The Great Kiwi Classic?

Well, according to Booksellers New Zealand ...

Great Kiwi Classic Nomination: Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the End of the World, by Joan Druett

Posted on January 27, 2014

Available in bookstores now.

Read the true story of a group of whalers shipwrecked on the remote Auckland Island in 1894 and marvel at their dramatic escape.

This book tells a phenomenal tale of survival on the barren island with year round freezing rain and howling winds, how the whalers worked together to build shelter, catch food, and eventually escape by building a boat to sail across the dangerous southern ocean to New Zealand. Little did they know that across the other side of the island, another group of 19 whalers were also shipwrecked and instead of working together, succumbed to chaos and only three survived.

This is still one of my favourite books of all time, the comparison between the two groups of whalers and how the right attitude and working together can make the difference between life and death – it’s still the theme that I remember, years after reading the book the first time.

Written by award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett from survivors’ journals and historical records, this is a captivating read and also makes a great present to the adventurers in your family.  Highly recommended.

Recommended and reviewed by Amie Lightbourne.

Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the End of the World
by Joan Druett
Published by Allen & Unwin (2007)
ISBN 9781741753684