Over the Wide and Trackless Sea …
This is the title of a book by historian Megan Hutching, which describes the lives of pioneer women and girls of New Zealand.
I’ve just finished reading this book and was particularly struck by the terribly hard life of one Danish woman, Christine Nielsen, who came to this country with her husband in the early 1870s. Not long after they arrived at their remote bush home near Waipawa, her husband Niels suffered a major heart attack that effectively left him an invalid. So Christine ended up single-handedly building their slab hut, splitting shingles for the roof, making bricks to build an oven, raising eight children and running the family farm. The nearest source of supplies was a three day journey away and involved two river crossings! Apparently she sold bread to try and make ends meet. ‘Tough’ doesn’t come close to describing what life must have been like for her.
Sadly, Christine died at 46, apparently worn down by over-work and a poor diet. Phew, what a life…
I have also enjoyed reading Jim Henderson’s book Swagger Country and David Lange’s autobiography in the last few weeks. Both good reads.
