World Geography & Literature 2015-2016: New Zealand Novels

I read one of the New Zealand based novels a few years ago, when we studied the Eastern Hemisphere using Sonlight's Core F. Elise read it then and thinks Erik should definitely read it. For additional options, I asked a friend who lives in New Zealand for input, specifying that I didn't want to use The Whale Rider. It's a good book, but a mass stranding of whales would be hard for Erik to handle!

Hunter by Joy Cowley, is a story that shifts back and forth between two time lines. In the present a teenage girl and her brothers are flying home to see their parents on a small private plane. The plane crashes and they are stranded in the middle of nowhere with no help in sight. The other time frame involves a Maori ancestor who is enslaved to a neighboring Maori group and is acting as tracker and guide for a party hunting for Moa. Following the crash, Jordan somehow accesses her ancestor's knowledge allowing her family to survive until help can arrive.


Chelle recommended Where the Flag Floats. It tells the story of the wreck of the Orpheus as it sails from Australia to New Zealand. The main character finds himself the possessor of a fancy watch given to him by his mother as she lies dying of consumption. She tells him it was his father's and that he should take it to Auckland, New Zealand where his aunt lives. His watch is taken from him by the landlord, but he steals it back and then after a series of adventures or misadventures he ends up a stowaway on HMS Orpheus as it sails for Auckland. He is one of the few survivors. He eventually manages to reclaim his watch and find stability in a new life with his aunt.