Two Men of Mana and Other Stories – A celebration of Wairarapa’s early days

By Gareth Winter

 ISBN 9780958261760

$25.00 + pp 

Two Men of Mana is a colourful collection of stories about Wairarapa’s early days. The 25 chapters bring 19th century New Zealand to life with true tales of people, places and memorable moment.  There are the challenges of pioneering life – from arduous journeys to the ever-present fear of fire – and the personalities who helped shaped settler society.  There are poignant love stories and no-holds-barred politics.  These illustrated stories draw on the extensive Wairarapa Archive collection of regional records, newspapers and photographs.

A Very Publick Reserve – The story of a community’s parks

 By Gareth Winter

ISBN 9780958261746  Illustrated limpback

 $30.00 + pp

 Gareth Winter, archivist and garden writer, traces the development of Queen Elizabeth Park and its associated reserves, including the town cemetery, from its days as a rough paddock leased for grazing to today's expansive reserve. Along the way he tells of the man who dug his own grave, of the hunt for the corpse with a missing hand, the town's near-fatal fling with early ballooning and of the thousands who gathered in the park for the many civic ceremonies held there.

The Good Citizen: A Life of C.E. Daniell of Masterton

By Tim Shoebridge.   Wairarapa Archive 2009

ISBN  9780958261753

$ 35.00 + pp

The Good Citizen: A Life of C.E. Daniell of Masterton,  powerfully illuminates the role of ‘leading citizens’ in determining the way New Zealand towns developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pushing their interests and establishing their place within the nation. C. E. Daniell (1856-1939), described by a contemporary as ‘the uncrowned king of Masterton’, was one of the Wairarapa’s best-known and most influential citizens between the 1890s and the 1930s. Forthright, confident, and capable, Daniell helped propel his district from a muddy and isolated frontier province to a prosperous and efficient part of modern New Zealand. This book chronicles his efforts to improve Masterton’s educational, commercial, and infrastructural facilities.

Things Have Been Pretty Lively: The Great War Diary of Melve King

 Neil Frances and Doug King

 ISBN 780925261739  Illustrated limpback

 $25.00 + pp

 Melve King’s diary, recording what he did and what he saw, reflects the military service of an ordinary young man half the globe away from home and in extraordinary circumstances. His perceptive and detailed view of the Great War adds an important 'voice' to the New Zealand understanding of that tragic and crucial event.  His words are supported by additional text explaining facets of his army life and the major campaigns and battles of the New Zealand Division on the Western Front.

After the rains came : The Tinui Flood of April 1991

Compiled by Cathy Casey. Masterton District Library, 1996.
ISBN 0-473-03793-9 Illustrated limp back
$15.00 + pp

An illustrated oral history examining the event and effects of a disastrous flood on a small Wairarapa rural community.

Masterton Library Wall Hanging : A Social History in Threads

Compiled by Maureen Bull & Bernard Burgess. Masterton District Library, 1993. ISBN 0-47302177-3 Illustrated limp back.
$25.00 + pp

A unique feature of the library is the 23 metre wall hanging, made by the Wairarapa Embroiderers' Guild. This book tells the story behind each of the 102 panels, which trace slices of Masterton's history from its founding.

Street stories : How Masterton's Streets Got Their Names

Gareth Winter. Wairarapa Archive, 1998.
ISBN 0-9582053-0-2 Illustrated limp back
$20.00 + pp

Although the origin of many streets has been obscured by time, in this entertaining local history archivist Gareth Winter uncovers and reveals the fascinating twists and turns behind our street names.

Also available from us

North of the Waingawa : the Masterton Borough and County Councils 1877-1989.

Ian F. Grant. Masterton District Council, 1995.
ISBN 0-473-03436-0 Illustrated hardback
$40.00 + pp

Street Wise: How the Streets of Carterton, Greytown, Featherson and Martinborough got their Names.

Gareth Winter. Wairarapa Archive, 1999.
ISBN 0-9582053-1-0
Illustrated limp back $20.00 + pp

Follows on from Street Stories taking the same look at the streets of Carterton and the South Wairarapa towns.

Eketahuna: Stories From Small Town New Zealand

Peter Best. Wairarapa Archive, 2001
ISBN 0-9582053-2-0
$20.00 + pp

Eketahuna historian Peter Best delves into the past of New Zealand's quintessential small town and tells the stories that give the town and district their special character.

A Night of Terror: Wairarapa's 1942 Earthquake

Jan McLaren. Wairarapa Archive, 2002
ISBN 0-9582053-4-4
$20.00 + pp

Using eye–witness accounts and extensive oral history, writer Jan McLaren recreates the dramatic events of mid to late 1942, when Wairarapa and Wellington were rocked by a series of major earthquakes.

The White Swan Incident: The shipwreck that could have sunk a government

Mike Warman. Wairarapa Archive, 2002
ISBN 0-9582053-3-7
$20.00 + pp

In 1862 the S.S. White Swan, carrying a number of the country's leading politicians and civil servants, was holed by a rock off the Wairarapa coastline. Miraculously, Captain Harper found one of the few safe spots on the coast to run ashore, and no lives were lost. Maritime historian Mike Warman tells the story of the events leading to the wreck, the irony behind their rescue and the mysterious Wellington enquiry into the wreck.

The Look of Masterton: A celebration of 150 years 1854-2004

Gareth Winter.   Wairarapa Archive, 2004

ISBN 0958205388 Illustrated limp back

$20.00 + pp

Tells the story of Masterton's beginnings and it's progress over 150 years.   With informative text from archivist  Gareth  Winter indicating milestones along the way, the story is principally told through photographs, many published for the  first time.

The Look of Greytown: New Zealand's first planned inland town 1854-2004

Chris Slater and Ian F Grant.   Wairarapa Archive, 2004

ISBN 095820537X Illustrated limp back

$20.00 + pp

 

Tells the story of New Zealand's first planned inland town with a lively text and a collection of fascinating and evocative photographs, illustrating the distinctive character of Greytown, from its rough-hewn earliest days to the charm and sophistication of today.

Taking flight: the Fisher monoplane and early aviation in the Wellington Region

Paul Maxim. Wairarapa Archive, 2003

ISBN 0958205353 Illustrated limp back

$20.00 + pp

Paul Maxim tells the story of how his great-grandfather Percy Fisher came to build and fly his monoplane in the Wairarapa countryside.   It is also the first comprehensive history of the exciting early days of aviation in Wellington.

Wairarapa builidings: Two centuries of New Zealand architecture

David Kernohan.   Wairarapa Archive, 2003

ISBN 0958205361 Illustrated limp back

$40.00 + pp

Provides the first comprehensive survey of Wairarapa's diverse and historically significant architecture, tracing the history of changing building styles in New Zealand, and taking readers of a tour of more than 500 significant buildings in  the area.   Well illustrated, including 16 pages in colour.

The memoirs of Joseph Masters : founder of small farm settlements for the 'small man'

Wairarapa Archive, 2005
ISBN 0958205396 Illustrated limpback
$25.00 + pp

An exploration of the fascinating life of Joseph Masters, founder of Masterton, including his previously unpublished memoirs, annotated by descendants. An essay by Gareth Winter of the Wairarapa Archive puts Masters' Masterton years and achievements into an historical context.

 

Ketchil : a New Zealand pilot's war in Asia and the Pacific

Neil Frances. Wairarapa Archive 2005
ISBN 0958261709 Illustrated limpback

$25.00 + pp

Ketchil is the war story of Charles Victor Bargh, survivor of the largely forgotten war over Burma and India, and in the Pacific. Librarian and archivist Neil Frances has combined oral history, wartime letters and previously unpublished photographs to tell the story of an unsung war hero.

Dear Sister : letter between a pioneer Wairarapa family and relatives in rural England 1856-1883

edited by Robin Holmes and Allan J. Farley.  Wairarapa Archive 2006

ISBN 0958261717 Illustrated limpback

$ 30.00 + pp

Dear Sister provides a unique insight into the lives of Jane Oates of the Taratahi Plains and her sister Jane Morten in Derbyshire England.  In a remarkable correspondence the sisters give a fascinating account of daily life, living conditions, unremitting labour and illness.  Well illustrated with many family and regional photographs this books tells the story of one of our founding families.

The look of Carterton: the first 150 years, 1857 - 2007

Gareth Winter

ISBN 9780958261722 illustrated limpback

$ 20.00 + pp

A photographic journey through Carterton's history, from its founding in the 1850s to recent times.  Text by Gareth Winter, with many unpublished photos.