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Islands: A New Zealand Journey
A journey to New Zealand's most fascinating, wild and isolated islands.
Following on from their non-fiction book-of-the-year winning Coast, this is the next epic journey from writer Bruce Ansley and photographer Jane Ussher.
New Zealand is surrounded by hundreds of islands, mainly remnants of a larger land mass now beneath the sea. Some are idyllic retreats; others have poignant histories of castaways, prisons and leper colonies. Some have become sanctuaries, safe from destructive predators; some are farmed by fifth and sixth generations of the same family; others are isolated outposts, barely sustaining life at all; while some are hidden where you’d least expect...
Islands featured: Cavalli Islands, Bay of Islands; Great Barrier, Little Barrier, Arid; Puketutu, Pakatoa, The Noises, Rabbit Island; Waiheke, Kawau; Rangitoto, Rakino, Rotoroa, Motuihe; Great Mercury, Slipper, Motiti, White Island; Somes, Mana, Kapiti, Motuopuhi; Arapawa, Motuara, D'Urville, Hauwai; Browne's, Ripapa, Quail, Quarantine; Dog Island, Titi Islands.
Following on from their non-fiction book-of-the-year winning Coast, this is the next epic journey from writer Bruce Ansley and photographer Jane Ussher.
New Zealand is surrounded by hundreds of islands, mainly remnants of a larger land mass now beneath the sea. Some are idyllic retreats; others have poignant histories of castaways, prisons and leper colonies. Some have become sanctuaries, safe from destructive predators; some are farmed by fifth and sixth generations of the same family; others are isolated outposts, barely sustaining life at all; while some are hidden where you’d least expect...
Islands featured: Cavalli Islands, Bay of Islands; Great Barrier, Little Barrier, Arid; Puketutu, Pakatoa, The Noises, Rabbit Island; Waiheke, Kawau; Rangitoto, Rakino, Rotoroa, Motuihe; Great Mercury, Slipper, Motiti, White Island; Somes, Mana, Kapiti, Motuopuhi; Arapawa, Motuara, D'Urville, Hauwai; Browne's, Ripapa, Quail, Quarantine; Dog Island, Titi Islands.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
10 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.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 10, 2022
I've read three books in the last 12 months photographed by Jane Ussher... Endless Sea (artifacts from the Maritime Museum), Nature - Stilled (items from Te Papa's natural history collection) and this one, Islands. There's a thread that connects them all. But in this one she's out of the museum and into the wild itself.
Her photographs are lovely, dark and brooding, just the way the New Zealand psyche likes its wilds.
The book is a foray down the edges of the motu, north to south, nicely storied in writing by Bruce Ansley, with many a tale ‐ in the tradition of (and covering some of the same geography as) the classic Islands of Gulf by Shirley Maddock. (Actually the text could have done with a little more editing and checking... including one sentence that situated White Island in the Bay of Islands rather than Plenty... nevermind.)
Some of the islands I knew, some I didn't... some friendly, some formidable... endlessly fascinating. I think Great Mercury was probably the star of the book, and now I've got a hankering to go.
Her photographs are lovely, dark and brooding, just the way the New Zealand psyche likes its wilds.
The book is a foray down the edges of the motu, north to south, nicely storied in writing by Bruce Ansley, with many a tale ‐ in the tradition of (and covering some of the same geography as) the classic Islands of Gulf by Shirley Maddock. (Actually the text could have done with a little more editing and checking... including one sentence that situated White Island in the Bay of Islands rather than Plenty... nevermind.)
Some of the islands I knew, some I didn't... some friendly, some formidable... endlessly fascinating. I think Great Mercury was probably the star of the book, and now I've got a hankering to go.
November 2, 2016
If there’s such a thing as rock royalty in the world of celebrating New Zealand’s beautiful landscapes the partnership of writer Bruce Ansley and photographer Jane Ussher would be at the very top of that list.
Together they deservedly won the Illustrated Non Fiction section of the 2014 NZ Post Book Awards with their last collaboration, the critically acclaimed Coast. This stunning new book again demands attention through their words and images which portray another aspect of our country’s beauty in full noise fashion.
Where Coast displayed the coastline of our North and South Islands as the sub-title suggests ISLANDS- A New Zealand Journey explores the hundreds of outlying islands that dot our coastline. Again this is a lavish and wonderfully presented eye-opener to what lies off the mainland. From the North with the Cavallis, Urupukapuka and Motorua, to the kingdoms of Puketutu, the Noises and Rabbit Island in the Barrier group, south to Great Mercury, the numerous islands and islets in the North of the South Island, right down to the wild and woolly islands of the Roaring Forties.
From her years as the Listener’s Chief photographer Jane Ussher’s skills are unmatched when she has a camera handy, while Bruce Ansley’s chops as a writer include years of tramping our land, and a variety of non-traditional roles foreshadowing his career as a writer here and abroad.
Yes, it’s that time of year when publishers compete for our Christmas dollars. If you’re looking for a coffee table tome for yourself or a friend, for a gift to send overseas or for a special visitor or thank you Islands – A New Zealand Journey is unassailable
Together they deservedly won the Illustrated Non Fiction section of the 2014 NZ Post Book Awards with their last collaboration, the critically acclaimed Coast. This stunning new book again demands attention through their words and images which portray another aspect of our country’s beauty in full noise fashion.
Where Coast displayed the coastline of our North and South Islands as the sub-title suggests ISLANDS- A New Zealand Journey explores the hundreds of outlying islands that dot our coastline. Again this is a lavish and wonderfully presented eye-opener to what lies off the mainland. From the North with the Cavallis, Urupukapuka and Motorua, to the kingdoms of Puketutu, the Noises and Rabbit Island in the Barrier group, south to Great Mercury, the numerous islands and islets in the North of the South Island, right down to the wild and woolly islands of the Roaring Forties.
From her years as the Listener’s Chief photographer Jane Ussher’s skills are unmatched when she has a camera handy, while Bruce Ansley’s chops as a writer include years of tramping our land, and a variety of non-traditional roles foreshadowing his career as a writer here and abroad.
Yes, it’s that time of year when publishers compete for our Christmas dollars. If you’re looking for a coffee table tome for yourself or a friend, for a gift to send overseas or for a special visitor or thank you Islands – A New Zealand Journey is unassailable
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews