Currently I’m reading what I think has to be considered a must-read for all New Zealanders – The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King.

So far this has been an excellent read and one I will definitely be recommending. I was hoping for more detail on New Zealand history pre-human occupation of any kind, but I realise this is more of a cultural history than a zoological or geological history, so I had to be content with the one chapter. One side effect of this is the realisation of just how little time humans have actually been in our country, in geological terms.

I like that Michael King didn’t shy away from mentioning current (at the time of his writing) historical thought trends – his discussions of the various theories regarding the timing of the arrival of Maori in New Zealand is particularly interesting. I am also enjoying the less academic focus – this is history written for enjoyable, relaxed reading, with no sacrifice (at least as far as my knowledge can tell) in historical accuracy. King has an easy but authoritative writing style (I also love Wrestling with the Angel – his biography of Janet Frame), and often throws in small nuggets of trivia which are a pure joy. Reading this now brings home again just how much we lost with his death in 2004.