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by Andrew Stevenson

Andrew_Stevenson History_and_Criticism English
  • ISBN: 0864427875
  • Category: Fiction
  • Author: Andrew Stevenson
  • Subcategory: History & Criticism
  • Other formats: lit lrf rtf lrf
  • Language: English
  • Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications (September 1999)
  • Pages: 264 pages
  • FB2 size: 1463 kb
  • EPUB size: 1533 kb
  • Rating: 4.1
  • Votes: 571
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Stevenson, a professional travel writer who spent four months bopping around New Zealand, blends anthropological, biological, and practical observations for an irresistible read

Stevenson, a professional travel writer who spent four months bopping around New Zealand, blends anthropological, biological, and practical observations for an irresistible read. He covers the rural and urban sections of both islands as well as national parks, ably describing the array of travel enthusiasts and native characters he encounters. Start reading Kiwi Tracks on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Kiwi Tracks: A New Zealand Journey. by Andrew Stevenson and Lonely Planet. Andrew Stevenson takes to the tracks in the hiking heaven of New Zealand's famous wilderness areas. With insight and a gentle humour, he explores the spirit of this spectacular land and its people, provides an illuminating view of his fellowbackpackers, and reveals that, however much or little you may have in your rucksack, the heaviest baggage is what you carry inside.

Andrew Stevenson takes to the tracks in the hiking heaven of New Zealand's famous wilderness areas.

With insight and a genle humour, Andrew Stevenson explores the spirit of New Zealand, its indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, and provides an illuminating view of his fellow backpackers and the twilight world they inhabit.

With insight and a genle humour, Andrew Stevenson explores the spirit of New Zealand, its indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, and provides an illuminating view of his fellow backpackers and the twilight world they inhabit, forever between destinations. He also reveals that, however much or little you may have in your rucksack, the heaviest baggage is what you carry inside. With insight and a genle humour, Andrew Stevenson explores the spirit of New Zealand, its indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, and provides an illuminating view of his fellow backpackers and the twilight world they inhabit, forever between destinations.

Travel & holiday guides, Literary Criticism, Description and travel, Travel - Foreign, Travel, New Zealand, Australia & Oceania - New Zealand, Essays & Travelogues, Australian & Oceanian, Australia & Oceania - General, Journeys, Stevenson, Andrew. Melbourne, Australia ; Oakland, CA : Lonely Planet Publications. Books for People with Print Disabilities. Internet Archive Books. Uploaded by booksale-cataloger5 on September 27, 2011.

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Kiwi Tracks: A Tramper in New Zealand by. .Author:Stevenson, Andrew.

Author:Stevenson, Andrew. Publisher:Lonely Planet Publications Ltd. Each month we recycle over . million books, saving over 12,500 tonnes of books a year from going straight into landfill sites. All of our paper waste is recycled and turned into corrugated cardboard. Andrew Stevenson did more than dream: he packed his rucksack and went. Books related to Kiwi Tracks.

Many of us dream of escaping from everyday life, tossing a few possessions in a backpack and travelling light in far-off lands. Andrew Stevenson did more than dream: he packed his rucksack and went.

Andrew's destination was New Zealand, the island nation famous for its pristine wilderness, from sandy beaches and fast-flowing rivers to glacial mountains and primeval forests. In a hiker's heaven, he treks along the Milford Track, the Kepler Track, the Abel Tasman Track and other famous walking routes. Along the way he gets caught in a blizzard on a mountain path, spends time in a Maori settlement and tries hugging a tree.

With insight and a gentle humour, he explores the spirit of this spectacular land at the southern end of the Pacific, its indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, and provides an illuminating view of his fellow backpackers and twilight world they inhabit, forever between destinations. He also reveals that, however much or little you may have in you rucksack, the heaviest baggage is what you carry inside.


Reviews about Kiwi Tracks: A New Zealand Journey (7):
Super P
I feel that this book is better to read after you've returned from a trip to NZ than it is to read before you've been there. Kiwi Tracks is an account of the authors hikes on NZ's "Great Walks", but the hikes themselves are not the focus here--the focus is on Kiwi culture and attitudes and values, and I personally feel that if you've yet to visit NZ, then his keen insights and investigations will fall on deaf ears. Before you go you want reviews of tracks and trails and sort of general cultural info and expectations--it's hard to value his learned insights about the Tongariro Crossing until you've walked it with 500 new friends (if you don't get what I mean with this comment, then that's my point--his book is for people who are already acquainted with the ins and outs of NZ travel).
After you return from your visit, you'll have seen Maori culture close-up, you'll have seen devastated forest regions,rampant tourism promotion, possum poison traps, sheeped hillsides, and ravenous sand flies...as well as gloriously unspoiled natural wonders and features so unique that your jaw will drop while your heart begins to sing. You may both love and hate NZ/nz tourism and only then will Stevenson's insights ring with wisdom for you.
I speak from the perspective of having spent 3 entire summers exploring only half of NZ.
Scott Cook, author of "NZ Frenzy"
Itiannta
I found this to be an interesting book. If you want to learn all about New Zealand, its flora and fuana, or great "tramps" (hikes, for you and me), this isn't the book for you. However, it is an enjoyable light read, giving the reader interesting snapshots of life in NZ. Stevenson meets some interesting people along his journey and I found the way in which he shares their stories much more engaging than most of his descriptions of his walks in the woods. Yes, at times the book strains credulity and some of the characters may seem a bit cliche, but I, too, stood in wonder of many of the situations he encounters. Ultimately what comes through is that New Zealand is a land both unlike any other and exactly like home, too.
Yozshubei
I liked this book. I know other reviews talk about the author's whining or his negative view of New Zealand, but to me that was HIS experience. I appreciated that is was "no fluff" and that it was what it was. I did appreciated his quick stabs at humor and his antecdotes about him getting hurt, ill, misreading labels, etc. I thought the book was real. I liked the commraderee with some of his travel mates. The only thing I would have wanted was some romance.. but that is me the bleeding heart romantic. That was his choice when he was in NZ. Like to read more by the author.
SadLendy
A pleasant read, with perhaps too many details about the author and too few about the country. I'm glad I read it before visiting New Zealand.
Mightsinger
Being that I am preparing to spend the next two years of my life in school in New Zealand, I have been looking for books that can help to prepare me for what my experience in the country will be. That said, I found this book a valuable read. The author presents a good picture of an outsider's view of New Zealand, at least from a traveller's perspective. I think the overall picture, of a beautiful country with an old fashioned mindset, is an interesting one, and I'm looking forward to experiencing it for myself. His descriptions of NZ's natural offerings are the strong point of the book.
Unfortunately, the author is leaving behind a life in Norway that was apparently, in his mind, quite tragic, and he drags the reader through his problems. He's gone to NZ to think about his life, and apparently tramping alone through the wilderness doesn't perk him up much. Reading about how depressed and lonely he is becomes an annoyance from the first chapter, and negatively impacts the entire book. The country he describes sounds beautiful in itself, but with his constant crying, you can't help but feel down about the whole experience. It's like taking a vacation with a friend who's going through a rough divorce.
Overall, the book was good when it stuck to any issue other than the author's relational troubles. I'd recommend it if you can pick it up secondhand, or at the library, as I did.
Vijora
I have travelled to New Zealand many times. When in bookshops I always take a peek in the section they have for NZ, and enjoy travel literature on the topic. Reading a book on one's journey through this country is like taking a mini trip back there again, a place I am very fond of. I've never had a bad experience there. It's a place I have gone alone for months at a time, and a place I have gone with family and friends. This book however, was so negative! He spends most of the story whining about his recently ended relationship, complaining about the weather, and his health problems. He seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, which results in poor experiences with locals as they don't appreciate his negativity (and sometimes rude demeanor). There are points when he complains about the eco-tourism and the lack of environmentally friendly tourist attractions (jet boats and such), yet fails to have a bigger picture that New Zealand is much more advanced than most countries in limiting this activity thanks to it's citizens voting for preservation and supporting their Department of Conservation. No place is perfect, but in the bigger picture, NZ is far more ahead in this subject than most countries, and I mean MOST. I am saddened that he tends to place himself in situations where he invites negative experiences. Finally, if you are reading this book having little experience in NZ, please keep these things in mind, as it is an amazing place with some of the most kind and interesting people you'll ever meet. Aside from 2-3 tourist towns, which cram the typical stuff down your throat, it's one of few places you can go that is safe and you can get happily lost on a beautiful beach or mountain, all your own.

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