New Zealand -1500 miles on foot through- The Land Of The Long White Cloud

Acknowledgements

Producing books is never easy.  I owe many people thanks for bringing this story to life.  The journey across New Zealand would probably never have happened, had it not been for the insistence of andy Nagode that what I was best at was simply putting one foot in front of the other and repeating the process, ad nauseum, until I had reached somewhere far from where I started.  Andy, Jenni, Paul and Melanie Nagode took care of Monica and James whilst I was on the journey, and Andy also went the extra mile, whether directly or indirectly, in providing much of the funding for the trip.  At Scholastic Network, the input of Joy Brewster kept the project alive and Joy also kept me going through many hard times during the journey itself.  In turn my wife, Monica, and son, James, have helped keep me going through the many years of writing.  On the journey itself, Rachel Welsh, in Auckland, enabled me to have a reliable base to start and return to.  Christine Hedges, in Hamilton, picked up my spirits and helped me get to see some amazing sights.  Andy Blick set me up with vital contacts and also made me laugh.  Andrew and Claude August made me feel welcome in Minginui, as did Anna Karena in Te Kao and Manu and Vivian Adams in Broadwood.  Wendy Sporle, in Kaitaia, and Robert Webb, in Whangarei, gave me a place to stay and showed me conservation work, up close and personal.  To all the other people I met, during the 1500 miles, I also owe thanks.  As an end note, I want to thank Sandra Davis, of Lakeside Literary Services, for carrying on what Wendy Lake had started, for buying me lunches in King's Cafe in Deal, and making sure my written ramblings became something more than just random writings.  To one and all, thanks for bringing 'New Zealand' to life.

Colin Skinner, June 2010.