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The Five Acre Forest
Planting a tree is an act of faith, an expression of hope.
The Five Acre Forest inspires that hope.
In transit from the globe-trotting life of an aid worker, Trish Nicholson came upon an eroded dune beside a lake in New Zealand's far north and felt a strange attachment. The following year, she abandoned her Celtic roots and returned to plant a thousand trees.
Twenty years on, the author shares the physical and emotional trials and triumphs of transforming the dune into a five acre forest, and describes the lives of its native trees, birds and insects, enchanting us with local legends and her nature photography along the way.
Woven into Nicholson's personal narrative is the deep-time story of an extraordinary landscape of dunes, lakes, swamps and beaches formed from an ancient shared geological ancestry.
Heel-on-spade nature writing that is also lyrical, passionate and full of wonder'
The Five Acre Forest inspires that hope.
In transit from the globe-trotting life of an aid worker, Trish Nicholson came upon an eroded dune beside a lake in New Zealand's far north and felt a strange attachment. The following year, she abandoned her Celtic roots and returned to plant a thousand trees.
Twenty years on, the author shares the physical and emotional trials and triumphs of transforming the dune into a five acre forest, and describes the lives of its native trees, birds and insects, enchanting us with local legends and her nature photography along the way.
Woven into Nicholson's personal narrative is the deep-time story of an extraordinary landscape of dunes, lakes, swamps and beaches formed from an ancient shared geological ancestry.
Heel-on-spade nature writing that is also lyrical, passionate and full of wonder'
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 28, 2021
3 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Trish Nicholson
15 books5 followersTrish Nicholson is a social anthropologist, storyteller, author of narrative non-fiction, and a former columnist and features writer whose work has been published in national media in the UK and Australia. She has travelled extensively in the Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, Africa, North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, India, and Australia, and now lives in New Zealand. You can read more of her work on her website: www.trishnicholsonswordsinthetreehous... (where there really is a tree-house) and follow her on Twitter @TrishaNicholson
On my website you will find posts about travel worldwide, musings and tips about writing non-fiction and short stories, and a photo-essays of people, places and wildlife. I hope youenjoy your browsing.
On my website you will find posts about travel worldwide, musings and tips about writing non-fiction and short stories, and a photo-essays of people, places and wildlife. I hope youenjoy your browsing.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 5, 2021
Everyone has their own idea of home, and what home entails, for Trish Nicholson that idea came to realisation on a sand dune in New Zealand, thus buying and setting up a new home there following a life of globe-trotting life as an aid worker.
In The Five Acre Forest, Trish Nicholson tells the story of not just the setting up of this new home, but how this once barren land on which she chose to build a house and surrounding forest amid an ever-changing New Zealand landscape.
The story of the land within New Zealand is tied to its very history and folklore, the tales of Māui who fished up the Northern Island with a magic fishhook and Te Houtaewa who outran all of his enemies along the length of Ninety Mile Beach, although it’s a little shorter at approximately 55 miles, however, with the beach being named by Captain James Cook, the name evidently stuck.
The extraordinary history and folklore of New Zealand are intertwined with the author’s narrative to create a natural haven within this magnificent landscape, and a book such as The Five Acre Forest can only exist from the passion involved in not just the writing of it but the passion and energy taken to create such a living project in the first place.
The Five Acre Forest is a testament to the strength, passion and courage of the author. Learning about native plants and creating a living space is by no means a small feat, and Trish Nicholson by no means makes it sound easy, however, the triumph of The Five Acre Forest, is not just the creation of the site, but how it has helped inspire others and how it can inspire us all to show that each one of us can create our own spaces, learn about the native land and show it the respect it deserves.
In The Five Acre Forest, Trish Nicholson tells the story of not just the setting up of this new home, but how this once barren land on which she chose to build a house and surrounding forest amid an ever-changing New Zealand landscape.
The story of the land within New Zealand is tied to its very history and folklore, the tales of Māui who fished up the Northern Island with a magic fishhook and Te Houtaewa who outran all of his enemies along the length of Ninety Mile Beach, although it’s a little shorter at approximately 55 miles, however, with the beach being named by Captain James Cook, the name evidently stuck.
The extraordinary history and folklore of New Zealand are intertwined with the author’s narrative to create a natural haven within this magnificent landscape, and a book such as The Five Acre Forest can only exist from the passion involved in not just the writing of it but the passion and energy taken to create such a living project in the first place.
The Five Acre Forest is a testament to the strength, passion and courage of the author. Learning about native plants and creating a living space is by no means a small feat, and Trish Nicholson by no means makes it sound easy, however, the triumph of The Five Acre Forest, is not just the creation of the site, but how it has helped inspire others and how it can inspire us all to show that each one of us can create our own spaces, learn about the native land and show it the respect it deserves.
October 9, 2021
This lovely book was just what I needed to read at a time when the news is so full of doom and gloom. The theme of The Five Acre Forest couldn't be more timely. The Isle of Man born author tells the true story of how she made a leap of faith twenty years ago and settled in New Zealand after visiting the country while working in Indonesia.
The reason she felt drawn to make the move was the discovery of an eroded lake side dune – a place she felt drawn to. Two decades and a thousand trees later she had created a five acre forest on the dune.
The story of the forest, the landscape and the flora and fauna that live there is a magical one. It's a personal story, but it's also universal – reaching back, as it does, into ancient times and addressing issues about the current health and future of our planet. It's about treasuring what we have and planning ahead for a future we won't see but hopefully the generations coming after us will. And it's inspiring too as it encourages us all to take action however small to nurture planet Earth.
The reason she felt drawn to make the move was the discovery of an eroded lake side dune – a place she felt drawn to. Two decades and a thousand trees later she had created a five acre forest on the dune.
The story of the forest, the landscape and the flora and fauna that live there is a magical one. It's a personal story, but it's also universal – reaching back, as it does, into ancient times and addressing issues about the current health and future of our planet. It's about treasuring what we have and planning ahead for a future we won't see but hopefully the generations coming after us will. And it's inspiring too as it encourages us all to take action however small to nurture planet Earth.
August 17, 2022
Trish Nicholson’s Five Acre Forest is a paradox. On the one hand it is the account of a systematic conservation and restoration project to revive the natural ecology of an ancient dune in New Zealand. In this sense it is scientific in its approach and without sentimentality. On the other, it is profoundly moving, and achieves a meditative quality in the writing with some extraordinarily lovely and lyrical passages. It is both educational and uplifting, fascinating and lovely. I finished it with a sigh of wistfulness, wishing I hadn’t. But I know I will read it again, not once but several times.
February 18, 2022
Outstanding!
During a trip to New Zealand, Trish Nicholson discovered an abandoned sand dune and lake in the far North. Over twenty years she transformed and nurtured this magical five acres with new plantings, clearing debris and unwanted plants and rebuilding, with an incredible dedication to this outstanding area.
Her love of nature, the trees, the plants and the wildlife of the area, shines through on every page.
Although she battled droughts and invasive plants, she never gave up on her beloved forest, and her work continues.
Included in this nature memoir are the local myths and legends, and a history of the land going back thousands of years.
As I grew up in rural South Australia, surrounded by Pinus Radiata plantations and wild bushland, I felt an affinity with the author and her determination to preserve her Five Acres Forest.
This is an excellent read, and I would recommend it highly to lovers of all flora and fauna.
During a trip to New Zealand, Trish Nicholson discovered an abandoned sand dune and lake in the far North. Over twenty years she transformed and nurtured this magical five acres with new plantings, clearing debris and unwanted plants and rebuilding, with an incredible dedication to this outstanding area.
Her love of nature, the trees, the plants and the wildlife of the area, shines through on every page.
Although she battled droughts and invasive plants, she never gave up on her beloved forest, and her work continues.
Included in this nature memoir are the local myths and legends, and a history of the land going back thousands of years.
As I grew up in rural South Australia, surrounded by Pinus Radiata plantations and wild bushland, I felt an affinity with the author and her determination to preserve her Five Acres Forest.
This is an excellent read, and I would recommend it highly to lovers of all flora and fauna.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews