Tides of History: Bay of Islands County - Kay Boese

Soft cover, 470 pages, 219 x 298 mm

Published by Bay Of Islands County Council, Bay of Islands (1977)

Excellent condition

A history of this area of the North Island, full of historic text and photos, illustrations, newspaper ads and more.

Kay Boese's remarkable history of the Bay of Islands region provided a novel approach to recording local history. No other area of NZ can reach further back in the pages of history for it was here that the first European influences were experieced, initially through the conflicting intests of the early whaling ships and the missionaries of the British Church Missionary Society.

The presentation of the author's history is not chronologically based, but in separate chapters for mone than 30 towns, settlements, villages and rural locations within the county boundaries.

The latter part deals with issues general to the region --- medical and hospital services, communications and transport, industries, land and agriculture plus an account of the development of the local government institution. This is not history in the strictly academic template with much of the information gathered from first-hand accounts, printed materials from books and newspapers, with the importance of the Maori given equal treatment to that of the pioneer settlers. However, the research expertise of the author is also evident through the presentation.

A typical local chapter is complemented with numerous historic b/w photos, drawings, reproductions of official or legal documents and historic art and advertisements, both commercial and community.

There are a number of maps or plans while Selwyn Wilson produced drawings recalling familiar sights in the region, he also provided the cover illustration. Here then, rather than an academic tome, is a history with which every reader can identify and which brings a vivid sense of reality with both words and pictures.