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A Maverick Traveller: Wanna connect with the world? Join Kiwi adventurer Mary Jane Walker
BY THE AUTHOR OF A MAVERICK NEW ZEALAND WAY, FINALIST IN TRAVEL AT THE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS, 2018.
At twenty, Mary Jane left New Zealand for five years. A Maverick Traveller begins with an epic voyage on a Chinese junk named La Dame de Canton, and then goes on to describe her later adventures worldwide.
Mary Jane travels with no real plans and decides where to go and what to see next when she gets there. She likes to explore the culture and history of places that are off the beaten track as well as places that are well known, and to talk to the local people.
Whether she was eating dog unintentionally in Indonesia, meeting the rapper 50 Cent before he was famous at a back-packers, seeing Putin in Red Square, being followed around as a suspicious character by intelligence services and police in Russia, Turkey and the USA, or kicking a US nuclear submarine in New Zealand, she shares her unique stories and experiences.
By the time she sat down to write her books Mary Jane had travelled the world, from the Arctic Circle to working as a park ranger on an uninhabited island administered by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. She spent two years (mostly naked) on La Dame de Canton; drank hallucinogenic tea in the Amazon rainforest; and got so lost she ended up at Robin Hood’s hiding-place.
A Maverick Traveller is Mary Jane’s first book, and it introduces the other books in her series.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 15, 2017
38 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jane Walker
31 books29 followersMary Jane Walker is a writer of historically well-informed travel stories that come with an autobiographical flavour.
Mary Jane first experienced world travel in an unusual way, as part of the crew on a 60-ton Chinese junk named La Dame de Canton, built in the old way to revive a dying art. La Dame de Canton sailed from Canton, now Guangzhou, to Paris in the early 1980s. Just as in the old days of exploration by sail, the voyage took a couple of years to complete, with many stops along the way for fresh water and supplies, and, yes, for repairs as well.
This was the first time such a small Chinese junk had made the voyage from East to West, a voyage which included blue-water sailing across the Indian Ocean.
Mary Jane travels with no real plans and decides where to go and see next when she gets there. She likes to explore the culture and history of places that are off the beaten track as well as places that are well known, and to talk to the local people.
By the time she sat down to write her books, Mary Jane had travelled the world, from the Arctic Circle to work as a park ranger on an uninhabited island administered by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. She had accumulated suitcases fully of photo albums, loose photographs, correspondence, and souvenirs. She had also spent two years (mostly naked) on La Dame de Canton; drunk hallucinogenic tea in the Amazon rainforest; and got so lost she ended up at Robin Hood’s hiding-place.
Among other adventures, Mary Jane has also walked to Mount Everest Base Camp and seen the work and life of Sherpas; respectfully observed the life of many churches, temples and mosques; traversed various parts of the pilgrimage trails of the Camino de Europa; explored the stunning landscapes of New Zealand; visited remote parts of the Arctic while pulled by a team of dogs; travelled around Cuba the hard way; examined the downfall and renewal of the American inner city, and interviewed protestors at Standing Rock. All the while, meeting amazing people along the way.
Her first book, A Maverick Traveller, is Mary Jane’s most autobiographical. A Maverick Traveller also introduces many of the journeys that Mary Jane describes in her later books.
As the book’s précis explains, whether it was eating dog unintentionally in Indonesia, meeting the rapper 50 Cent before he was famous at a back-packers, or kicking a US nuclear submarine in New Zealand, A Maverick Traveller is filled with the unique stories and experiences of Mary Jane Walker. Mary Jane has travelled to all corners of the globe: to large cities, rural villages and tiny unknown islands off the coast of continents.
All true travellers are mavericks, and explorers: people who rough it, often alone, to get to certain places before the tourists follow. And who rough it even more to get to other places where the tourists are never going to go.
She joined the Junk Expedition because she fell in love with the Captain, Niels, then found herself naked on a Chinese Junk sailing under a state of emergency into Diego Garcia. They had run out of food, had been eating rice and drinking saltwater for ten days; soaked on the boat. The sails were ripped.
A Maverick Traveller is the first in an expanding series of books, all with Maverick in their title namely, A Maverick:
New Zealand Way
Cuban Way
Pilgrim Way
USA Way
Inuit Way and the Vikings
Himalayan Way, and
Australian Way,
all in 2017.
Mary Jane first experienced world travel in an unusual way, as part of the crew on a 60-ton Chinese junk named La Dame de Canton, built in the old way to revive a dying art. La Dame de Canton sailed from Canton, now Guangzhou, to Paris in the early 1980s. Just as in the old days of exploration by sail, the voyage took a couple of years to complete, with many stops along the way for fresh water and supplies, and, yes, for repairs as well.
This was the first time such a small Chinese junk had made the voyage from East to West, a voyage which included blue-water sailing across the Indian Ocean.
Mary Jane travels with no real plans and decides where to go and see next when she gets there. She likes to explore the culture and history of places that are off the beaten track as well as places that are well known, and to talk to the local people.
By the time she sat down to write her books, Mary Jane had travelled the world, from the Arctic Circle to work as a park ranger on an uninhabited island administered by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. She had accumulated suitcases fully of photo albums, loose photographs, correspondence, and souvenirs. She had also spent two years (mostly naked) on La Dame de Canton; drunk hallucinogenic tea in the Amazon rainforest; and got so lost she ended up at Robin Hood’s hiding-place.
Among other adventures, Mary Jane has also walked to Mount Everest Base Camp and seen the work and life of Sherpas; respectfully observed the life of many churches, temples and mosques; traversed various parts of the pilgrimage trails of the Camino de Europa; explored the stunning landscapes of New Zealand; visited remote parts of the Arctic while pulled by a team of dogs; travelled around Cuba the hard way; examined the downfall and renewal of the American inner city, and interviewed protestors at Standing Rock. All the while, meeting amazing people along the way.
Her first book, A Maverick Traveller, is Mary Jane’s most autobiographical. A Maverick Traveller also introduces many of the journeys that Mary Jane describes in her later books.
As the book’s précis explains, whether it was eating dog unintentionally in Indonesia, meeting the rapper 50 Cent before he was famous at a back-packers, or kicking a US nuclear submarine in New Zealand, A Maverick Traveller is filled with the unique stories and experiences of Mary Jane Walker. Mary Jane has travelled to all corners of the globe: to large cities, rural villages and tiny unknown islands off the coast of continents.
All true travellers are mavericks, and explorers: people who rough it, often alone, to get to certain places before the tourists follow. And who rough it even more to get to other places where the tourists are never going to go.
She joined the Junk Expedition because she fell in love with the Captain, Niels, then found herself naked on a Chinese Junk sailing under a state of emergency into Diego Garcia. They had run out of food, had been eating rice and drinking saltwater for ten days; soaked on the boat. The sails were ripped.
A Maverick Traveller is the first in an expanding series of books, all with Maverick in their title namely, A Maverick:
New Zealand Way
Cuban Way
Pilgrim Way
USA Way
Inuit Way and the Vikings
Himalayan Way, and
Australian Way,
all in 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 6, 2017
Indian novelist Anita Desai has said,“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” And so, Mary Jane Walker crisscrosses the globe taking a bite of out local life wherever she goes. She calls herself a Maverick Travel, and perhaps the wanderlust in ingrained in her DNA, her surname is Walker, after all. Either way, from an early age she had the need to not just see the world, but visit it and get to know it as well.
Walker records a rambling memoir filled with fascinating tidbits of information of the many cities she passed through, collecting bits and pieces to store away. While she learns about the history of each place, she absorbs the "feel," the political climate, and the people as well as the place become part of her. The stories and experiences shape her life, guiding her to the next fork in her personal road. Walker lives the life many dream of, and while she stockpiles experiences from pitstop along the way, i think she leaves each locale a little richer for knowing her, the time spent there mutually satisfying for both the location and herself.
Walker records a rambling memoir filled with fascinating tidbits of information of the many cities she passed through, collecting bits and pieces to store away. While she learns about the history of each place, she absorbs the "feel," the political climate, and the people as well as the place become part of her. The stories and experiences shape her life, guiding her to the next fork in her personal road. Walker lives the life many dream of, and while she stockpiles experiences from pitstop along the way, i think she leaves each locale a little richer for knowing her, the time spent there mutually satisfying for both the location and herself.
January 15, 2017
This book was a great read! I had the pleasure of getting to read a copy in kindle version.
I loved all the stories - what an amazing life this woman has had - I look forward to reading more of her books soon!
I loved all the stories - what an amazing life this woman has had - I look forward to reading more of her books soon!
January 22, 2017
Loved this book - refreshingly honest open opinion about everything. Found it great to read about from a NZ authors perspective too!
January 23, 2017
Am enjoying this as a bit of winter reading curled up in front of my fire places - envisioning overseas places!
January 27, 2018
"A Maverick Traveller" is a straightforward, high-spirited account of the author's adventures traveling around the world, as she does everything from sail across the Pacific in a Chinese junk to go mountain climbing in the Alps. In between, and perhaps even more fascinatingly, it chronicles her involvement in New Zealand politics as both an activist and a politician.
MaryJane Walker's adventures are numerous, and the reader has to admire her willingness to throw herself into exciting situation after exciting situation and try all different kinds of travel adventures. The writing is simple and clear; this is basically an account of what she's done with her life instead of working an "ordinary" job. There are also snippets of historical and geographical background, and the author's opinions on various domestic and world affairs.
In fact, as an American reader what I found most interesting was MaryJane's view on the US. American readers don't often get outsider opinions on our country, and so it was fascinating to see her view of America as a militaristic nuclear superpower--and how charming she found the US once she arrived and started traveling around it.
"A Maverick Traveller" is a light, quick read that many an armchair traveler will probably enjoy.
I read this book via Kindle Unlimited and reviewed it at the author's request. All opinions are my own.
MaryJane Walker's adventures are numerous, and the reader has to admire her willingness to throw herself into exciting situation after exciting situation and try all different kinds of travel adventures. The writing is simple and clear; this is basically an account of what she's done with her life instead of working an "ordinary" job. There are also snippets of historical and geographical background, and the author's opinions on various domestic and world affairs.
In fact, as an American reader what I found most interesting was MaryJane's view on the US. American readers don't often get outsider opinions on our country, and so it was fascinating to see her view of America as a militaristic nuclear superpower--and how charming she found the US once she arrived and started traveling around it.
"A Maverick Traveller" is a light, quick read that many an armchair traveler will probably enjoy.
I read this book via Kindle Unlimited and reviewed it at the author's request. All opinions are my own.
May 16, 2017
If you like travel literature, this book is not for you.
The author is not interested in providing any form of escape from the reader's life. A good portion at the beginning of the book is simply about the author's biography. Tedious reading, indeed.
When finally the self-proclaimed "maverick" begins to travel, it could not be much more frustrating for the reader. The chapters are short and superficial. Readers with even a limited knowledge of the world, its history and geography will not learn much.
And most annoyingly, the author doesn't even seem particularly interested herself in learning about new cultures. For example, she seems utterly oblivious to the fact that there is a difference between a "Muslim" and "Islamic" country.
Overall, it's simply not very good.
The author is not interested in providing any form of escape from the reader's life. A good portion at the beginning of the book is simply about the author's biography. Tedious reading, indeed.
When finally the self-proclaimed "maverick" begins to travel, it could not be much more frustrating for the reader. The chapters are short and superficial. Readers with even a limited knowledge of the world, its history and geography will not learn much.
And most annoyingly, the author doesn't even seem particularly interested herself in learning about new cultures. For example, she seems utterly oblivious to the fact that there is a difference between a "Muslim" and "Islamic" country.
Overall, it's simply not very good.
November 29, 2017
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There was great energy and adventure in this book with a lot of interesting information about the character traveling from city to city. However I did find it a bit Tedious and boring and hard to get through.
There was great energy and adventure in this book with a lot of interesting information about the character traveling from city to city. However I did find it a bit Tedious and boring and hard to get through.
August 24, 2017
This book is great if you love real adventures and scene behind a wonderful travellers like Mary Jane! Looking forward reading her next adventure.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews