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South Sea Vagabonds
75th anniversary edition of the timeless New Zealand classic of adventure at sea. Johnny Wray's gripping and often hilarious account of his adventures around the South Pacific has inspired readers and changed lives since its first publication 75 years ago. Fired from his day job during the Great Depression, Johnny begged, borrowed and stole the materials to build his famous yacht Ngataki. With some mates for company and a sextant to steer by, he set sail for the palm-fringed atolls and islands of his dreams - to discover they really did exist. But South Sea Vagabonds is much more than just a ripping yarn; it is a heartfelt hymn to the possibility of living a free life and truly being the master of one's own destiny.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 1, 2023
This book, first published in 1935, is somewhat iconic in Auckland nautical circles and has been reprinted a number of times. Johnny Wray was well known in yachting circles before he passed away in 1986. My edition is a 75 year anniversary edition, with an introduction by Bruce Aynsley (which describes a lot more of Wray's life than the book does) and contains a lot of photos not provided in the original.
As a 21 year old, in the early 1930s, Johnny was made redundant from the job he never liked in the first place - a casualty of the great depression in New Zealand. He wasn't keen on finding a new job, and fancied going cruising around the tropical islands of the South Pacific in a yacht. Friend Walter, who had a small skiff, was discussing it with Johnny.
Wray was a problem solver. Faced with numerable problems he worked his was through them all. it is obvious he was personable, people literally queued up to help him. From his friends (and strangers) donating materials and labour to the police officers stopping traffic while on his motorcycle he dragged milled timbers precariously balanced on a dolly, to the transport company who assisted him in moving the 34 foot yacht to the water.
It was really an incredible feat. Designing and building a boat with no experience, and for the boat, christened Ngataki, to not only be seaworthy, but to be a very robust yacht.
As well as the building of the boat, Johnny's book covers what he did in the following few years. With scratch crews made up of his friends or people who could afford to pay a share of the costs, he made voyages to Sunday Island (Raoul Island now) in the Kermadec group, to Tonga, to Tahiti, Niue and to other islands in French Polynesia. For months at a time he lived in the islands, returning to Auckland when needed, or when he pined for the sea again.
His book is very readable. He claims in his preface that he isn't a writer, but wanted to set out his story for other dreamers. I would say he is a pretty good writer, or someone gave him some good direction and helped him with editing etc. Once you get into the book it is clear why it has consistently sold well, it is hugely entertaining, funny, interesting, but most of all, it is honest. He doesn't (appear to) hide anything - he admits his errors, owns his mistakes, rues his bad decisions, but shares all of these with the reader. He is a bit of a folk hero.
I enjoyed this more than I had expected.
5 stars
As a 21 year old, in the early 1930s, Johnny was made redundant from the job he never liked in the first place - a casualty of the great depression in New Zealand. He wasn't keen on finding a new job, and fancied going cruising around the tropical islands of the South Pacific in a yacht. Friend Walter, who had a small skiff, was discussing it with Johnny.
"There are, let me see, four-five-six ways of acquiring a suitable boat. You can buy one; you can be given one; you can build one; you can beg, borrow or steal one. Now let's take them in order; You can't buy one - not with £8 10s. - so I think we can rule that one out. You don't know anyone likely to give you one?"And he did. He visited the boat-building years and watched boat builders. He searched the island shores of the Hauraki Gulf (using Walters Skiff) and found 'lost' pine and kauri logs, and laboriously towed them back to the docks. He gave the logs to a sawmill in exchange for them milling his kauri for him. And, he built a boat. He befriended a reclusive man who had bought the salvage rights of a large ship, and lived in the wreckage, and swapped food for rigging. It took him a few years, and much trial and error, but in he parents front yard he built a boat (and probably lowered property values for that time).
"I'm afraid not," I grinned. "You can count that out."
"Well, what about building one? You once made a canoe out of a sheet of roofing iron, don't forget that. I think you ought to build one."
"You'll have to guess again. I don't know one end of a saw from the other."
"You could learn, you have plenty of time now."
Wray was a problem solver. Faced with numerable problems he worked his was through them all. it is obvious he was personable, people literally queued up to help him. From his friends (and strangers) donating materials and labour to the police officers stopping traffic while on his motorcycle he dragged milled timbers precariously balanced on a dolly, to the transport company who assisted him in moving the 34 foot yacht to the water.
It was really an incredible feat. Designing and building a boat with no experience, and for the boat, christened Ngataki, to not only be seaworthy, but to be a very robust yacht.
As well as the building of the boat, Johnny's book covers what he did in the following few years. With scratch crews made up of his friends or people who could afford to pay a share of the costs, he made voyages to Sunday Island (Raoul Island now) in the Kermadec group, to Tonga, to Tahiti, Niue and to other islands in French Polynesia. For months at a time he lived in the islands, returning to Auckland when needed, or when he pined for the sea again.
His book is very readable. He claims in his preface that he isn't a writer, but wanted to set out his story for other dreamers. I would say he is a pretty good writer, or someone gave him some good direction and helped him with editing etc. Once you get into the book it is clear why it has consistently sold well, it is hugely entertaining, funny, interesting, but most of all, it is honest. He doesn't (appear to) hide anything - he admits his errors, owns his mistakes, rues his bad decisions, but shares all of these with the reader. He is a bit of a folk hero.
I enjoyed this more than I had expected.
5 stars
January 12, 2016
You typically have to be a sailor to appreciate books about sailing; yet the fact that Wray (some 75+ years ago) teaches himself how to build a boat and navigate around the South Pacific adds a humanizing element to this autobiographical narrative. Written with true Kiwi wit and can-do spirit.
October 15, 2025
2.5. Interesting snapshot of a 20-something 1930’s “lad” building a boat and sailing around the Pacific because jobs are boring and hard.
Parts were interesting, but I skimmed a bit (one to many storm described in great detail) and judged a lot. The causal racism and stereotyping is real. And lots of things you wouldn’t do / couldn’t do nowadays like basking in the “ultra-violets” all day (no ozone hole then), buying whale oil and spilling it (and other oils) in the ocean (wild), and catching 20+ snapper in the Hauraki a day (lucky if we catch anything).
Parts were interesting, but I skimmed a bit (one to many storm described in great detail) and judged a lot. The causal racism and stereotyping is real. And lots of things you wouldn’t do / couldn’t do nowadays like basking in the “ultra-violets” all day (no ozone hole then), buying whale oil and spilling it (and other oils) in the ocean (wild), and catching 20+ snapper in the Hauraki a day (lucky if we catch anything).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2024
Incredible story. Makes you want to quite your day job and go sailing
September 25, 2019
Ever thought that wage slavery is a pointless waste of your life and you'd rather just build your own boat and bugger about in the Pacific?
This chap thought of it first.
Sacked from a bookkeeping position in his early 20's, he builds a boat on his parent's front lawn and does exactly what he wants for the rest of his life.
Inspirational in that respect but quite matter of fact writing and detailed accounts of weathering stomach-turning storms in a small boat take some of the gloss off the idea for me. Still, an important book in the canon of New Zealand literature.
This chap thought of it first.
Sacked from a bookkeeping position in his early 20's, he builds a boat on his parent's front lawn and does exactly what he wants for the rest of his life.
Inspirational in that respect but quite matter of fact writing and detailed accounts of weathering stomach-turning storms in a small boat take some of the gloss off the idea for me. Still, an important book in the canon of New Zealand literature.
February 18, 2019
I found this in the kiwi section of the local library and just can't explain the sense of wanderlust it elicits. It is filled with sailing jargon and some outdated idioms, but not nearly enough to stop me from signing up for sailing lessons now.
July 30, 2017
Great read
April 22, 2024
An autobiographical account of a young New Zealander building a sailboat and his subsequent voyages in the 1930s, this was a fun read. Though he says he doesn't have any particular skillsets for building boats or sailing, he clearly does - it's incredible how he builds his boat from scratch and creates many of the pieces of equipment he needs. Reading about his life on the open water - the joys and the hardships - was fascinating and entertaining. Surprisingly not very problematic for a book written by a white guy in the 30s, though he does call the indigenous South Seas islanders "lazy" at one point because they don't have 9 - 5 jobs and instead live off the land (though he clearly likes their lifestyle more than the one he left behind in New Zealand) and also says that they don't know anything about "scientific navigation" - be that as it may, their ancestors populated those islands hundreds of years ago without the use of so-called scientific navigation, so I'd say they're getting along just fine without it.
November 29, 2024
This was an amazing and unusual story about a new Zealand man who decides to pursue his dream of sailing the south Pacific. He builds his own boat and actually completes his dream. This book describes the whole process from dreaming, to building, to sailing and his adventures on the sea and on the islands which he visits. It was exciting to go with him on this journey, to discover the joys and dangers of sailing on the ocean, and to discover this remote islands and the people he encountered there. The only difficult thing about reading this book was the vocabulary. Unless you are acquainted with seafaring, it's difficult to know what he is talking about concerning the winds, the sails, the parts of the boat, etc. A glossary at least would have helped.
June 19, 2025
Johnny wray’s south sea vagabonds was a very enjoyable read. Although he claimed that writing was “[…] not one of his hobbies”, it is clear that it came very naturally to him. His captivating and colorful descriptions of his adventures in the pacific – along with his use of kiwi slang and occupational nautical lingo (that admittedly had me going to google a few times) – almost makes you feel as though, you are being told the story over a cold beer from the sailor himself. This book takes you on pacific adventures with johnny wray onboard the Ngataki, and keeps you flipping to the next page for more. I can’t recommend this book enough 5/5 stars!
November 29, 2024
Nar tark ey
The man who is creating something seems to be invariably happy. The blacksmith is happy when he create something useful with a bit of old iron; the artist lingers over his picture; the carpenter whistles as he works; and the boat builder stands off and gaze us with pride at the lines of his latest ship. But show me the man who is enjoying himself adding up dead figures, we’re looking after Dusty ledgers.
The man who is creating something seems to be invariably happy. The blacksmith is happy when he create something useful with a bit of old iron; the artist lingers over his picture; the carpenter whistles as he works; and the boat builder stands off and gaze us with pride at the lines of his latest ship. But show me the man who is enjoying himself adding up dead figures, we’re looking after Dusty ledgers.
April 29, 2019
I was excited to read of the adventures of my Mother's cousin. It gave me some great insights into the family.
I laughed so much reading about his ability to make a boat out of not much - a strait shared by my mother - [not boat building - rather catering for family and friends]. I was less interested in sailing detail but easy enough to skim over those bits
I laughed so much reading about his ability to make a boat out of not much - a strait shared by my mother - [not boat building - rather catering for family and friends]. I was less interested in sailing detail but easy enough to skim over those bits
December 18, 2025
Pretty interesting read of the times for better or for worse. Had a good balance of interesting details about the boat itself and the journeys they took on it.
To be honest, the most surprising thing is that no one died along with more nudity than I went in thinking there would be.
Happy I read it and I’m sure there’s a niche group in which this book is everything they want and more.
To be honest, the most surprising thing is that no one died along with more nudity than I went in thinking there would be.
Happy I read it and I’m sure there’s a niche group in which this book is everything they want and more.
May 6, 2021
Utterly brilliant. Each chapter is full of often hilarious passages about the trials and tribulations of building and sailing a yacht despite knowing next to nothing about it. The writing is very down to earth, but superbly evokes the fun and joy of sailing around the Pacific in the 1930s.
November 2, 2023
The true spirit of cruising written in such an enjoyable way. So much of the art and joy of cruising John Wray experiences in this book is lost in today's modern cruising world but we can still live through these pages.
April 4, 2021
A brilliant rollicking tale!
July 2, 2022
Inspiring real life sailing adventures in South Pacific
September 22, 2022
Solid adventure novel! Author has fantastic writing style. Zipped through this book.
October 9, 2023
Quite a fun travel memoir, written with a great sense of humor.
October 25, 2023
What a great read! So fascinating to read what can be achieved with some can do attitude.
January 14, 2024
Post reading this, you will desperately want to quit your job, drop out of society, and live on a sail boat. Excellent read.
February 9, 2025
i wabt a boat :(
April 6, 2025
Great yarn!
May 1, 2023
What a wonderful ride this book takes us on. The first part of the book describes how being fired from his job was the catalyst for John to build a yacht for himself to fulfil his dream of going ocean cruising. As his friend Walter describes it, there are six ways to acquire a boat: You can buy one, you can be given one, you can build one, you can beg, borrow or steal one. Not having the resources to buy, hire, borrow, be given or beg, and unwilling to steal, he proceeds to build his yacht, Ngataki, between 1932-1934 on the front lawn of his parents' house in Remuera, from kauri logs he found scattered on the beaches around Auckland. Clearly he was a pragmatic, fearless and inventive person, in a time when a can-do spirit went a long way. The very idea that someone would dare to cut down a kauri, let alone leave a kauri log to rot on a beach today is crazy. The building of the ship was nothing short of miraculous; using largely scavenged or found materials, he nonetheless managed to build a boat capable of ocean-going.
Many elements of the book today seem ludicrous; the 'chronometer' that ran 16 minutes' slow and resulted in navigational hazards would today be substituted with a cheap digital watch. The compass that had to be made - today we'd buy one extremely cheaply. The exercise of getting 10.3m Ngataki from Remuera to Mission Bay to launch would not be too difficult today, but in the 1930s the largest truck in Auckland kept stalling heading up the hill pulling the boat, and required chocks behind the wheels to bunny hop its way up! Yet each of these problems is balanced by something that is so much easier than today - like the police who not only turned a blind eye to John carrying ridiculous loads on his motorbike, but also facilitated it by controlling traffic around him; the ready access to 'driftwood' logs; the convenient mills; the ease of travel to foreign ports; the showering of gifts on visitors.
The second half of the book describes the various journeys in sometimes hair-raising fashion. In one terrifying section John is washed overboard three times in a hurricane, yet somehow survives to tell the tale, as does Ngataki. There are frequent near misses, often caused by navigational blunders or poor equipment which today would be substituted by a GPS. It is a gripping read and thoroughly enjoyable to explore John's world of isolated islands scattered through the Pacific, and the fantastic achievement to build and sail an ocean-going yacht through extreme conditions. Highly recommended for armchair travellers who like to live dangerously. I read this while kayaking which started to seem a lot less risky!
Many elements of the book today seem ludicrous; the 'chronometer' that ran 16 minutes' slow and resulted in navigational hazards would today be substituted with a cheap digital watch. The compass that had to be made - today we'd buy one extremely cheaply. The exercise of getting 10.3m Ngataki from Remuera to Mission Bay to launch would not be too difficult today, but in the 1930s the largest truck in Auckland kept stalling heading up the hill pulling the boat, and required chocks behind the wheels to bunny hop its way up! Yet each of these problems is balanced by something that is so much easier than today - like the police who not only turned a blind eye to John carrying ridiculous loads on his motorbike, but also facilitated it by controlling traffic around him; the ready access to 'driftwood' logs; the convenient mills; the ease of travel to foreign ports; the showering of gifts on visitors.
The second half of the book describes the various journeys in sometimes hair-raising fashion. In one terrifying section John is washed overboard three times in a hurricane, yet somehow survives to tell the tale, as does Ngataki. There are frequent near misses, often caused by navigational blunders or poor equipment which today would be substituted by a GPS. It is a gripping read and thoroughly enjoyable to explore John's world of isolated islands scattered through the Pacific, and the fantastic achievement to build and sail an ocean-going yacht through extreme conditions. Highly recommended for armchair travellers who like to live dangerously. I read this while kayaking which started to seem a lot less risky!
January 7, 2017
First published in 1939, South Sea Vagabonds is apparently something of a classic in sailing circles. It was chosen for my Book Club by a member who is currently living on her boat, so actually an appropriate read! South Sea Vagabonds is the true tale of Johnny Wray who builds a boat, the Ngataki, and then has many adventures sailing it around New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific in the 1930s. For me, as someone who doesn't really like the sea, (beach - yes, deep water - no) the stories of idyllic islands, laid back lifestyles and sunny climes were overwhelmed by the frightening treacherous seas, winds and hurricanes that he and his crew survived on their travels. But overall, the story is one of choosing a life away from the frantic rush of the city. In Johnny's words, "instead of being happy and contented with what they have, everyone is rushing about, worrying about how they can make more money for themselves." Doesn't sound like much has changed in 75 years!
April 10, 2023
“However, if you first go in your own boat and take your lessons in the hard school of experience, you will learn a great deal about the sea very quickly. If you do not, you will probably not come back.”
~
Building a ship with your own hands from materials you found is an incredible feat in itself, but then sailing that boat out into the ocean and through tropical storms is extraordinary faith in one’s abilities. What a captivating tale of real life adventurers. An inspiring story for boat goers of all kinds, and a must read for anyone with an interest in sailing.
~
Building a ship with your own hands from materials you found is an incredible feat in itself, but then sailing that boat out into the ocean and through tropical storms is extraordinary faith in one’s abilities. What a captivating tale of real life adventurers. An inspiring story for boat goers of all kinds, and a must read for anyone with an interest in sailing.
October 15, 2014
Its hard to believe this adventure happened 70-80 years go. It echoes the values of my own family during that period who also sailed the Hauraki gulf and were "can do, won't worry" kiwi's. Vividly written by Johnny who was obviously obsessed with adventure and sailing. Its a shame there isn't second book that continues the story. Best sailing book I've read in years. Must read for all New Zealanders
October 26, 2019
It started quite entertainingly with hope he built the boat, and then became a rather trite island hopping tale replete with "Island beauties" on the Pacific isles they entertained themselves with on every island and every port.
Barf.
Jesus, you could just feel the trite colonialism pouring off the pages.
Barf.
Jesus, you could just feel the trite colonialism pouring off the pages.
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