A Canoe in the Mist

London: Jonathan Cape, 1984 (500 gram rate) light wear to DW but not chipped , torn or stained, unclipped, 202pp Canoe in the Mist is a true story of strange events and real people. A hundred years ago, Lillian came with her widowed mother to live in a volcanic wonderland of boiling springs, fierce geysers and bubbling mud pools. It was (and still is) a place of great beauty and mystery. The Maori village of Te Wairoa was the gateway to the famous lake of Rotomahana with its Pink and White Terraces two huge fairy-like staircases with pools of extra­ordinary treasure. But although travel­lers crossed the oceans to see this ‘eighth wonder of the world? Lillian had no chance to go there herself until the English girl Mattie arrived on tour with her parents. The day they set off for Rotomahana some very strange things happened. An enormous wave suddenly lifted the quiet waters of Lake Tarawera, which must first be crossed in the tourist boat. And what was the mysterious canoe they saw making for the sacred mountain where chiefs were buried, and where legend said that the demon Tama-o-hoi had been locked in a rocky cleft with threats to break out some day? Was the old sage Tuhoto right in predicting disaster? After a perfect day at the Terraces, and an interlude when Mattie went with Lillian to the Maori school and made new friends , came a night of fear and terrible destruction. Elsie Locke is well known in New Zealand as a children’s writer. Her portrayal of the thermal wonderland and the mysterious world of Maori legend is full of fascinating details and vivid description. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. Illus. by John Shelley. 8vo - over 7? - 9? tall.