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Down South: In Search of the Great Southern Land
In Down South, writer Bruce Ansley goes on a journey back to his beloved South Island of New Zealand in search of what makes it unique.
From Curio Bay to Golden Bay, in Down South writer Bruce Ansley sets off on a vast expedition across the South Island, Te Waipounamu, visiting the places and people who hold clues to the south's famous character.
'A wild and a contemplative journey that gives readers a glimpse of the fascinating stories that made up some of the South Island's glittering past.' - RNZ
From Curio Bay to Golden Bay, in Down South writer Bruce Ansley sets off on a vast expedition across the South Island, Te Waipounamu, visiting the places and people who hold clues to the south's famous character.
'A wild and a contemplative journey that gives readers a glimpse of the fascinating stories that made up some of the South Island's glittering past.' - RNZ
- GenresNonfictionTravelHistory
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2020
13 people are currently reading
68 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 18, 2021
Gosh I liked this! It was very good company as we travelled around the places mentioned in the first half of the book last week. The discovery and consequential rush, when gold was discovered in the south of the South Island of New Zealand has always fascinated me. I grew up in the heart of this, my great grandfather became a very rich man, and then a very poor man, during and after the gold rush. It is the reason I am alive in this country. While I was reading this I kept phoning my dad and telling him about the stories in the book, things I hadn't heard of, we had a great deal of yarning to do about this book.
If you like a history, told through the lives of real people, often very ordinary people, living in small towns and hamlets in the wilds of the countryside, then you are going to love this book. It is Bruce Ansley's personal story but it is also the story of battlers and villains, chancers and bounders and all those in between. Lots of walks in the hills, tramps into lonely valleys, and a fair poke at some bad lots who are in the business of ripping simple people off. Lots of fun and full of social history. A blimmin good time!
If you like a history, told through the lives of real people, often very ordinary people, living in small towns and hamlets in the wilds of the countryside, then you are going to love this book. It is Bruce Ansley's personal story but it is also the story of battlers and villains, chancers and bounders and all those in between. Lots of walks in the hills, tramps into lonely valleys, and a fair poke at some bad lots who are in the business of ripping simple people off. Lots of fun and full of social history. A blimmin good time!
April 3, 2024
I’m a kiwi who has lived in Auckland all my life, I picked this book up from the recycle shop at the tip on Waiheke Island. Perfect! I thought, I had a trip planned to go Down South to hike the Copland track outside of Fox glacier. As someone who has never ventured further than Queenstown this book enriched my knowledge and taught me both the history and culture of the South Island. It was raw, honest and funny. It made standing on the Alpine Fault line that much scarier and I was excited to share all the fun facts with family and friends.
June 5, 2025
Wasn't sure what to expect with this book.
Started off great. Learned new facts about several towns I've lived in or visited, but then it went wayward. It became more about the authors life and bashing tourism and mining? Would've preferred it stuck to the same structure as the first few chapters.
Started off great. Learned new facts about several towns I've lived in or visited, but then it went wayward. It became more about the authors life and bashing tourism and mining? Would've preferred it stuck to the same structure as the first few chapters.
November 28, 2020
I loved this book. As a South Islander I related to Bruce Ainsley‘s expedition and learnt something new about the great southern lands history and geography.
March 25, 2024
Although traces had been found earlier, New Zealand's first substantial gold find was by a fellow called Charles Ligar in the Mataura River, just south of the town of the same name. Gold was found in large quantities in the southern part of the South Island and on the West Cost for the next 30-40 years, peaking in about 1886. This book starts with an account of these days - noting that the Māori would have been aware of gold earlier but had seen no use for it, as it is too soft to make tools or weapons. Quite remarkably, two major finds were the result of accidents - one fellow reached for a bush to prevent him falling over, to reveal a huge nugget. Gabriel Read is celebrated as a major finder of gold, but an Indian, Edward Peters had actually been there before him. He had been doing the dishes for a mustering gang when he found gold in his washbasin! It was only in 2009 that he was remembered by way of a smallish monument in the Mount Stuart Recreation Reserve. Good old Dunedin chose to ignore the gold inspired madness as long as it could, staying "determinedly unexcited".
Astley's project is to see if there has ever been anything to replace gold as a source of wealth. One such replacement is, er, gold itself - particularly on the West Coast. He goes to Ross, a wee town south of Hokitika and catches up with Evan Birchfield. He's convinced the town is sitting on more gold than has even been extracted but thinks it unlikely he'd get 100% support from the residents to move them all to a new town so he can dig the place up.
After gold, Astley suggests that sheep, their wool in particular, was the next goldmine - this led him to the metaphor of the golden fleece to represent the object of his search. He visits the McKenzie basin to see what's happening sheepwise: spoiler - not so much. He then looks in turn to deer farming, tourism and Christchurch earthquake repairs. These chapters were especially good, as Astley moves around the coast to somewhere near Diamond Harbour to take up deer farming himself. He goes across to Akaroa to see what impact the tour boats are having and has his own struggles with having his earthquake repairs done. His personal engagement makes these chapters come to life.
I guess it was inevitable he'd seize upon Goldent Bay - it's in the name - but he really suggests the whole top of the south is a golden fleece, pointing out how perfect Nelson is. Problematically he can't stay in Golden Bay because of the sea encroaching on his bach, a violent storm and redevelopment. Ultimately his golden fleece is not a place or a business venture: I really enjoyed reading his tales on the way to finding out.
Astley's project is to see if there has ever been anything to replace gold as a source of wealth. One such replacement is, er, gold itself - particularly on the West Coast. He goes to Ross, a wee town south of Hokitika and catches up with Evan Birchfield. He's convinced the town is sitting on more gold than has even been extracted but thinks it unlikely he'd get 100% support from the residents to move them all to a new town so he can dig the place up.
After gold, Astley suggests that sheep, their wool in particular, was the next goldmine - this led him to the metaphor of the golden fleece to represent the object of his search. He visits the McKenzie basin to see what's happening sheepwise: spoiler - not so much. He then looks in turn to deer farming, tourism and Christchurch earthquake repairs. These chapters were especially good, as Astley moves around the coast to somewhere near Diamond Harbour to take up deer farming himself. He goes across to Akaroa to see what impact the tour boats are having and has his own struggles with having his earthquake repairs done. His personal engagement makes these chapters come to life.
I guess it was inevitable he'd seize upon Goldent Bay - it's in the name - but he really suggests the whole top of the south is a golden fleece, pointing out how perfect Nelson is. Problematically he can't stay in Golden Bay because of the sea encroaching on his bach, a violent storm and redevelopment. Ultimately his golden fleece is not a place or a business venture: I really enjoyed reading his tales on the way to finding out.
October 1, 2023
If you are looking for a book to take you to interesting places in the South Island of New Zealand as well learning about the history of the area, and some fascinating characters, Down South by Bruce Ansley is a good read .
His aim in writing the book was to “search for the golden fleece, the pot of gold, the unearthed riches that might change their fortunes in this great Southern Land “.
As a South Islander I found this a worthwhile read , especially learning more about the areas I am familiar with , but at times the long chapters seemed to drag and the dialogue was over whelming.
The inclusion of the map was useful especially to identify places whose names may have changed, and Ansley has pinpointed where the “gold” was hiding with the use of graphics .
Bruce Ansley has spent most of his life in the South Island working in radio , television and newspapers as a writer and has written ten other books
So did Ansley find the South Island's golden fleece, if you want an adventure travelling from Curio Bay to Golden Bay I recommend you read this to see if his quest is fulfilled .
His aim in writing the book was to “search for the golden fleece, the pot of gold, the unearthed riches that might change their fortunes in this great Southern Land “.
As a South Islander I found this a worthwhile read , especially learning more about the areas I am familiar with , but at times the long chapters seemed to drag and the dialogue was over whelming.
The inclusion of the map was useful especially to identify places whose names may have changed, and Ansley has pinpointed where the “gold” was hiding with the use of graphics .
Bruce Ansley has spent most of his life in the South Island working in radio , television and newspapers as a writer and has written ten other books
So did Ansley find the South Island's golden fleece, if you want an adventure travelling from Curio Bay to Golden Bay I recommend you read this to see if his quest is fulfilled .
December 8, 2020
Was really looking forward to reading Down South and the book started off brightly in a sub-Brysonish way (the cover is totally in the recent style of Bryson books, but you know, that's ok). However, in between some interesting southern NZ stories, the book goes wayward. A good editor was required. The author references Jason and the Argonauts which is supposed to be some kind of trope that runs through the book but it actually ruins it, to the point where by the time the millionth reference to the 'golden fleece' rolled around I wanted to rip the book into tiny shreds. A good editor would have sorted this. There's repetitive and unoriginal droning about the perils of mass tourism and a sudden detour into the author's experience as a deer farmer, which could have worked if the book had a different structure to hang it off. Once again, the shape of the text needed more work. There are digressions that are not charming or interesting but merely dull. If the author had stuck to a travelogue and simply told the stories on offer in the places he visits, it could have been a good read. A real pity it didn't get the crafting it deserved. Bryson has absolutely nothing to worry about.
December 22, 2020
I was drawn to this book as a proud Otago protege and being 5th generation from a early settler I have a bit knowlege of our past.
This book lost it's way several times.
Starting with too much breathless enthusiasm siding into a self wallowing story of how difficult parts of Ansley' s living arrangements were.
Opening chapters bounced all over the southern part of the South Island and bounced all over the years from 1860 to 1960. Little snippets of interesting research scattered about did nothing for the flow.
From about the half way point, all historical value was replaced with relativity recent events. Then it slid into a memoir.
Sorry to be harsh, but Ansley can write! Just not books.
This book lost it's way several times.
Starting with too much breathless enthusiasm siding into a self wallowing story of how difficult parts of Ansley' s living arrangements were.
Opening chapters bounced all over the southern part of the South Island and bounced all over the years from 1860 to 1960. Little snippets of interesting research scattered about did nothing for the flow.
From about the half way point, all historical value was replaced with relativity recent events. Then it slid into a memoir.
Sorry to be harsh, but Ansley can write! Just not books.
April 27, 2021
An enjoyable romp around my favorite part of the country. I learned quite a lot, especially about some of the early mining stories, and it was sufficiently up-to-date to include not only poignant sections on the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes, but also the impact of Covid. Marred slightly by some weak or non-existent editing, and a fairly haphazard narrative structure.
July 6, 2023
Good yarn.
September 29, 2023
Having been to do many of these places it was awesome to read the history of them
February 18, 2021
A+ for the earnest attempt to make the south sound attractive.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews