BookCrossing Through Middle-Earth by Skyring

BookCrossing Through Middle-Earth by Skyring: A memoir about two trips to New Zealand, twenty years apart: first for Skyring’s honeymoon, then another trip with his wife and two teenage children. This is a fun and friendly narrative, with plenty of rich detail. I especially enjoyed the little historical anecdotes, like the toilets on ships and the Maori’s sound defeat of the British. Skyring’s side comments, particularly when dealing with language, are often quite funny. (One such example: his assurance that Wakatipu is not widely pronounced “Wakkity-poo”, especially by locals.) As an American, Australia and New Zealand are quite closely connected in my mind, but Skyring’s adventures reminded me that they are indeed two separate countries. However, amidst all the humor, there is no mistaking Skyring’s abundant awe and respect for the beautiful land and people he encounters. I nearly salivated at some of the scenery he describes. I would recommend this thin book to other BookCrossers, of course, but also to anyone who enjoys travelogues. This certainly whetted my appetite for New Zealand.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

  1. Discoverylover

    Glad you enjoyed it so much (and the pronunciations of Maori words isn’t nearly as hard as Skyring makes it out to be!).

    So when are you coming to NZ ;)

    • You’d adore New Zealand, Melydia. Next overseas trip you make, hunt around for a cheap RTW fare and include NZ on the ticket.

      I’m afraid that my sense of humour is so low that I find the “Wakkitty-poo” pronunciation screamingly funny, not to mention a town called Puke. But Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu is one of the most gloriously beautiful places I’ve ever seen, and you would love it for life.

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