Between the Tides compiled by Anna Locker-Lampson

Awaroa in the Abel Tasman National Park is a small community where a cluster of baches and homes sit on one of Aotearoa’s most pristine shorelines. Until 2016, part of the beach remained privately owned, but an extraordinary, successful crowdfunding campaign raised enough money to purchase the seven hectares, which were then renamed The People’s Beach and gifted to the people of New Zealand.

This book captures the homes, community and people of this small but thriving place, with its honey-coloured beaches and clear turquoise waters. Anna Locker-Lampson has done an exceptional job compiling all the material, clearly a labour of love, and a love letter to this wild and beautiful place.

This really is a place like nowhere else in Aotearoa. Awaroa has been the destination for many family holidays, although sometimes the inlet crossing can be precarious, with wild weather and wild pigs also in the mix of life there.

Bach owners from the past and present share stories about their homes, taking us behind the scenes of this remote place where people live off the grid by the most beautiful beaches. It’s the perfect blend of heartfelt stories, humour and nostalgia, and the stories are a wonderful slice of Kiwi living that is down-to-earth and grounded in the best of Kiwi living – living in nature, being resourceful, bonding with neighbours over bonfires and helping each other out of spots of bother.  I particularly enjoyed Anna’s story of being invited to spend Christmas holidays there, and she ultimately ended up buying a bach, ‘The best investment I have ever made emotionally and financially, I could never have guessed then that 37 years later, we would still be revelling in the magic and dramas of Awaroa.’

Between the Tides is a beautiful celebration of Awaroa, bringing the homes, people and location wonderfully to life.

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

Copy Press