For most New Zealanders, Manapouri is associated with the
country’s largest and most successful environmental protest, but there is
another, less well-known narrative of this time. The struggle to drill a
tailrace tunnel under a rocky mountain at Manapouri, blast out a cavernous
machine hall at West Arm and carve a road over the treacherous Wilmot Pass is a
powerful tale of those who worked and lived in extreme and punishing
conditions, and faced many hazards. Eighteen men died and many were injured during
the construction.
In The Middle of Nowhere, the
men and women of the Manapouri project tell their compelling stories. They
describe the long, noisy hours underground, battling gushing water and the
constant threat of explosion, the unrelenting hardship of atrocious weather,
life on the Wanganella, brought in as a floating hostel, and the
challenges faced by women raising children in the barren hydro village. But
there is affection, too, for this extraordinary place and its unique wildlife,
and plenty of the black humour and Kiwi stoicism required in adversity.
Calling on a wide range of oral and
written accounts, and richly illustrated, The Middle of Nowhere reveals a
fascinating and often overlooked part of New Zealand history.
Product code: 9781988503462
| ISBN |
9781988503462 |
| On Sale Date |
01/08/2025 |
| No. Of Pages |
272 |