Random House - $39.99
‘A bach… It’s where we go to refresh and reconnect with our families and our history. It is where we go to forget all the other stuff and just focus on today.’ – Peter Hillary, adventurer.
Well put Peter.
Whether it’s beach, lake, mountain or bush, one of the most iconic features of the New Zealand summer is the annual retreat to a favourite family holiday spot. Thousands of Kiwis own baches or rent or borrow them.
And The Bookman is one of them. I have found reading this appealing book over the past few days to be the distillation of a thousand Kiwi bach holidays into a handy package that’s the perfect — and indispensable — bach item. It is already in the garage with other stuff ready to go to the bach next weekend.
After years overseas, author Kirsty Cameron returned to find New Zealanders still in love with baches and she set about rediscovering her homeland through them. ‘And so,’ she says, ‘The Kiwi Bach Companion began to take shape: a single volume that would contain many of the things a holidaymaker might need or want to know when beyond reach of favourite recipes, farmers’ markets, Google or the doctor. Also a way in which bach owners could record the particulars of their bach and their location for the benefit of visitors.’
The Kiwi Bach Companion shows you how to fix a leaking tap, unclog a sink drain and fillet a fish. It helps you brush up on your angling technique and fishing rules, identify shells and shorebirds and become an expert on the night sky. It circumvents rainy-day boredom by supplying the rules to a range of games. It dispenses first-aid advice: if the jellyfish sting there’s no need to panic.
Attractively designed to stay in a bach for years and years, The Kiwi Bach Companion has sections for easy notation that allows you to write in emergency contacts, local services, give operating instructions to visitors and renters and allows those visitors to record their stay.
Celebrated foodies Martin Bosley, Dean Brettschneider, Al Brown, Simon Gault, Pete Gawron, Allyson Gofton, Lauraine Jacobs, Jo Seagar, Gareth Stewart and Simon Wright have all contributed with 25 easy recipes that are perfect for uncomplicated bach cooking.
Beautifully designed by the talented Sarah Laing, and featuring hand drawings throughout, it’s an adorable book that should be handed down the generations.
About the author:
Kirsty Cameron has had a long-time career as a journalist, which included a 14-year stint working for Time Inc magazines in Australia as a writer, editor of the fashion magazine In Style and as a publishing executive. After returning to New Zealand she worked on a variety of lifestyle magazines which include Fashion Quarterley and Next. She lives in Auckland with her husband and daughter and now currently writes, runs a communications consultancy, and daydreams about owning the perfect bach.
This will make a perfect Christmas gift for many Kiwis.
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