Fifty years of the Spirit of Adventure captured through the eyes of those who sailed

A Spirit Companion

Celebrating the first 50 years of the Spirit of Adventure Trust

Roger McDonald

Sweeping stories of the sea and personal growth from those who have sailed the iconic Spirit of Adventure

‘All a trainee needed to feel — could not help feeling — was that their feet were on the decks of something pretty big, and change was happening all around them just by the motion that happened when the wind blew.’

 

In A Spirit Companion, distinguished writer Roger McDonald relays stories from some of the tens of thousands whose lives have been touched by ‘the Spirit’. Through their eyes we share the unique experiences fostered over 50 years aboard Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of New Zealand Te Waka Herenga Tangata ō Aotearoa.

The voices speak in these pages — teenagers who had never sailed and were now atop a mast; Lou Fisher, who set up the Spirit of Adventure Trust, and son Stephen who has guided it for 46 years; crew and captains who piloted the Spirit ships; volunteers who give back, many after completing their own ten-day training voyage. 

As Roger writes, his book embraces ‘a mix of past and present episodes, about seventy in total, based on recorded interviews, a few dips into the archive, and a dash of sailing experience. It’s not a history. It’s reportage. It’s not chronological …’

This highly original volume, illustrated with line drawings, forms part of the 50-year celebrations of the Spirit of Adventure Trust in November and December this year. 

The author

Roger McDonald is an acclaimed Australian novelist and non-fiction writer. Among his ten novels are The Ballad of Desmond Kale, winner of the Miles Franklin Award, Mr Darwin’s Shooter and A Sea-Chase. Linked to the Spirit of Adventure Trust by family, Roger divides his time between Waiheke Island and rural New South Wales, and is a keen sailor.

Publication: 14 November 2023 | ISBN: 978-1-99-0042 | RRP $60.00

 Hardback, 220 x 170 mm portrait, 344 pages, 2 colour

Telling the story of migration in latest addition to The NZ Series

New Zealand Migration

Philippa Werry

New book in NZ Series explores the history of our diverse migrant nation, from the first settlers to the latest arrivals

Despite all New Zealanders being either migrants or descendants of migrants, until now there has been no single book on the topic.

New Zealand Migration fills that gap for general readers, while also aligning with the new history curriculum. 

In concise chapters, Philippa Werry explores topics ranging from the first Polynesian navigators to European colonisers, Chinese immigrants during the gold rush to ten-pound Poms, Pacific Island communities to the impact of Covid-19 on immigration. 

Providing readers with a glimpse into the lives of migrants, the book is richly illustrated with fact boxes and images from the archives of libraries and museums, as well as local photographers.

Where did migrants come from and what brought them here? What challenges did they face on their way and once they settled in New Zealand? This book answers all these questions and more. 

 

‘I hope New Zealand Migration will contribute to greater understanding of our shared past, present and future,’ Philippa says. 

 

This is the seventh book in The NZ Series, which simply introduces a range of themes for general and school readers. 

Teacher resources for the series are available on the Oratia website, and the resource of New Zealand Migration will be available for the start of the school year in late January 2024.

The author

Philippa Werry has won various awards for her fiction and non-fiction books, most recently scooping the Young Adult Fiction Award at the 2023 NZCYA Awards for her novel Iris and Me. She is well known for books on New Zealand history, and Oratia published her picture book The Water Bottle in 2022. She lives in Wellington (philippawerry.co.nz). 

Publication: 14 November 2023  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004239-3 | RRP $29.99

Paperback, 240 x 160 mm portrait, 100 pages, colour