Right now, New Zealand gets around two million visitors a year. So it’s about time we had a decent history of New Zealand tourism and travel, and we’re glad to report that a new book from AUP delivers in spades.

The Wonder Country is a pretty ‘academic’ book, commissioned by Tourism NZ and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and written by historian Margaret McClure. As such, it’s dotted with footnotes and McClure’s style is rather dry, but that doesn’t matter: there’s gold in these hills. The material is rich enough to withstand the intellectual rigour.

Interesting facts pop up everywhere. Did you know that the Otira Tunnel was the longest in the British Empire? Or that the arrival of wide-bodied DC-10 and 747 jets in 1970 had as big an impact on the economy as refrigeration in the 19th century? And did you know that by 1998, 13 per cent of all visitors to New Zealand were taking jet boat rides? Neither did we.

Despite the government patronage, McClure doesn’t pull her punches in revealing past ineptitude and mismanagement: successive governments had their fingers severely burnt by the charismatic but rash entrepreneur Rodolph Wigley, starting with the Mount Cook Hermitage hotel and ending with the Chateau at Tongariro.

Tongariro, we discover, was a disaster zone for interventionist tourism policies: Wigley had the Chateau built in extreme haste by 180 Fletcher Construction workers, only for the hotel to go bust two years later. And the well-intentioned creation of the Tongariro National Park was nearly destroyed by the inept stewardship of huntin’ shootin’ Police Commissioner John Cullen, who attempted to create a gigantic Scottish-style fantasy game park. Cullen not only imported and planted tons of heather seeds, but also let loose numerous strange animals in the name of sport.

Memorable characters populate McClure’s tale. Former Premier William Fox bathes near the doomed Pink and White Terraces, the warm water covering his body with 'an exquisite varnish . . . as smooth as velvet'. We get a peek into the arcane world of balneologist Arthur Wohlmann, scurrying around spas and springs and hot pools, attempting to create European-style utopias in New Zealand.

The power and influence of tourism guides is intriguing, in particular the Maori guides in Rotorua and the ski guides in the South island. One notably sad tale is that of Peter Graham; once a famed Hermitage ski guide, we say goodbye to him as he watches his livelihood burn down along with his Glacier Hotel in Franz Josef.

The Wonder Country is a satisfying and enlightening read, and full of that indefinable New Zealand spirit. It’s a tale of pioneers, fantasists, cads and enterprise—and highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the creation of today’s ‘100% Pure New Zealand’.