Kiwi truckies are the unsung heroes of New Zealand – the men and women who make great personal sacrifice and often risk their lives to keep our country running. The people who devote their life, in some way or another, to what is often a hard and lonely passion. Life on the Road gathers together their fascinating stories. It captures the humour, tragedy, action and extremes of the trucking world, by turns moving between the dramatic, light-hearted and surprising – including runaway trucks, skirmishes with the law, nostalgic tales of the early pioneers, love stories, and more than one practical joke. Whether you’re a trucking die-hard or just love the wide open road and a cracking good yarn, Life on the Roadis a gripping insight into the real lives of Kiwi truckies.
An evocative memoir about the emergence of a pre-eminent writer in a changing world 'What I have to tell is largely a personal narrative about how I came to inhabit a fictional world' This absorbing memoir explores the first half of writer Fiona Kidman's life, notably in Kerikeri amid the 'sharp citric scent of orange groves, bright heat and . . . the shadow of Asia' - at the end of Darwin Road. From the distance of France, where Kidman spent time as the Katherine Mansfield Fellow in Menton, she reconsiders the past, weaving personal reflection and experience with the history of the places where she lived, particularly the fascinating northern settlements of Kerikeri and Waipu, and further south the cities of Rotorua and Wellington. Her story crosses paths with those of numerous different New Zealanders, from the Tuhoe prophet Rua Kenana, to descendants of the migration from Scotland led by a charismatic Presbyterian minister, to other writers and significant friends. We learn of Kidman's struggles to establish herself as a writer and to become part of different communities, and how each worked their way into her fiction. At the End of Darwin Road is a vivid memoir of place and family, and of becoming a writer: 'I was certain that . . . I would continue to write, if possible, every day of my life.'
I am about to be left in charge of the office. I'm not sure I am ready for the responsibility, so I double-check with my boss. He reassures me. 'You'll be fine, Marianne. As long as no one kills Amanullah Khan, you'll be fine.' By midday, Amanullah Khan is dead. In 2006 Marianne Elliott, a human rights lawyer from New Zealand, was stationed with the UN in Herat. Several months into her new role an important tribal leader is assassinated while she is in charge of the local UN office. She must try to defuse the situation before it leads to widespread bloodshed. And this is just the beginning of her story in Afghanistan. Zen Under Fire is a vivid account of Marianne's experience living and working in the world's most notorious battlefield. As well as sharing the incredible details of her UN role, Marianne tells the very personal story of the shattering effect that the high-stress environment had on her and her relationships, and asks what it really means to do good in a country that is under seige from within. This is an honest, moving and at times terrifying true story of a woman's time peacekeeping in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Also available as an eBook
Successfully navigate the rich world of travel narratives and identify fiction and nonfiction read-alikes with this detailed and expertly constructed guide. Just as savvy travelers make use of guidebooks to help navigate the hundreds of countries around the globe, smart librarians need a guidebook that makes sense of the world of travel narratives. Going Places: A Reader's Guide to Travel Narratives meets that demand, helping librarians assist patrons in finding the nonfiction books that most interest them. It will also serve to help users better understand the genre and their own reading interests. The book examines the subgenres of the travel narrative genre in its seven chapters, categorizing and describing approximately 600 titles according to genres and broad reading interests, and identifying hundreds of other fiction and nonfiction titles as read-alikes and related reads by shared key topics. The author has also identified award-winning titles and spotlighted further resources on travel lit, making this work an ideal guide for readers' advisors as well a book general readers will enjoy browsing.
Biography of New Zealand's most awarded wine-industry leader. Over the last 15 years, the New Zealand industry has increasingly globalised, as international corporates take a dominant role in our wine production. Villa Maria has always fiercely guarded its independence as New Zealand's largest privately-owned wine company, an independence that can be tracked back to the day in 1961 when a young George Fistonich told his Croatian-immigrant father that he wanted to give up building and take over the family winery. In the 50 years since, he has turned a cottage business making fairly average table and fortified wines into a widely admired company that produces some of this country's very best wines (for which it has won a multitude of local and international awards), has considerable landholdings, is a major exporter, an energetic sponsor, and has an innovative culture. George Fistonich has won the coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, was knighted, and, in 2011, was honoured with one of the international wine industry's leading awards. This book traces the arc of his life, from his hard-working Mangere childhood to his self-taught marketing audacity, from having to save his beloved business from receivership to taking big bets on the future. What emerges is the portrait of a determined, savvy and visionary man, whose life in wine tracks the history of the modern New Zealand wine industry. The book features a tribute by celebrated UK wine writer Oz Clarke.
When Ryan Anglem decided to take a break from working as a computer programmer in the UK during 2002 for a round the world trip, he had no idea what was going to be in store for him over the next seven months of travelling. What unfolded was not just a visit to a number of exotic destinations around the globe, but a journey that was life changing.
“Kiwi”—a small, flightless, nocturnal bird which is native to, and the national symbol of, New Zealand. We travelled around the United States and Canada for twelve months towing a camper, touching on all forty-eight contiguous states and eight Canadian Provinces. As we tried to support the American economy the only way we knew how—by sticking to the secondary roads, stopping at all the small towns, and buying beer at all the backwoods bars—we were continually asked the same questions: “What are you?”—“We’re Kiwis.” “Where are you from?”—“New Zealand, but we live in Australia.” “What are you doing here?”—“We want to see every State, learn all the history, and experience what it is like to live as an American.” “Why?”—“Because America gets such a bad rap around the world, we want to find out for ourselves if it is justified . . . and if you really are as good as you think you are . . .”
Stories of life, death and unforgettable clinical cases A psychiatrist and a patient with supernatural connections. A family man's resilience as he recovers from a life-changing terrorist attack. A rural nurse specialist and his incredible roadside rescue of a woman on the brink of cardiac death. A trauma therapist caught in the aftermath of a violent methamphetamine episode. The Unexpected Patient tells the stories of patients who impacted health carers in unforgettable ways: patients who showed stubborn perseverance on the road to recovery, who clung to hope in the face of unexpected trauma, and who illuminated the indomitable depths of the human spirit. These stories look at the things that lead to bad health outcomes, from the seeds that are set before we are born, to the personal choices we make, and to societal and health sector shortcomings. Yet, ultimately, The Unexpected Patient is about human relationships and the bonds forged between two people: a medic and that one, unforgettable patient.
One of New Zealand’s greatest rally drivers and a hill-climbing superstar tells his inspiring story for the very first time. Rod Millen was a hero of New Zealand rallying in the 1970s. Having won several championships he quickly established himself as New Zealand's number one driver. But thereafter Millen went on to do what very few Kiwis have achieved, finding podium success in American motorsport. He won the North American Race and Rally Championship in 1979, 1980 and 1981, then in 1989 Millen achieved perhaps his greatest feat, winning the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, America's second oldest motor-racing event. Writing his name into history, he went on to win the race more times than any driver. The hill-climb is often referred to as 'Millen's Mountain'. Rod Millen is also a highly successful businessman. As a continuation of his off-road driving interests, he founded Millenworks in California in 1980, specializing in cutting-edge light tactical vehicles, armored and off-road vehicles and subsystems for the US military and theme parks. Millen has recently returned to New Zealand, building a 140-acre, ocean-front estate at Hahei with a racetrack as a driveway, modeled on his favourite hill-climb corners around the world. He's also established Leadfoot Festival, a unique weekend held every two years at the estate, bringing together a mix of classic cars, vintage motorcycles and motorsport legends, inspired by the famous British Goodwood Festival of Speed. Aside from rallying, Rod is well known for other forms racing such as super touring, drifting and extreme off-road races like the Baja 1000 (often considered the most dangerous race in the world) and Transsyberia rally (which he won in 2007). Rod also won the Race to the Sky hill-climb in New Zealand in 2002 and posted the fastest time at the 2002 Goodwood Festival of Speed in England - and he still has the record up his own front driveway. The Cutting Edge is Rod's story, in his own words, of a life lived pushing the boundaries, of record-breaking off-road driving, working at the forefront of motorsport technology, and of creating the ultimate petrol-head heaven, right in his own backyard.
LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.
