Ramblings of a much published New Zealand author

21 March 2011

New Zealand Odyssey: 'Ongarue', A Whanganui River Steamer, Pipiriki

'New Zealand Odyssey', published in 1989 by Heinemann, was authored by me, Don Donovan (who did the text and illustrations) and Euan Sarginson, who did the photography and design. In this series of blog posts, I will publish some of my drawings.



This is the river steamer Ongarue that, with many others, used to carry passengers, tourists, livestock and freight from Wanganui to Pipiriki - a small town in the heart of the bush - up the serpentine Whanganui River. I found it on the bank at Pipiriki, chocked up as a memorial to the great days of river travel.

In 1987, when I did this drawing, the long road between the two towns, roughly following the course of the river, was narrow with a thousand bends and a surface like the moon. No wonder they used to travel by boat up this river whose history, both Maori and European has been as turbulent as some of its rapids above Pipiriki.

© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz


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Blurb

RANDOM SAMPLINGS F...
By Don Donovan