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Puha Road
Puha Road
Barry Crump was one of New Zealand’s most popular authors of all time. From A Good Keen Man in 1960 through to his death in 1996, over a million copies of the 24 books he wrote were sold. He was a superb storyteller, who captured perfectly the laconic humour and the lifestyle of the rugged Kiwi outdoors man. His ability to craft a tale that is both moving and funny is superbly illustrated by the huge international success of the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is based on his book Wild Pork and Watercress.
Almost all of Barry Crump’s books are now out of print. A new volume of collected stories published in 2017 remedied that. And the five classic yarns comprising that volume are available in ebook form as separate titles – A Good Keen Man, Bullock Creek, Gold and Greenstone, Puha Road, and Wild Pork and Watercress.
About Puha Road:
If the handle of spade was going to break; if the tree was going to come back down across the car; if they were going to close just before you got there; if the tractor was going to back through the fence into the boss’s wife’s ornamental goldfish-pond; if the paint was going to get split on the poodle – it always had to happen when Muxy was around. In fact it’s hard to imagine how this Muxy could ever be even remotely successful at anything – but his good luck is as devastating as the bad, and with this intriguing brew Crump takes his latest characters on a search for employment that takes them to the bottom of the barrel, to the top of the heap, and on to an unexpectedly touching ending at Puha Road.
Although Puha Road diverts from Crump’s usual subject matter, it is written in the same vivid, entertaining style that distinguishes his writing, and which has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of readers, both here and abroad.
About the author:
Barry Crump was born in 1935 and died in 1996. In 1959 he began writing humorous sketches of life as a government deer-culler and pig hunter, publishing these in 1960 as A Good Keen Man. This became a massive bestseller in New Zealand and over the next 50 years he wrote another 23 books, which sold over a million copies.
As well as a best-selling author, Crump was an actor, TV personality, poet, radio commentator, man of leisure, traveller, goldminer, photographer and more. A successful 12-year association with Toyota brought a series of award-winning advertisements that catapulted Crump into living rooms around the country with his laconic, blokey style.
Crump was married five times and had six children, all sons. In the 1990s Crump was awarded an MBE and OBE for services to literature, something he was quietly proud of and reckoned would be hard case pinned to his Swanndri. He was listed in the Who’s Who as having no fixed abode, and regarded himself as a world citizen. He insisted that, first and foremost, he was just a Kiwi bushman.
Barry Crump was one of New Zealand’s most popular authors of all time. From A Good Keen Man in 1960 through to his death in 1996, over a million copies of the 24 books he wrote were sold. He was a superb storyteller, who captured perfectly the laconic humour and the lifestyle of the rugged Kiwi outdoors man. His ability to craft a tale that is both moving and funny is superbly illustrated by the huge international success of the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which is based on his book Wild Pork and Watercress.
Almost all of Barry Crump’s books are now out of print. A new volume of collected stories published in 2017 remedied that. And the five classic yarns comprising that volume are available in ebook form as separate titles – A Good Keen Man, Bullock Creek, Gold and Greenstone, Puha Road, and Wild Pork and Watercress.
About Puha Road:
If the handle of spade was going to break; if the tree was going to come back down across the car; if they were going to close just before you got there; if the tractor was going to back through the fence into the boss’s wife’s ornamental goldfish-pond; if the paint was going to get split on the poodle – it always had to happen when Muxy was around. In fact it’s hard to imagine how this Muxy could ever be even remotely successful at anything – but his good luck is as devastating as the bad, and with this intriguing brew Crump takes his latest characters on a search for employment that takes them to the bottom of the barrel, to the top of the heap, and on to an unexpectedly touching ending at Puha Road.
Although Puha Road diverts from Crump’s usual subject matter, it is written in the same vivid, entertaining style that distinguishes his writing, and which has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of readers, both here and abroad.
About the author:
Barry Crump was born in 1935 and died in 1996. In 1959 he began writing humorous sketches of life as a government deer-culler and pig hunter, publishing these in 1960 as A Good Keen Man. This became a massive bestseller in New Zealand and over the next 50 years he wrote another 23 books, which sold over a million copies.
As well as a best-selling author, Crump was an actor, TV personality, poet, radio commentator, man of leisure, traveller, goldminer, photographer and more. A successful 12-year association with Toyota brought a series of award-winning advertisements that catapulted Crump into living rooms around the country with his laconic, blokey style.
Crump was married five times and had six children, all sons. In the 1990s Crump was awarded an MBE and OBE for services to literature, something he was quietly proud of and reckoned would be hard case pinned to his Swanndri. He was listed in the Who’s Who as having no fixed abode, and regarded himself as a world citizen. He insisted that, first and foremost, he was just a Kiwi bushman.
115 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1982
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About the author
Barry Crump
50 books81 followersNew Zealand author of semi-autobiographical comic novels based on his image as a rugged outdoors man.
Crump worked for many years as a government deer-culler in areas of New Zealand native forest (termed "the bush"). He wrote his first novel, A Good Keen Man, in 1960, based on his experiences as a government hunter. It was a fictional account of a young hunter who has to suffer through a series of hunting partners who are often unsuitable for the job. This novel became one of the most popular in New Zealand history,
Crump died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm. At the time of his death he was living at Ohauiti with his fifth wife, Maggie.
abridged from Wikipedia
Crump worked for many years as a government deer-culler in areas of New Zealand native forest (termed "the bush"). He wrote his first novel, A Good Keen Man, in 1960, based on his experiences as a government hunter. It was a fictional account of a young hunter who has to suffer through a series of hunting partners who are often unsuitable for the job. This novel became one of the most popular in New Zealand history,
Crump died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm. At the time of his death he was living at Ohauiti with his fifth wife, Maggie.
abridged from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 9, 2025
This is almost a kiwi version of “On the Road,” but then it isn’t. It’s the happy go lucky tale of Gavin and Mugsy as they stumble through life. Sweet at times.
The reader of the audiobook detracted from the story quite a lot - I don’t recommend the audiobook. He pronounced “conspicuously” as “conspitiously.” And seemingly suffered from punctuation blindness.
The reader of the audiobook detracted from the story quite a lot - I don’t recommend the audiobook. He pronounced “conspicuously” as “conspitiously.” And seemingly suffered from punctuation blindness.
March 17, 2024
Dropped a star due to the narrator of the audiobook.
April 15, 2024
If you're battling to get past the first third, push on, it's worth it.
October 3, 2014
A great Crump books with excellent characters and a typical NZ story.
One of his best books.
One of his best books.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews