A Photographic Guide to Freshwater Fishes of New Zealand

Book excerpt: Diver, undersea explorer and passionate conservationist Wade Doak has lived near the Tutukaka coast with wife Jan since 1968. Well known for his pioneering dives at the Poor Knights Islands off the coast of Whangarei, Wade has gradually shifted his focus over the years from the sea to the land. He and Jan have spent years exploring the shoreline and estuaries, walking cliff-top paths, studying the mangroves and roaming the forest. Wade's engaging text tells a remarkable story, illustrated with an incredible photographic archive of trees, shrubs, vines, orchids, ferns, birds, and attendant wildlife, displaying an area rich in diversity. With intensive pest control, the Doaks have witnessed a dramatic recovery of the native flora and fauna. In 'their coastal slice' the natural world has returned with a profusion of birdsong in the forest. This book is a plea for the conservation and protection of New Zealand's wildernesses, reiterating the challenge made by Sir Paul Callaghan: can we eradicate pests throughout our island nation? On a small scale, Wade and Jan Doak show that yes, it can be done.