Book Review

Sunset to Sunrise: an illustrated history of New Zealand’s lighthouses by Timothy Nicol (New Holland Press, $39.99)

Reviewed by Simon Nathan

Sailing around New Zealand’s exposed coastline is hazardous, and the historic record is full of stories of shipwrecks and drownings. Soon after the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, the British imperial authorities passed regulations to enable the establishment of aids to coastal navigation, and the New Zealand government has traditionally taken responsibility for the provision of lighthouses and other coastal lights. By the end of the nineteenth century a network of lighthouses had been set up, manned by keepers and their families who often lived in isolation for many months at a time.

Since the 1970s the New Zealand government has had a policy of progressively automating the lighthouse network, and the last keepers left the remote Brothers Island station in 1990. Since then the lighthouses have functioned by remote control, with regular maintenance visits by staff from Maritime New Zealand. Captain Timothy Nichol, an experienced mariner, had responsibility for inspecting the lighthouse network from 1990-99, and has based the narrative of this book on his annual inspection tour with engineer Ken Belt – an adventurous trip by road, helicopter and boat around the New Zealand coastline. It was no job for the faint-hearted, involving changeable weather, hazardous boat landings and clambering up the vertical sides and lighthouses.

The tiny light at Cape Kidnappers surrounding by nesting gannets. (Source: Sunset to Sunrise)

The book is a retirement labour of love, combining Captain Nicol’s own experience with information on each lighthouse gleaned from official files, newspapers and reminiscences. The opening chapter sets the scene by explaining the Lighthouse Environment, including the evolution of different types of light, foghorns, radio direction finding, and the equipment kept on different lighthouses. A useful map near the beginning shows the locations of functioning lights, and it was a surprise to realise that I had visited perhaps a third of them over the years travelling round New Zealand.

The next seven chapters, the bulk of the book, comprise a travelogue around the lighthouses region by region, starting at the top of the North Island, and ending with the Chatham Islands. Although the book covers much of the ground covered a decade earlier by Helen Beaglehole, the illustrations, both modern and historical, are a fascinating record of New Zealand’s lighthouse history. It is also a reminder of the problems preserving lighthouse heritage, as the structures are invariably in isolated and exposed locations.

Sadly Captain Nicol died earlier this year, a few months after handing the manuscript to the publisher. This is a beautifully produced book, and I have no doubt that he would be delighted to see it in print.

Book Review

The Rift by Rachael Craw (Walker Books, $22.99)

Reviewed by Rachel Stedman

Rachael Craw is one of those writers you KNOW you want to read, as she has a gift for creating action-packed young adult adventures. Her first series, Spark has been extremely well received by the YA community in both Australia and New Zealand (it has a hashtag, #SparkArmy), and The Rift looks like it’s going to be just as popular.

The Rift is the tale of Meg and Cal of Black Water Island, where Cal is an apprentice Ranger. Meg’s always wanted to be a Ranger too, so upon her return to Black Water she’s jealous of her one-time friend. But on Black Water Island, hostility can get you killed. Because on the island strange things happen: cell phones don’t work, nor do any electrical devices, and there’s a herd of deer who can communicate telepathically. Oh, and there’s an interdimensional rift that, when it opens, admits the dreaded Hounds. And just as Meg arrives, the Rift is about to open. Can Meg and Cal overcome their guilt over the past to protect the herd and save the island?

The Rift is a fast-paced and exciting read. Meg and Cal are well-described, engaging characters, and because the story’s written from both their points of view, it’s likely to appeal to both sexes. I enjoyed the naturalness of the dialogue and the physical competence of both characters.

I did have a few quibbles. There were plenty of tropes: the evil drug company, ridiculously snarky teens and way too many Proper Nouns. But the biggest challenge was the Rift itself. I kept wondering – where did this thing come from? Where does it go? And why aren’t there any government scientists on the island checking it out?

That being said, as the narrative tension began to build, the action sparked, and it was impossible to stop reading. I refused to get out of bed one morning as I just needed to find out what was going to happen next! So, if you’re a fan of action-packed fantasy, The Rift is a great read.

The Rift is certain to appeal to fans of Maggie Stiefvater, V.E. Schwab or Suzanne Collins, and is highly recommended for older teen readers. Personally, I hope there will be a sequel, as I want to know more about Meg, Cal and Black Water Island.

Book Review

The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age by David E. Sanger (Scribe, $35)

Reviewed by Valerie Morse

In October, the New Zealand government called out Russia for its “malicious cyber activity” with Government Communications Security Bureau director general Andrew Hampton telling Radio NZ’s Checkpoint programme that the government was “very concerned” about malicious internet activity. Reports of China’s intrusions into Australian companies have raised alarms in recent days, and now Chinese company Huawei has been banned from a role in building the new 5G network because its network systems are viewed as having back doors for the Chinese government. Two years ago, the NZDF said said that it wanted to acquire offensive cyber weapons, among a raft of other purchases and upgrades. Unlike warships, firearms and aircraft, however, there has been little public discussion and debate about the acquisition of this wholly new class of weapon and if the offensive, eg. proactive, use of cyber weapons is a good idea in terms of New Zealand’s foreign policy. The cyber war, it seems, has already begun.

In his new book, The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age, author David Sanger, the national security correspondent for the New York Times, aims to provide some much needed, and highly readable, background to the issues and pose some challenging questions for an informed debate.

Sanger’s opening is dedicated to providing some context into why cyber weapons are so useful; they are, he says, the “tools available between diplomacy and military power.” He explains that they represent a more credible threat than much more powerful weapons because they can be used without, “demonstrations of open military might that invited retaliation, escalation and international condemnation.”

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Book Review

The Unconventional Career of Dr Muriel Bell by Diana Brown (Otago Universith Press, $35)

Reviewed by Judith Morrell Nathan

This is an authoritative biography of a significant New Zealand scientist.  Even though I heard of Muriel Bell in my childhood in Dunedin, I had no idea of the range of her work until I read this book. Her career was unconventional for her day in that few women in the 1920s studied medicine, and very few indeed carried on to a doctorate in medicine and a career in research.  Furthermore, when she married, her husband managed their domestic life and she mostly retained her maiden name and continued to advance her career.  Her second husband lived most of the time in Wellington while she remained in Dunedin. She had no children.  From a 21st-century perspective, none of this seems unconventional: I must admit I was expecting a more Bohemian story.

This book is careful to mention the various specialties and research links of the many worldwide scholars that Dr Bell interacted with and learned from.   Footnotes abound, but surprisingly there is no bibliography so if, for example, you want to find out what “Preston Lady Doctor” refers to, you have to scroll back through the footnotes to find the first mention of it.  The book is full of names that mean nothing to a general reader today, important though they would be to a scholarly reader to establish just what Dr Bell’s own contribution was.  Amongst the unknown international names are well known New Zealanders such as Sir Charles Hercus, Sir John Walsh and her friend Dr Elizabeth (Bess) Gregory, respectively deans of the Otago Medical, Dental and Home Science schools.  She was also friends with Peter Fraser and Millicent Baxter, but the author was unable to find out much about her personal life.

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Interview

Q&A: Vincent O’Malley

Interviewed by Vaughan Rapatahana

Kia ora Vincent.

Tēnā koe mō tāu pukapuka. Ka nui te pai tēnei mahi.

Vincent O’Malley (source: BWB Books)

VR: Let’s start at the top. The Great War for New Zealand: Waikato 1800 -2000 is a massive book and a mighty indictment of the ways in which Pākehā grabbed the land off and of Māori; a systematic snatching that of course has had and continues to have serious ramifications for many Māori today. What are the positive flow-on effects stemming from this important book, that you are experiencing yourself?

Vincent: The response to the book has been phenomenal right from the day we launched it back in October 2016. That was at the Waahi Pā poukai in Huntly. I handed over the first official copy to Kīngi Tuheitia and wandered around the back of the whare where a big crowd was gathering. I wondered what was happening. It turned out they were already queuing to get their own copies of the book and so I spent the next three or four hours signing hundreds of books. It was a huge privilege to be invited to launch the book on such an important date in the Kīngitanga calendar and to see the way in which it has been embraced by Tainui has been amazing. I also really hoped the book would speak to Pākehā about the need to own their history and again the reception has been remarkable. At times it has felt less like a book and more like I’m part of some kind of social movement.

At a personal level, I guess my profile as a writer and a historian has increased and I’ve done dozens of public talks over the past couple of years in all kinds of different places and forums. And my message is always that the New Zealand Wars were defining conflicts in our history. They are part of our story and we need to know this history, and ensure our rangatahi learn it at school. I have done lots of school visits myself in this time and I know young people really get why this history matters to them and their communities. In some respects they are leading the way for their elders.    

VR: As a corollary, what are the bad effects – if any – arising from both the ongoing publicity surrounding this book, as well as from those who may have read it? Do you still sight ignorant comments, encounter any racist epithets? If so, how to handle suchlike?

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