Super star celebrity Merino SHREK, who  flew up from Queenstown yesterday, called in to see his publishing friends at Random House first thing this morning on his way up to KeriKeri. 

 As soon as word was out that SHREK was in the “House” staff from both buildings wandered out to meet the big, old woolly and he worked his charm on all gathered including Rebecca Simpson seen here.

Random house publicist, Jennifer Balle, says SHREK’s left his swanky Bendigo digs to gather photographic material for his very own book, Shrek: The Story of a Kiwi icon which is coming out later this year.

One of the book’s chapters will tell the story of SHREK’s Merino ancestors and how they first arrived in New Zealand in 1810, landing in KeriKeri. Another chapter will look at SHREK as a Kiwi icon so he’s being “papped” with many of our great icons like the Stone Store, the Treaty House, Eden Park, the SKY Tower to name a few en route.

As we know, SHREK does have a tendency to hog the limelight and Random knew that SHREK’s own remarkable story was always going to be a book in itself. But, although this adorable hermit woolly has undoubtedly put Bendigo on the map since he was found hiding out way up in the snow line having avoided muster for five years, there’s much more to the historic 100 year old high country station than His Nibs.

 When Random House set about to publish what was to become an instant bestseller last year, Dust to Gold,,  they promised SHREK that he could have his own book this year if he agreed to settle for just two chapters in the first book and he graciously conceded.