Great Tales From New Zealand History

by Gordon McLauchlan

Who really did 'discover' New Zealand?; Why history has turned its back on the timid Abel Tasman; The burning of the sailing ship Boyd sets back European settlement by a decade; The enduring love affair between Eliza and Governor William Hobson; A surreal battle at Gate Pa in the Land Wars; Who were the real villains at Parihaka?; The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming; No rowdiness, no horseplay, when women vote for the first time; The Dog Tax - the last Maori armed uprising; The Great White Fleet - the American Navy visits in 1908; A future prime minister is jailed for 'agitating' in 1916; Kiwi lads die in the ?deep grey mud? at Passchendaele in 1917; The six o'clock swill down the pub and its 'disgusting culture'; The extraordinary feats of Jean Batten; John A Lee is fired from the Labour Party in 1940; Dozens die in a massacre at a prisoner of war camp for Japanese in the Wairarapa

Genres: History

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Gordon William McLauchlan was a New Zealand writer and social historian.

Reviews

[Oscar van der Beek]

3/5
Provides snapshots of historical events. Was impressed by the wit and research that had clearly gone in, the lack of bias so present these days was a welcome reprieve. Was also impressed by the events the author decided to focus on, many were not the usually considered watershed moments.
Of course, as a history book I can't rate it higher than 3/5 because it simply cannot by its brevity give enough detail to the events it discusses, but it makes good light reading. Would recc as a titbit for someone traveling NZ from abroad.

[Lissa]

A nice book to read before/after traveling to New Zealand. I enjoyed the earlier chapters more, as they had more historical information. Provides interesting background to the culture and unique aspects of the country. An easy read, with some humor.

[Annette McIntyre]

A simply fascinating look at some parts of New Zealand's history, it's movers and shakers. I am sure that most of the stories told in this book ring vague bells with most New Zealanders but we have forgotten, if we ever knew, what those stories actually were.

No single one of the stories told in here is hard to follow, it isn't wrapped up in tons of detail, but nothing is really missed out either.

I learned a lot about places, people, and happenings and relearned a whole lot that I had forgotten from school.