By Kevin Savage. Published by Kale Print and Design Associates, Tauranga. ISBN 978-0-473-21122-6.

The story of one settler, Edwin Stanley Brookes, who arrived on the inhospitable shores of Northland’s Kaipara Harbour in 1862. The story is based on the prolific pen of Brookes, one of 3000 who made up a unique Nonconformist group known as the Albertlanders. The Albertlanders focused primarily on Port Albert, near Wellsford, on the Oruawharo River. The aim was to establish a town to rival Auckland but the imaginations of the people from England did not match the harsh realities of remote New Zealand. Brookes’ words provide a first-hand portrayal of the difficulties of colonizing New Zealand. Context is given to a biographical account of Brookes’ life by reference to international events and the English environment prior to leaving England, and to Maori issues before and after the arrival of the Albertlanders. A significant part of the story includes the 1870s when Brookes, while bringing up a growing family in New Plymouth, was among the first surveyors in Taranaki.