Rangitoto Island
One of the delights of writing my books is the excuse it gives for visiting interesting places. I hadn’t been to Rangitoto Island for many years, but when a character […]
Auckland
Moving the Rob Roy Hotel
Since 1886, the Rob Roy Hotel (more recently known as the Birdcage) has stood in the Auckland suburb of Freemans Bay. While much of the Victorian fabric of the city […]
Memorial to the Suffragists
In 1993, the centennial of New Zealand women gaining the suffrage, a memorial was set up in central Auckland. It’s a bright and cheerful affair done in coloured tiles, but […]
This week in New Zealand history: Mark Twain’s visit
In 1895, Mark Twain spent a month in New Zealand, as part of the year-long lecture tour he made to pay off his debts. He travelled the country, encountering such […]
Writing about real people
Although I use historical settings, I’ve studiously avoided using real, historical characters in my works. Over the years I’ve read and enjoyed many books that do portray real people, but […]