Who Lived There?

You can't help but wonder about the stories behind the unusual buildings you see around New Zealand - from cute colonial cottages to abandoned industrial buildings or ghost towns. Nicola McCloy went looking to find out ... who lived there?

From basic stone cottages in barren-looking countryside to pretty coastal villas, romantic churches and small-town taverns, New Zealand is full of buildings whose back stories have been lost over the generations. Jane King's photographs and Nicola McCloy's words weave the facts back together to present gripping stories of these places and their ups and downs over time. The strength of women, often left to fend for their families with little help or support, and the enterprise of early New Zealanders feature in this fascinating book, which you can dip into as you travel the country or read cover to cover from the comfort of your armchair.

Find out about places as diverse as the old School of Mines in Thames, Rush Munroe's Ice Cream Garden in Hastings; Couldrey House at Wenderholm, near Auckland; the National Tobacco Company in Napier; Mt Cook Police Barracks in Wellington; Langlois-Eteveneaux House in Akaroa; Donovan's General Store in Okarito; and the Empire Tavern in Dunedin.

With beautiful photographs by Jane King, supplemented with historic shots to show how little or how much some of these places have changed.

About the Authors

Nicola McCloy is a Southlander whose parents instilled in her a love of the great Kiwi road trip. Sandwiched between two extroverted siblings, she grew up spending a lot of time looking out the window of the Datsun 180B and wondering what was happening in the big, wide world of the South Island. Since then, she’s made it her mission to find out, with particular focus on the mediums of pies, suspension bridges and transport museums. She has written more than 20 books, all telling different New Zealand stories and including the bestsellers Whykickamoocow, Made in New Zealand and The Speight’s Southern Man Cookbook.

Jane King is an avid photographer who loves nothing more than getting out and exploring the beaches, bush and beauty this country has to offer – but not without having coffee first. Who Lived There is Jane's fourth book, following Let's Get Lost, The Kiwi Cyclist’s Guide to Life and The Hauraki Gulf: An Iconic Playground. In her other life as a digital producer Jane has written website content for TVNZ, NZME and Tourism New Zealand.