A Traveller's History of New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands

by Chambers, John H.

• ISBN13: 9781566565066
• ISBN10: 1566565065
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-08-01
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group Inc

Summary

A Traveller's History of New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands gives the curious tourist not only a modern day portrait of New Zealand and the far flung islands, their political systems and economic diversity, but also looks at the early settling of this massive area which covers about a fifth of the whole surface of the earth. When European navigators first sailed into the region, they were astonished at the exotic shared culture and language of the natives, separated in many cases by terrifying stretches of open ocean. The story of the peopling of the South Pacific Islands and New Zealand is one of the world's great epics. The book also has practical information for visitors, an Historical Gazetteer, and is illustrated with relevant maps plus a Chronology of Events. Special topics covered include Firewalking in Fiji, the Musket Wars, the Haka, Polynesian Tattooing and the Jon Frum Cargo Cult of Vanuatu. Book jacket.

Author Biography

John H. Chambers was born in Queensland. He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University and most recently was a visiting professor at City University of New York. He is the author of nine books, including A Traveller’s History to New Zealand in this series.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Introduction: Waterworld	p. 1
A Brief History of the Physical Environment	p. 7
Early South Pacific Cultures	p. 24
Special Cases: Easter Islanders, Fijians, Maori	p. 52
Contact and Commerce: the South Pacific Islands to around 1900	p. 77
Christianity and Colonization: the South Pacific Islands to around 1900	p. 101
Maori Musket Wars, Christianity, Colonization: New Zealand to 1840	p. 125
Settlements and Wars: New Zealand to 1872	p. 148
South Pacific Britannia: New Zealand 1861 to the Early 1900s	p. 171
Making a Nation: New Zealand to 1918	p. 193
New Zealand from 1920s to 1945	p. 217
Prosperous South Pacific Nation: New Zealand 1945 to the 1980s	p. 238
Radical Changes at Home and Abroad: New Zealand post-1980	p. 261
'The Pacific Way': South Pacific Islands since 1901	p. 283
Firewalking in Fiji	p. 321
The Treaty of Waitangi	p. 324
Haka: A Living Tradition	p. 326
Moko: Maori Facial Tattoo	p. 331
Largest Islands, South Pacific	p. 335
Monarchs, Governors, Presidents, Prime Ministers	p. 336
Chronology of Major Events	p. 347
Further Reading	p. 359
Historical Gazetteer	p. 363
Index	p. 395
Maps
Waterworld: New Zealand in the Centre of the Oceans	p. 2
Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia	p. 5
Physical Map of New Zealand	p. 16
The Origins and Voyages of the Polynesians	p. 31
Modern New Zealand	p. 276
Modern Fiji	p. 296
New Zealand and South Pacific Islands: Exclusive Economic Zones	p. 308
Diagram: The Creation of a Coral Atoll	p. 14
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.