Thread: Excellent Books by Kiwi Authors

Hey Team

Over the dark winter months I've found myself raiding the bookshelf for classics that I want to read again. Here are a couple of excellent reads from Kiwi authors. If anyone has any other recommendations for shelf keepers, let us know. I've bought these, and they will always grace my book shelf (well, the ones I'm allowed to use). Seems like the best way to encourage them to write again!

James Passmore

"The New Zealand Hunting Rifle" has been a real staple for a history and understanding of rifle makes, calibres and types in New Zealand. My favourite chapters are on "Bush Rifles" and "Mountain Rifles". In the chapter on Bush Rifles he makes an excellent case for the use of lever actions with open sights and a heavy round. As many of us know, a single rifle in a gun cabinet has a habit of attracting other friends, and I now have a lever action to accompany my mountain rifle. I keep going back to this book when I'm learning about a particular calibre as a reference point.

"The New Zealand Wilderness Hunter" provides experiences hunting predominately the South Island. I keep going back to this novel when I want to experience a hunt I've never done before. He treats our environment and game with the utmost respect. Stories reflecting on being lost in Fiordland, hunting fallow in the Blue Mountains in the winter's snow, the different types of hunter (meat, trophy, experience)... One of my favourite quips is around his arguing then not talking to his backpack after a grueling day on the hill. So good.



Richard Hall

"Dark Forest Deep Sea". A mixture of growing up in New Zealand, learning to fish, hunt and spearfish. For those of us with spearfishing in the blood the Welly and Great Barrier Island stories with some old familiar names will have you reminiscing. He has a way of capturing how a hunter often feels when fighting the cold, a cold, the bush or mountains. Brilliant stories, and not all about dead animals at the end.

Brian Burdon Charlie janes both ex nzfs hunters both great authors big al lester hard case,sort of modern day barry crump style,great series of easy reading books

Originally Posted by Snoppernator

Hey Team

Over the dark winter months I've found myself raiding the bookshelf for classics that I want to read again. Here are a couple of excellent reads from Kiwi authors. If anyone has any other recommendations for shelf keepers, let us know. I've bought these, and they will always grace my book shelf (well, the ones I'm allowed to use). Seems like the best way to encourage them to write again!

James Passmore

"The New Zealand Hunting Rifle" has been a real staple for a history and understanding of rifle makes, calibres and types in New Zealand. My favourite chapters are on "Bush Rifles" and "Mountain Rifles". In the chapter on Bush Rifles he makes an excellent case for the use of lever actions with open sights and a heavy round. As many of us know, a single rifle in a gun cabinet has a habit of attracting other friends, and I now have a lever action to accompany my mountain rifle. I keep going back to this book when I'm learning about a particular calibre as a reference point.

I'll have to check this one out.

I remember reading a Philip Holden book years ago. In it was a chapter on rifles or on the .303. I'll always remember him talking about the abuse they took. One example he gave was blokes doing ice axe arrests with the fore sight on the old .303 and bemoaning modern rifles lack of iron sights to do it with. I always thought that was pretty funny and probably the last thing the designers were thinking of when they put the rifle together

I think it speaks volumes about the mentality and ingenuity of the old school deer cullers. We are lucky to have a pretty unique hunting history here in NZ.

Rex Forester has a chapter on the .303 in one of his books the foresight was used to stop the Billy falling off over a fire

Somewhere I have a cardboard box full of books from authors like Joff Thomson, Keith Severinsen, Newton McConochie To me these guys were the real deal and later entrants like Holden were "plastic" equivalents having a more commercial churn out.

Rex Forrester has a bit about his .303 that I always liked; was where he would get bluffed, he would screw up his courage and then he would throw his .303 over the edge - then he has no choice - he HAS to go down it...

Not hunting but suppressed inventions and discoveries is pretty interesting

Holden was a culler in NZ , later than many but still a culler. His hunting stories and ability to tell other folks stories makes him one of the great NZ writers

That Richard Hall book has some really great writing in it.


Along the track - Bill Axbey. Not necessarily about deer shot but some of the adventures he had were remarkable.Theres a bit about a weka the Transit swamp that never fails to get a grin out of me.

The golden bush - Temple Sutherland. Will keep this one for my son when hes older.


Pack and Rifle - Philip Holden. A classic to any North Island hunter and quite a few South Island ones too.

Call of the Moose - Ray Tinsley. A good capture of the difficulty in searching for a Fiordland moose, and all the other difficulties of huntying in the post recovery era. Theres a bit in there about him being high over Wet Jacket Arm somewhere when hes sure he hears a cow moose. The way he describes it is almost haunting really.

The best thing about almost all of NZs hunting books is that they show a culture that is unique to NZ and stir uo the imagination of whats possible for a hunter in this day and age.

Originally Posted by JohnDuxbury

Rex Forrester has a bit about his .303 that I always liked; was where he would get bluffed, he would screw up his courage and then he would throw his .303 over the edge - then he has no choice - he HAS to go down it...

I liked that bit that Passmore fella wrote about flat or round nosed projectiles for bush work.......

Spotlighting by Neville Toohill. Absolute classic.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Spotlighting by Neville Toohill. Absolute classic.

Ive never seen this book.

Originally Posted by tac a1

Ive never seen this book.

Meat hunting [ ground with the old spottie and 222] around Matawai before the choppers arrived. A sale on TM for $75 a few months ago.

picked it up in Timaru library...a fictional ??? poaching story but really good read all the same

two dogs and a rifle is a great read. mostly about pighunting in whanganui area. some ripper yarns and so many pigs.