High Country Stations of Lake Tekapo

A first glimpse of Lake Tekapo, serene in its basin of tussock land with snowy mountains mirrored in turquoise water, is a spiritual moment. I am always awed by the vast, empty landscape that Mary Hobbs’ photos so beautifully capture. High Country Stations of Lake Tekapo is more than an elegant coffee table book. It’s a detailed history of the men and women who farmed the area and an absorbing account of the privations they endured for love of that land. Cruel snow storms, crippling stock losses, capricious rivers, rabbit plagues, icy winds and isolation made emotional and financial survival a precarious business. Those who did survive were resilient and resourceful. Mt Cook Station’s TD Burnett advertised for a station hand: “Must hate town life. Must have common sense – brains unnecessary.” Lucy Wills of Tekapo Station, rifle in hand, halted a Mt Cook tourist bus and persuaded the driver to overtake a killer dog. I often skim the text in coffee table books, but I read every word of this one. Virginia Pawsey blogs at commongardener.wordpress.com