Wiremu Weka Treks the Alps

Kinsa Hays uses anthropomorphism in this fictional story, giving Wiremu Weka a personality, thoughts and speech.

Forgetting that Wiremu Weka himself steals shiny treasures, he is dismayed one day to find that some children have stolen his treasures. He is determined to get them back and decides to follow them to Greymouth. There he clambers aboard the TranzAlpine express train, hiding in the luggage wagon in the hopes of finding his treasures. At Moana near Lake Brunner he is discovered, scuttles off the train and so begins his trek across the South Island to Christchurch. Along the way, he meets other native birds, predators and wild animals, goes snowboarding among other adventures, until finally he ends up in Willowbank Reserve near Christchurch with other weka.

Readers will enjoy Wiremu’s humorous antics and his smart ways of escaping trouble. The story has 82 pages divided into eight chapters and each chapter is generously illustrated with maps, colour photographs and pictures of Wiremu complete with backpack.

The non-fiction text boxes give the reader an insight into local history, geology and wildlife. Hays highlights the need to protect some species e.g. Grebes and Kea. There is a helpful glossary of Māori words at the back.

This book supports the new history curriculum and is recommended for school libraries, particularly those in the South Island.