Why a Booktrail?
1950s to present day: Can you ever really go back to the place you’ve come from?
Backwards Into the Future
What you need to know before your trail
Mary left her hometown to work as a nurse and has never really been back unless for a funeral.
But now she’s back and looking for a childhood friend, Ana.
But there’s more to this story than meets the eye as Mary is a Pakeha (white New Zealander) and Ana is a Maori girl. They become the best of friends and Ana’s grandmother Kui loves to tell them stories about the people and the landscape of their country. How some tribes fight with others, how they cultivate the land and how they must chant when performing certain rituals.
It’s Kui who has asked Mary to return. But can you ever really go back to a place and its people and expect things to turn out the way you hoped?
Travel Guide
Travel back BookTrail style to New Zealand in the 1950s
This is a story of two cultures in one country and two friends who bridge that divide. Two young girls grow up learning the stories and traditions of the Maori people and their respect for the land. How communities should be and how people should respect one another and the land which gives them food so that everyone might benefit.
There are many pearls of wisdom ,cultural references and nostalgic trips down memory lane here. Mixed with Maori proverbs which illustrate the time as well as the landscape of New Zealand:
“Nau to rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri.”
Which roughly translates as if everyone contributes what they can, there’ll be enough to eat for everyone . The New Zealand which is evoked is done so without any major settings as such as it’s the time and the people who show you the country as a whole.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: Backwards Into the Future
Author/ Guide: Bronwyn Elsmore Destination: New Zealand, North Island Departure Time: 1950s onwards
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