Where to start? I am passionately interested in the history of the West Coast of South Island, New Zealand. I’m pretty obviously a history nut and all sorts of topics get my attention, but I like to focus on stories that are not well known or where the real nitty gritty hasn’t been delved into in enough detail (at least according to me).
Topics currently under investigation are:
- Women on the NZ goldfields
- Crime on the goldfields
- Maori gold-miners
- Chinese women in New Zealand
- Remote heritage on the West Coast (huts & tracks – who built them, how and why?)
- All sorts of interesting individuals from New Zealand’s past and some current day ones – you know who you are!
hokitikawriter 
Hello Julia, I am wondering if your book The Far Downers is available for sale anywhere. I have read a library copy and would love to have my own.
Regards Julie Benjamin
Hi Julie, I am glad that you liked it. It is now out of print but sometimes available from second-hand bookshops. I had a quick look and I see that Smiths Bookshop in Christchurch have one. You could also try ABEbooks. Best wishes, Julia
Thanks for that Julia. I was recently staying in Hannahs Clearing, and thought it was time I reread that book. I used it as a reference text when examining my grandmother’s slides of Haast in the 1960s, and Weekly News photos, for my PhD. I will contact Smiths. Regards Julie