Delia reviewed Rambles in New Zealand by John Carne Bidwell
Embark on a captivating journey through New Zealand with "Rambles in New Zealand" by John …
I always thought rambles were a bit more low key than this.
4 stars
Essentially a letter to the Governor of Devon, it is a description of land and the resources, plants and land and people, in preparation for settlement.
His gumption counts for a lot, but nonetheless it is an uncomfortable read for seeing an unvarnished view of pre-treaty, deeply classist, contempt for Māori as people (and pakeha who had settled together with Māori).
In some things he was deeply observant (predicting the almost complete decimation of Kauri). It’s wonderful to consider the magic of seeing some plants for the first time.
And yet, an unexpected theme through this book was the impact of influenza on Māori at the time, and Mr Bidwill’s utter obliviousness to the extent of the hospitality he received in being a) allowed to head inland and b) assisted to do so.
This was a group of people recovering from war and facing an epidemic, …
Essentially a letter to the Governor of Devon, it is a description of land and the resources, plants and land and people, in preparation for settlement.
His gumption counts for a lot, but nonetheless it is an uncomfortable read for seeing an unvarnished view of pre-treaty, deeply classist, contempt for Māori as people (and pakeha who had settled together with Māori).
In some things he was deeply observant (predicting the almost complete decimation of Kauri). It’s wonderful to consider the magic of seeing some plants for the first time.
And yet, an unexpected theme through this book was the impact of influenza on Māori at the time, and Mr Bidwill’s utter obliviousness to the extent of the hospitality he received in being a) allowed to head inland and b) assisted to do so.
This was a group of people recovering from war and facing an epidemic, and he deigned to judge himself as better and stronger, despite being utterly adrift without them.
Really interesting read though- words are time travel, and I love how the map is distorted according to what he deems most valuable.
