New Zealand Books

I found this to be a good read and was useful for me when making a decision.

Also I reckon the previous reviewer has pushed the boundary as they have posted defamatory comments about an independent scientist.

How could anybody review all these supplements without some backlash from people with their own agenda?
I read this guide and it was glowing about USANA - but why not if it was really the best? You can't do a comparative guide without declaring a winner. McWilliam makes no profit from USANA and you can't blame him for using the product if he thinks it is the best.

I've also read the web article accusing it of bias. It is clear to me that this is one of the companies that didn't get a good review - trying to defend their product - surely that is bias by definition.

I've read this book & found it very informative. Never realised how important nutrition was, and how far the research has come in the last decade.

Some salient points not mentioned in the other reviews, though:
* Four company's products rated well. The sad thing is that there were about 110 examined. Of these, about 102 were below the mid score!

* The methodology is impartial, clearly outlined, and based on the findings of seven published nutritional authorities).

* In demonstrating the benefits of good quality nutrition the author cites some 530 published research papers and articles.

All in all, a useful reference of available products.

A friend of mine who is getting into selling USANA recommended this book. After checking it out, red flags came up in my head - "Hmm, I wonder who this author is? What are his credentials? What kind of evidence does he provide?" Gee, my first Google search popped up with an interesting 8 page expose of the book by one of USANA's competitors.(...)I recommend if you are NOT selling USANA, to find a less biased guide for selecting your nutritional supplements.
I recommend if you ARE selling USANA, find a more ethical way to sell your products, or find a more ethical company from which to sell.

This has been an excellent source of information for my friends and me. We are going to New Zealand next year and know nothing of the country. Since we are planning on visiting wineries, we were happy to find enough on the subject to start planning which ones are "musts" to see.

I have just got back from New Zealand, and got the 2006 guide with me...

And I must say that the good thing about these books are the tips they give on each city, and yes, it also gives an idea of the itinerary you can chose by the ammount of days you will be going to...

Even though NZ is a place fully prepared to be receiving tourists and Visitors Information centers just about everywhere in the country (for Real !!) and with plenty of information (that sometimes can cause confusion), the book was something that me and my wife always liked to read and get some of the tips.

The only drawback is that it does not point out at a Budget or even shoestring travel.. It is more on the medium to high profile by some of the guidance the book gives to you (about 80% of the time), but is a real good thing to take along.

We definitely liked it, and I could say that a lot of the tips we actually (restaurants, places to go..) followed and we satisfied with it.

You will like and for the price, it's worth to take at the trip.

And you will just love New Zealand... I bet you will !
:-)

If you're looking for something that you can take along with you for reference, then this book is not it -- it's way too clunky. If you're COMPLETELY unfamiliar with the country, then this book is for you. If you're going to visit EVERY part of the country, then this book is for you. But if you're only going to do a city stay, or see one or part of one of the islands, then this book is NOT for you. If you already have your itenarary planned out, then this book is NOT for you. About the only thing that I liked about this book is that it gave me some ideas for side trips, and a map. Both of which I could have gotten when I arrived in New Zealand.

Andrew Barton Paterson (more commonly known as `Banjo' Paterson) is probably the loudest voice in late 19th century/early 20th century Australian literature, he certainly contributed more to Australian mythos than any other literary figure.

U.S. readers may recognise the title of this collection from the film which bears a more than passing (yet not terribly accurate) resemblance to Paterson's poem of the same name. Read the poem, it is stronger and the `Man' more mythic in Paterson's verse. You may also recognise "Waltzing Matilda" a poem later set to music that narrowly missed becoming Australia's anthem, certainly more Australians know the words to Waltzing Matilda than our official anthem, `Advance Australia Fair.'

Yet Paterson is more than this. The comedic "Mulga Bill's Bicycle' is perhaps as well known to Australians. The tale of the proud and arrogant Mulga Bill who claims "none can ride like me" and "I'll ride this here two-wheeled concern right straight away at sight." rolls on in an inevitable but rollicking and funny way.

His `Clancy of the Overflow' perfectly captures the Australian mood of living in the city yet eternally drawn to our wide brown land. It's final paragraph sums it superbly.

And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,
While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal --
But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of The Overflow.

I always enjoy reading his verse. It is easily read, quite short and many of them marvelously humourous.

To conclude Paterson is a strongly and uniquely Australian poetic voice. This collection has the best of his verse. I'd recommend it to all who have ever enjoyed one of his verses and to all who might enjoy some simply constructed but strongly evocative Australian poetry. Even fairly young readers would enjoy a lot of the poems in this collection.

I loved the movie "The Man From Snowy River" and knew it was based on the poetry of A.B. Paterson. I spent the last fifteen years looking for a book of his poems in every library and bookstore I entered. I never found one until now--what a find! The book has 129 poems, including the song "Waltzing Matilda". Many, like "The Man From Snowy River" are exciting. Some are funny ("Mulga Bill's Bicycle"), and some are sad and sentimental ("The Droving Days"). Most are about horses and cowboys, and they take place in Australia. I love this book--Banjo Paterson is a poet who has been ignored too long in the US, and I'm so thankful I found a copy on your site!

This is a lousy edition by some New York bandit publisher, pages misaligned, uneven print; contains many of the soppy poems and not all the better ones. Better off looking for an older, used edition.

I purchased this book to use as we study the continents. (We are homeschooling). It gives tidbits of information about New Zealand, just enough for a surface glance at this country. Which is OK for our purposes, but would not be useful if you really wanted to study this country in depth. Also the pictures were drawn or sketched, and did not really give us a realistic look at this country. There are a couple of pages in the back that list all the basic facts about New Zealand, but these are presented in a boring fashion and not interesting to read. Therefore not useful to us, really. They almost seem like they are not part of the book, or maybe like someone's effort to redeem the informative value of the book. While this book will be somewhat helpful for us since we do not need to look at this country that deeply at this time, I would not be inclined to purchase any additional books in the ABC series.

Both the ABC New Zealand and the Maori book are excellent. The ABC New Zealand has colorful pictures and just enough information to hook and hold my third graders' interest. The Maori book is superb, with pictures and text that introduces children (with teacher input) to the Maori culture of New Zealand.
The seller,Topshelf Treasures, was a 5 in dealing with shipping issues that arose.

Schroeder and Wolf have put together a lovely introduction to New Zealand with this offering in the series "Country ABCs". The text begins with a greeting in both English and Maori. Throughout the book, a respectful tribute to the Maori origin of the country and the Maori culture is apparent. The native terms, when used for a particular letter, are also written in phonetic spellings that incorporate words even young readers may have mastered. The alphabet letters are clearly designated and attractively highlighted with a border of Maori design.

At the outset, drawings of the country and its placement in the hemisphere are clearly shown. The pictures correspond effectively to the word used for each letter. The landscapes and seascapes are particularly lovely.

The text is clearly written to cover the major aspects of the country: origin, geology, culture, economy and politics. The last of these recognizes that New Zealand was the first to grant women the right to vote. Also acknowledged is the country's long-standing anti-nuclear stance.

This reader, however, was surprised to see no mention of New Zealander, Sir Edmund Hillary, although the first woman to be elected prime minister in 1999, Helen Clark, was pictured. More of the Maori carvings and designs might have been included, but the overall effect of this book as it is, shows a fine cohesiveness in concept, text and illustrations. A brief "On the Web" section is included. A minimal glossary, index and a "To Learn More' bibliography makes this book a useful library skills teaching tool as well.

In case you didn't read what I said about Alan Duff's previous book "Once Were Warriors", I shall point out again that I am not an Alan Duff fan, not by half!
This new book was a far better read than "Once Were Warriors". Sadly though it was also transparently obvious that "One Night Out Stealing" was written with the movie sequel in mind. Thus Jake is redeemed, he is proven to be innocent of the rape of his daughter and the rape is vaguely attributed to Uncle Bully to fit the movie.
There is also another of those charming deliberate factual errors of which Mr Duff is so fond; although this one is far less important than getting the Maori Land Wars and the Treaty of Waitangi `round the wrong way (many NZers at rec.sport.rugby might dispute that).
It's a subtle error this one. In a conversation with the (unrealistically English-squire-like) Mr Trambert, Jake discusses the drop kick by Zinzan Brook in the 1995 World Cup final against south Africa - but the goal was actually against the English in the semi. The irony being that the English kicking game had disposed of the Aussies in the quarter by a drop goal you see.
Well spotted huh? Do I win a prize for spotting these Mr Duff?

From the author of "Once Were Warriors" comes another gritty tale set in New Zealand's underclass. This book focuses exclusively on two thieves Jube (white), and Sonny (half-Maori) who also share an apartment. Their miserable existence sitting around a nasty bar full of ex-cons is rendered in full detail as they drink through the weekly welfare check. Jube is a insecure loudmouth of the kind that likes to drive his muscle car real fast and brag about everything. Sonny is more of a thinker and feels trapped and out of place. One night they rob a fancy house and score big, changing both their lives. It's a pretty nasty read, and gets a little tiresome at times as the duo move through a familiar cycle of hopelessness. Duff strings the two men's conversation together into single blocks so that who's saying what is a little confusing at times. Reminiscent in some ways of the Australian film "Romper Stomper."

I really liked this book - it's about two men who rob a house one night and it changes their lives forever. Duff is a great writer. Incidentally 'Errol' who wrote the review above this is actually talking about another Duff book called 'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted' (it's the sequel to 'Once Were Warriors' - it's really good - don't be put off by the cheesy title or the fact that it's a sequel) - I guess Errol got the titles mixed up - because 'One Night Out Stealing' is NOT the sequel to 'Once Were Warriors'.

There are tourists and there are travelers. Both visit other lands, but tourists make no attempt to learn about the people and culture, preferring to view everything from their own perspective. Travelers try to learn as much as possible about the places they visit and appreciate the cultural differences. In "Sunday Islands: New Zealand, Tahiti, Australia," Harold Truman shows that he is a traveler as he offers his impressions of the South Pacific gleaned during visits to the region from 1994 to 2000. Truman is not the stereotypical "ugly American" on his journeys. He never loses the awareness that he is a guest in other people's homeland and is careful to show respect for their customs - even if those customs are totally foreign to Americans. He also shows his sense of humor in recounting his own misadventures, such as his first attempt to use an outrigger canoe and learns it's not as simple as it appears. Even when playing the tourist, Truman remains the traveler. Most tourists going out on a fishing excursion would concentrate on landing a big one, but Truman gets to know the boat's captain, learning more about the country and its people in a few hours of conversation than anyone could learn from reading thousands of travel brochures. Throughout his journeys, Truman demonstrates a keen sense of observation of people and places. Thanks to his narrative, which flows like poetry, and his descriptions of people and places, we are more than readers of his travel journal, we are his friends accompanying him on his journey.

There are two ways I can describe this book: as an assigned essay on "How I Spent My Vacation," in which it might receive a passing grade in High School; or as a visit by your brother-in-law, the one you never really liked but tolerated for your sister's sake, who shares his superficial ideas as if they were deep insights. I suppose there are people who will voluntarily submit to either, but I'm not one of them. The author (he can only be called a writer in the most literal sense) has no insight to speak of, is manifestly incompetent at background research, and lacks any useful power of description. He really should look up the meanings of words like "masquerade" and "circumvent" before he uses them. . . The real mystery is how something like this ever gets published.

Truman uses words like an artist uses paint to create a colorful masterpiece. He not only gives the reader a deep understanding of Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti's multi-tiered eco-system, but he also captures the souls of the people who call the Islands their home. It's an exotic mix filled with historical and geographical background. "Sunday Islands" is also very, very funny! This is must reading for anyone who's been or plan on visiting these southwest Pacific locales, and if the reader doesn't have an urge to travel, "Sunday Islands" will transport them to the lush Pacific locations he so eloquently describes. One can only hope Truman will write a second edition with illustrations to accompany his vivid description of life "down under".

The firebases and their desciptions deal primarily of the areas in the FRAC area of operations. But there is no mention of some of the firebases employed in the south DRAC, some of these bases were unusual that they were entirely waterborne and supported riverine operations of the minth inf div.

A very good first research book on FSB's with lots of very good pics. It has most of the basics and can be used to write with authority on the subject.

I wish it had covered more FSB, as I was station in I Corps in 68-69 and was basicly a mountain terrain vs. IV Corps where it was the delta (water), yet it covered the subject as completely as the book would allow.

Vietnam historians and VN vets should purchase this book.

NAM VET

Randy E.M. Foster's VIETNAM FIREBASES 1965-73: AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN FORCES considers artillery fire support bases of the Freeworld forces, surveying their use as troop shelters and command centers, their defense, and their key strategic role during the war. Serious military libraries will want all these histories.

Welcome to New Zealand!
Fodor's has offered some good travel books however they aren't my favourite, but considering price vs information offered it's not too bad. The book is just under 300 pages so it fits easily into your bag though honestly it doesn't offer nearly as much information on things to see and do etc as other travel guides. I lived in New Zealand for some time and I bought this book before moving to Aotearoa (Maori word for New Zealand) to get some useful information about the country and things it offered. I thought the book was very informative about the various regions covering the North and South Islands as well as offering photos as a visual appeal. The info is all very accurate when it comes to historical information as well as sights that the average tourist or even kiwi shouldn't miss when traveling. The book is broken into regions like other books and offers some info on the major cities like Queenstown, Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, Wellington etc. and what they all have to offer. I would recommend this book as supplement to another travel book, though you can certainly get by with just this book, I did. It also helped that tourist/info centers are everywhere in the major cities and travel destinations and they offer maps info packets etc. Overall good book, affordable, gives useful info and can be used alone but I would recommend another travel guide of some kind. DK I found was very good and offered a bit more info, though honestly its better to just go and experience things and see what locals have to say because most of the time travel guides offer only so much and you'll find that you experience and enjoy a bit more of what the country has to offer when you do what the locals do and go off the beaten track so to speak. After living in Wellington I found that there was a lot of things I felt the book couldve covered or included but didnt. I suppose complaint would be that it has very limited amount of info which you could probably find in other books. Like I recommend going down to Courtney St. which is near Te Papa Museum and exploring the restaurants and clubs, it has a very good nightlife there, really when you travel you just have to find things out for yourself because the only people who really know where to go what to see and do are those living there, most travel books can't tell you all that because most weren't written by someone who lives there. The book does do a good job of giving a brief overview of Aotearoa or New Zealand's history, geography including flora and fauna, and culture of the Maori.

I bought this book since it seemed a comfortable size for traveling as compared with Lonely Planet. I think it had very little info however, and found that the free guides given by New Zealand Tourism were equally if not more useful. Wouldn't recommend it.

After looking through Jean Foleys book I can see how difficult it can be to see what one has experienced as part of one's life when it is viewed by someone else, as they necessarily can only give limited attention in the broad examination this book gives to the subject.

The book is a useful insight into part of the history and as such it omits most of the human side of the place, BUT, as someone who spent the first 23 years of life in Quarantine Stations in Australia (Brisbane, Darwin and North Head), its difficult for me is accept that so much of what one witnessed and experienced first hand in such places has been lost, not written about, ignored and or just plain destroyed.

It irks me that so much of the carvings made by 19th and 20th century Quarantine immates at North Head, outside the current Q-station site, are now being degraded and or lost forever by possible neglect. The numerous sites which were previously so carefully looked after by dedicated Commonwealth Quarantine Staff for decades are now without evident protection.

If one would like to hear something of the forgotten people who did so much to maintain this unique site, including the now Q-Station location, as well as the adjoining areas of the former Quarantine Station now controlled by NSW Parks and Wildlife, one should consult the article in the 1975 Commonwealth Deparment of Health Journal 'Health', Volume 25, pages 31-37, "Quarantine: counting the costs".

Fortunately, for me I can recollect what few others know about eg how difficult some immates were about their 14 day stay in Quarantine and the management demands of Head Office and Canberra - how many times one went looking for people who had placed themselves in danger around the cliff faces at North Head, the time spent running the steam laundry so that other staff could keep the place fully functional, the number of phone calls one answered at our family staff house when I was studying for University exams, and yes the times when the station was under full emergency mode with closed gates and no contact with the outside world (except for those of use who lived at the gatehouse S7).

Most of all I have fond memories of the village atmosphere of all the fellow staff members and their families, warts and all. The greatest thrills I had were of looking at all the antiquated tools, machines, steam boilers and the engines which were left over from another age.

Fortunately my father (Herbert Lavaring BEM, 1917-98)as Officer in Charge of the Station (1963-75) spent a lot of time and effort to save these and other items of historical interest - some have survived the passage of time and are now to be found in the National Museum in Canberra and the National Archives at Chester Hill in Sydney.

Unfortunately, Jean Foley has few accounts of the experiences of the staff and their families who had the opportunity of living in this museum of human history when it was fully functional. Luckily I am one who can say "I lived there!" and in similar places which have since been destroyed through 'progress' or outright neglect. I hope whats left at North Head is properly preserved, particularly the rock carvings outside the Q-station site.

Those were interesting times, even if it was when one was much younger.

Dr Ian Lavering BSc, PhD, MBA, MAHons, GDMgmt, GDAdmin, GCREcol
Quarantine Station Lytton Brisbane 1952-58,
Quarantine Station Darwin 1959-62, and
Quarantine Station North Head 1963-75.

In writing the first definitive history of the Quarantine Station in Sydney's North Head, Foley has gone to impressive lengths to track down seemingly every historical record, reference and recount related to the Station's 160-year history and weave them together into an engaging read. Written chronologically and structured according to the Station's varying management and function - the events, diseases, people and (often poor) decisions that affected the development of the Station are conveyed succinctly and articulately. From the Station's hasty beginnings in relative isolation from the emerging British colony in 1837, to bungled attempts to contain smallpox in 1881, through to the bubonic plague and pneumonic influenza in the early 1900s, the book charts the development of not only the Station, but developments in medical knowledge in the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. The Station is also portrayed as an immigration facility as well as a health concern, documenting the disillusionment felt by many a once hopeful immigrant arriving at what was for many their first and last contact with Australia. Concluding shortly after the Station's closure and inclusion in a national park in 1984, the book remains very well-researched and factual, and therefore does not wander into the paranormal realms that most 'ghost tour' visitors to the Station today may associate with it.

This map shows New Zealand as a whole with a few little inset maps of the larger towns and cities but it doesn't give any great detail for anything but the main roads.

I travel internationally a few times a year and do my own travel plan of such areas. So far,this map is the most detailed for land/car travel that I've used.