From the tale of One Tree Hill and a mysterious suicide to the wreck of the HMS "Orpheus, " the personalities, feuds, and dramas of 19th-century Auckland are brilliantly brought to life in this charming collection. Drawn from the author's encyclopedic knowledge of Auckland, each of the 15 tales illustrates what daily life was like in the young colony and combine to paint a vivid portrait of the city's social and cultural history.