Awatere: Portrait of a Marlborough Valley

The Awatere is the Marlborough river valley south-east of Blenheim, which runs from high-country Molesworth Station down to the sea below the township of Seddon. Author Harry Broad’s interest in this area was piqued when he was working on his best-selling book Molesworth, and the result is this book.

Awatere is a colourful collection of stories that explore both the people and the landscape of this area, and at the same time illustrates the multi-facetted, changing face of rural New Zealand.

The upper Awatere valley has many well-known, classic high-country stations, such as the Muller, while the lower valley still has some important pastoral farms. A huge change, though, has come through the wine industry – the Awatere is now the second-largest wine sub-region in New Zealand.

This mix of farming and vineyards, with the community of Seddon at its heart, has given this area a unique character, captured both in Harry Broad’s stories and through stunning images from photographers Jim Tannock, Rob Suisted and Dave Hansford.

This is a beautiful and engaging book, a must-read for anyone interested in rural New Zealand.