On the Hoof: The Untold Story of Drovers in New Zealand

Book excerpt: Since the European settlement of New Zealand, drovers have moved stock 'on the hoof' from ships and stations to new homes scattered throughout the country. In this book – the first of its kind – Ruth Entwistle Low interviews almost 60 old-time drovers, revealing and reliving the practice of droving and the people who have underpinned it. Through original research, colourful storytelling and the voices of the drovers themselves, Ruth describes what the job entailed – where and how they travelled, the problems they faced, the ups and downs of the lifestyle. Ranging all over rural New Zealand, from our colonial past to the droving industry's 'twilight' years, Ruth documents both the day-to-day and the dramatic in a gripping narrative that will appeal to a wide body of readers. On the Hoof is a truly special book – a heartland history of New Zealand that seeks not simply to explain the drover and the droving way of life, but to honour them also.