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  • Location: New Zealand

A Land Of Two Halves

A Land Of Two Halves

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: A country literarily split in two – fascinated Joe Bennett. After having lived there for some time, he decided to explore for real

  • ISBN: 978-0743263573
  • Genre: Travelogue

What you need to know before your trail

Hitch-hiking around a country to explore it in the smallest of detail may not be advisable to travellers nowadays but it gave Joe Bennett the ideal vehicle in which to travel up and down and across New Zealand and meet some fascinating characters along the way. the places he goes and the things that he sees – and all because he thought that he should understands his adopted home country better than he did.

Seen through the eyes of an ‘outsider’, this is a man who really wanted to understand the draw of New Zealand and its place in the world.

Travel Guide

Starting off in Christchurch he hits the south of the South Island and moves up the west coast – where were the stops on the north of that island? He doesn’t find out as he gets bored and heads home.

Well, once he gets to the North Island, he hires a car and is able to travel quicker and find more places to visit. Many obstacles arise of course and the weather is a particular bugbear at this time of year which he is quick to admit. His many stop overs in the local pub of wherever he is allows you to meet the local people and get the local gossip however. He describes himself –

“I’ve gone willfully from local citizen to traveller, from pedestrian to beggar. And this beggar’s incompetent”

We liked the unique view of New Zealand but advise readers to take it with a pinch of salt as it is much prettier and interesting than is portrayed here. Still, the road that runs from North to South is the road that any booktrailer worth their salt would be dying to do for themselves although probably at a warmer time of year and with a little more planning.
Maps of both islands and all the stops on the way are shown at the start of the book.

1. The South Island – Christchurch,  Lyttelton, Geraldine, Dunedin, Owaka, Bluff, Te Anau, Haast , Greymouth

2. The North Island  – Wellington, Palmerston North, Taupo, Rotorua,  Cormandel

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