron's 2002 Book of the Year) and Trading for a Living, considered modern classics among traders.

Dr. Elder was born in Leningrad and grew up in Estonia, where he entered medical school at the age of 16. At 23, while working as a ship's doctor, he jumped a Soviet ship in Africa and received political asylum in the United States. He worked as a psychiatrist in New York City and taught at Columbia University. His experience as a psychiatrist provided him with unique insight into the psychology of trading. Dr. Elder's books, articles, and software reviews have established him as one of today's leading experts on trading

Dr. Elder is the originator of Traders' Camps week-long classes for traders, as well as the Spike group for traders. He continues to trade and is a sought-after speaker at conferences in the US and abroad.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading Elder's book before the first time we went to New Zealand. I finished it *after* our second trip a year later. That's how captivating this book is.

This is a travelogue. A very well-detailed, daily log-oriented, journal-style travelogue. You may get lost in the many details at times. You can tell that he is passionate about his travels, and gets very into the history and culture--these are the best parts of the book. I was hoping this type of travelogue would be good for recommendations--that the details would be helpful. However, due to Elder's choices and personality, I found the details almost useless.

Elder is a very wealthy self-made man, and ... he is quite condescending. He makes fun of Japanese skiers, "insults" a South Island B&B owner repeatedly by referring to him as an "Archie Bunker," hates adults with so-called "crazy hair" (they have unresolved personality issues). He also hates cultural performances, litters cigar butts in the grass outside his host's home, and doesn't know how to (or care to even try) put chains on his car. All in all, I'm not sure why this guy even travels. He seems to love being pampered, living a cushy life, taking extensive so-called exotic tours (helicopters, guided trips, boats) while only tramping through the bush occasionally. Though I do definitely give him credit for some of his tramps, such as the three-hour hike near Whakatane.

I've been to NZ twice, and each time only the North Island (I know, I know), but even so, I wouldn't take much from this book as far as recommendations--depending on your budget. Elder definitely details a higher-class NZ trip than I could afford. This alone doesn't make the book bad, just unrelatable. His Northland trip did sound appealing, however, along with his stay at Opotiki.

All these issues notwithstanding, it could still be a good book, and I wanted it to be. And while some of it is slightly memorable and interesting, it's just not redeeming enough for me to recommend it to future or past NZ travelers.

[Jess Neuner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I travelled to New Zealand myself a few years ago and this was one of many books I read in advance of the trip. Many others focused on the beauty of the country and I had a travel guide for planning, so I was happy that this book focused much more on the people of New Zealand than anything else. The author didn't stay in hotels, choosing instead to see how real Kiwis lived in homestays and farmstays.

Unlike many travellers to New Zealand, Elder actually makes it down to Stewart Island - somewhere I've not managed to get to myself yet, but would like to - it's one of the few places you can still see wild kiwi birds. He hikes on a glacier, views the sounds, and more. I wish he'd been more descriptive of some of these experiences.

I also got mixed messages about the people he met. He was very complimentary of the easygoing Kiwi nature, but at the same time spent a lot of time being rather condescending about it and describing them in a rather insulting way. It felt like he had this idea of how Kiwis should be but then individual people either didn't fit that image or he just enjoyed being particularly critical. There was a lot he didn't seem happy with and to me they seemed like rather petty things that could happen anywhere. He often seemed to be looking for something to go wrong or to criticise. I felt bad for the woman who was nervous about having him stay while her husband was away as well - I can understand that! Granted, perhaps they shouldn't have allowed bookings while he was gone, but he was rather scornful of a completely understandable worry.

I would have enjoyed this book better if there had been more detail about what he experience there and what he enjoyed, rather than what was wrong with everything. Perhaps I'm just a more optimistic traveller, as when I travelled to New Zealand, I could hardly find anything wrong at all - a dirty bathroom in a hostel was the worst. I like to know what to expect when I visit a country, so I'm not wanting to read only the good things about a country, but his critiques were less with the country and people overall and more petty gripes about individuals I'm not likely to meet.

[Nathan Marshall · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book with a great subject (New Zealand) and a terrible person as the author (Dr. Elder). He started out as merely a bit of a blowhard, but over the course of the book he progressed to downright odious. He was unlikeable in the extreme. Since I was interested in his travels through NZ, it kept me reading but hoping he would have unpleasant things happen to him.

[Lefty · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is god-awful. The writing is stilted and joyless, rote and completely lacking in poetry or rhythm or even simple variance. Every sentence is standard construction, noun followed by verb, and sometimes sentences strung together jarringly change subject.

I do not like this man, nor his opinions of himself or anyone he meets. I wish I could apologize to the New Zealand people he met and tell them that not all Americans act as he does.

I've been to New Zealand twice, and this book captures none of the kind, easygoing attitude of its people, and does nothing to celebrate the beauty of its landscapes. Please do not read this book.

This book is so bad it's inspiring, that maybe I do have what it takes to get published, because by God someone was willing to pay to publish this tripe.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author writes well but for me, it was a lackluster attempt. That is, there were lots of personal experiences but none that were compelling. I DID learn quite a bit about New Zealand and that counts for a lot.
The inclusion of the author's one night stand with a virtual stranger seemed more gratuitous and braggadocio, it added nothing to the book. For me it distracted and I was kind of disgusted.
I have read more interesting travel stories which I should probably not compare with this particular book. Yet I did.

[John Dennehy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book, it is the journal of one man. There is almost no showing and all telling. Even dialogue is mostly written as reported speech. I rarely start a book that I don't finish but this was one.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A non-fiction! I really need to intersplice my reading more with these as chick-lit and the like are running me dry lately. I feel like I am running a marathon in my reading, but when I think about what else I would or could be doing, I am glad I am reading. TV is crap here and everything on it I have seen before. For some reason, that's not stopping me from watching crap I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole at home (DH anyone? Ugh, I can't believe I watch it now. But I never would at home. For my addictive personality, I sure can give up certain things quickly.)

ANYWAY.

This book is about a Dude traveling around New Zealand, staying at farm and homestays, which is like actually staying in someones home v. a hostel or hostel. It was a very interesting read, being here and all! Made me kind of want to do that, sort of. But I like being alone and keeping to myself. And what if you stay with weird people? I would hate that! But the back of the book had listings of some of the authors favourites, so I may have to look them up when I travel down south. It was a chatty book, which I liked. Dude drinks a lot of wine (yay!).He is older and has a bit (lots) more money then I do to travel and see things, so that was kind of annoying. And fishes a lot, which I have no interest in, despite never being more then 40 miles from coastline (learned that in the book!)

I have read books on New Zealand before I came here, but I really liked reading it while I was here and made me want to pick up a book I read in Hawaii last year about a dude hitch-hiking around both islands. I read this other book a few months ago that the author actually mentions in his book and the guy sounds like an ass and he did in his book as well. There are very few travelog books written about New Zealand and as much as I would love to write one, I don't have an angle or good stories to tell. I wish I was more chatty, but not really.

Grade: C+

[Sally906 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the second book that I purchased before our trip to New Zealand later this year. We have been there on two previous occasions and love it, and always ken to pick up a few tips about places to visit that we may not have been before. To me the title implied that Alexander Elder was not going to follow the flock, he was going to do things differently. Not so…his idea of being different was to use home stay accommodation rather than back packing, caravanning or motels. STRAYING FROM THE FLOCK was easy to read, but was mostly about the deficiencies of the places he stayed and the often derogatory opinions about the people he stayed with as well as some of the tour guides he dealt with rather than his experiences. He set the tone from his first night in New Zealand, right down south on Stewart Island where he bad-mouthed his host whose only crime seemed to be taking Alexander in without a booking and not gushing over him. Then he was less than impressed with a woman who seemed nervous of a strange man arriving late at night while her husband was away – I’m sorry, I’m on the woman’s side. To be fair though, if the woman was nervous on her own, then maybe she shouldn’t make bookings while her husband was away, but Alexander should not have been scornful. He glossed over some of the tours he went on and sites he saw but concentrated on his opinion of a tour guide operator; this happened earlier on in the book when he went on a glacier walk where Alexander recounts the conversation but says nothing about the walk such as the views, the beauty – anything! OK you didn’t like the man – but what did you see that is what I want to know!

Rating: D – Average - it was OK, a bit of a struggle to finish whatever redeemable aspects there were to this book, they were not fleshed out enough for me to truly enjoy it.

[Holly Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book as I love New Zealand and am about to embark on a travelling adventure there and so was hoping to pick up a few tips etc...
... Unfortunately, the author was too absorbed by the materialistic aspects of his trip for my liking, which made the book a tad boring!
The author is very happy to describe the wines he drinks in detail... but with some of the epic views he almost glosses over how awesome they are... If he wishes to improve as a writer he needs to articulate his descriptions better and use some metaphors etc to really enable the reader to visualise... I know how absolutely amazing New Zealand is and was hoping for a travellers' tale that would emphasise the wonder and beauty of this fantastic country.
The author praises the qualities of the New Zealanders, yet he himself is not as chilled out and easygoing as he professes to be... He should try being more like a New Zealander! Just because a little old lady doesn't welcome you like a long lost relative into her home late at night, it doesn't mean that you have to be so negative about your stay there... Most people in his position (after crashing his car and waiting for a tow etc) would just want to get showered and head straight to bed, and not be dragged into a family environment where you are forced to be polite and have to endure polite conversation; I suspect the old lady was thinking of his feelings... But the author was very negative and one-sided in his opinions.
I did not finish this book... And therefore it may have improved... Unfortunately, the way in which the author was negatively aopinionated most of the time prevented me from persevering with the book :(

[Cutterid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A travel book, but more like a travelogue. Alexander Elder chronicles his 2-month adventure in New Zealand, detailing the wonderful and not-so-wonderful people he meets, the scenery, the wildlife, and the national spirit he encounters. I read this before I planned my own trip to New Zealand. It did give me some ideas about how to travel and what to expect, but it wasn't as great a help to me as I had hoped. My trip was only going to last 2 weeks, so I didn't have the time to hang around in one place for a while like he did. He reads as being a Big-Shot and he certainly is confident and a bit full of himself. But he does make friends and this bravado I think must be part of his charm. I did enjoy the read, though, and the insight it gave me into New Zealand's land and its people.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a real oddity: Elder chronicles his travels through both islands, and when I say chronicles, I mean that every vibration of his cell phone is recorded. He's easily irritated and carefully lists every slight and every instance of less than stellar service at a restaurant or a B&B (and there are many). He's obviously a gregarious man who makes friends wherever he goes (though I did wonder about the several times when he invites a tour operator or B&B owner to dinner or drinks and is turned down). So why did I keep reading a book that feels more like a vanity publication than a book from John Wiley, of all houses? For the descriptions of NZ, of course. Not really worth it, but I persisted for some reason...

[Alisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first problem is evident from the author bio: "Dr. Alexander Elder is...a practicing psychiatrist." No self-respecting physician would, in a travelogue, tout his degree. But Dr. Elder is more than a bit of a blowhard so it fits his personality. I felt, ultimately, that I learned much more about him (the success of his previous books on Wall St. trading, his views on facial hair, his fondness for cigars, and his successful lawsuit when his daughter came home from a service trip with a finger infection) than about New Zealand. His travels were woefully short on descriptions of his journey and the sights and long on the many shortcomings of the places where he stayed and the not-interesting details of getting his computer fixed. Not up to the standards set by Pausanias.

[Kelly Lynn Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more a travel diary than anything else. I don't have a problem with that in and of itself (I do enjoy nature journals), but the author spends as much nitpicking his experiences at the places he stays as on his actual traveling. I didn't feel like I was in New Zealand. For example, in an early-ish chapter, the author goes on a glacier hike, but hardly describes what it feels like to walk on a glacier. Instead, he recounts the things his guide says; things I really don't give two shakes about.

He does take frequent narrative detours to go into the country's history, which I do appreciate, but that wasn't enough to save the book from its monotony.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for my trip to New Zealand. It was a travelogue of the author's adventures on his trip there. I enjoyed it - even when the author was being opinionated! ;-) I learned quite a bit about the country, about the customs (as compared to American habits), the landscape, the Kiwi people, and a little about the history of NZ. In addition there are some travel advice chapters at the end which were useful. I felt that the book actually did prepare me for my trip - and it was a pleasant way to gain all that knowledge.

[Trinity · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am planning a trip to New Zealand and was looking forward to some stories about "off the beaten path" adventures. I got about halfway through this book before I accepted that this book wasn't what I wanted it to be nor did it live up to the title. The only thing that seemed this traveler did that was "straying from the flock" was to stay in homestays instead of hotels. Not far enough off the beaten path for my taste. I will look elsewhere for a story that will feed my excitement for my trip.

[Cyndi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it through about a third of this book, so perhaps I shouldn't review it, but...


In my opinion, the best travel writing is a combination of learning about a person (and therefore something about the human condition) and learning about a location. So strictly speaking, this book should be a success. We certainly learn a lot about both the author and New Zealand. But he repeats the same facts and ideas over and over and chooses things that people don't care about as more than a quick one-liner.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasant read, following Alex's trip from the southern most point of NZ to the northern most tip. Especially pleasant as my grandfather came from NZ, so interesting read. It seems the people from NZ are very nice, laid back, polite... And there is a lot to do. Would love to read his other two books about trading: Trading for a living and Come into my trading room, then maybe would be able to travel as well instead of just reading about it!

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so interested in the subject matter of this book, since I will be going to a lot of the same places as this author.
However, he was such a pompous conceited and cynical traveler, that a lot of the fun was stripped away. I don't recall ever reading a memoir by such an unlike able fellow. I felt sorry for everyone he encountered. There were, however, some of the travel bits that may help on my visit.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a little over half of this book before tossing it out -- the author's condescending and snobbish attitude toward those around him repelled me. There were very few actual travel descriptions and notes of appreciation for the environment/people/culture.

Not a fan of self-important men who spit on the kindness of others.

[Isis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Travelogue of New Zealand. Repetitive, smug, occasionally interesting. I really didn't need to know every detail of what he had for breakfast and how he called two places but decided not to go to either of them. But hey, I needed something to read on the 12 hour flight to NZ.

[Donna Braff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and well written!!! I love books that are based on a person's adventures/experiences. I found myself living vicariously through the author, and looking forward to the day I can visit New Zealand. I highly recommend this book!

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some interesting facts scattered throughout a very boring travel log. Did not enjoy the read at all and could not relate to the author very much.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Travel with Alexander Elder from the bottom of South Island to the top of the North. Far from transformative, but informative.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its kind of condescending and using real names of real people is not so nice.

[Genevieve]

Did not finish

[Asser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written and many interesting observations. But it is really, really tiresome and grotesque that the author spends so much time bragging about himself and putting others down. Its not really interesting to read about his drunk driving, speeding, romantic encounters and how he is a big shot able to pay restaurant bills for the whole party. If he could cut that half of the book away, it would actually have been a quite good book. He should have taken advice from some of the many publishers that he says turned down his manuscript.