Böcker av Jane Robertson

This superbly illustrated history of the people who settled in the many bays of Whakaraupo Lyttelton Harbour is full of finely observed insights into the challenges of living in small, remote communities. Acknowledging the rich history of Te Hapu o Ngati Wheke and their guardianship of this place, the book describes the early history of Maori in the region, as it takes a geographical sweep around the harbour from the signal station at Te Piaka Adderley Head to the lighthouse at Awaroa Godley Head. In between, the stories of the bays and islands of this picturesque and historic harbour are described with fascinating details of early and contemporary life including maritime history and dramatic rescues, farming and trade, wartime experiences and quarantine stations, tourism and recreation.

The world is becoming a busy noisy place and it is good to find a pastime that creates a different space, another dimension. In Parallel Lives in Painting we show how our paintings mean so much to us, they remind us of the lovely places we have visited and enable us to remember them in detail.It takes time to study the colours and contours of a scene. It may be that the drawing is an inadequate representation of the three dimensional scene spread out before us, how can it be anything else, but the process of trying to represent it on the two dimensions of the blank page is intellectually rewarding. The emerging picture is not just about the scene before you but also about your response to it at the time.

The contentions of this book are that the natural world is the best guide to our economic activities, that supply and demand are insufficient determinants, that profit and loss are not alternatives, that wealth cannot be created but can be lost.