Contents

COVER : The 150 m-high Devil’s Punchbowl waterfall, part of which seen in the background of this picture, is an hour’s walk from the road and of Arthur’s Pass National Park’s most popular attractions.
CONTENTS - Features : ARTHUR’S PASS : HEART OF THE MOUNTAINS [Mountains and the road are what Arthur’s Pass has always been about, and now bold improvements to the sometimes hair-raising descent to the Coast are making access to our oldest South Island national park more reliable]; THE VISIONARY VOGEL [Julius Vogel, one-time premier of New Zealand, penned a novel that was a cross between Nostradamus, Indiana Jones and a Victorian Mills and Boon. While some of its predictions proved wide of the mark, others were remarkably prescient]; BENEATH THE BAY [In text and pictures, Tauranga photographer Kim Westerskov relects on 15 years of exploring the undersea life of the Bay of Plenty]; BATTLING THE WHITE DRAGON [Aerial cartwheels and dizzying spins are part of the repertoire of freestyle kayakers, ensuring that when these aqua acrobats perform the spectacle is nothing short of a river rodeo]; TO SAVE A PETREL [Tiny Rangatira Island in the Chathams is home to prodigious numbers of seabirds, among them the very rare Chatham petrel, an indigenous species the Department of Conservation is trying hard to protect];
CONTENTS - Departments : VIEWPOINT [on genetic modification]; GEONEWS [sealion escape devices; a new Northland tree; more on orange-fronted parakeets; climate change predictions; seismic protection for houses]; WEATHER [tracking Earth’s past temperatures]; BOOKS [Maori Bird Lore, Southern Capital]; COMING UP [What’s in store];