When Polly Evans read a survey claiming that the last bastion of masculinity, the real Kiwi bloke, was about to breathe his last, she was seized by a sense of foreboding. Abandoning the London winter she took off on a motorbike for the windswept beaches and golden plains of New Zealand, hoping to root out some examples of this endangered species for posterity. But her challenges didn’t stop at the men. Just weeks after passing her bike test, Polly rode from Auckland’s glitzy Viaduct Basin to the vineyards of Hawkes Bay and on to the Southern Alps. She found wild kiwis in the dead of night, kayaked among dolphins at dawn, and spent an evening on a remote hillside with a sheep-shearing gang. As she travelled, Polly reflected on the Maori warriors who carved their enemies’ bones into cutlery, the pioneer family who lived in a tree, and the flamboyant gold miners who lit their pipes with five-pound notes, and wondered how their descendents could have become pathologically obsessed with helpfulness and Coronation Street. The author of the highly acclaimed It’s Not About the Tapas reaches some unexpected conclusions about the new New Zealand man – and finds that evolution has taken an unlikely twist.

‘An unusual premise, but one that provides an amusing thread to her travels round one of the most beautiful countries in the world’ Wanderlust

“This title should fill a much needed gap in the market for travel writing on New Zealand… with a highly promotable author, it should be a winner.”The Bookseller

“Polly Evans heads to New Zealand to experience the country’s people and landscapes. On her hunt for the true Kiwi, she learns some entertaining lessons. If you can’t make it Down Under, pick up this book instead.” OK!

‘An entertaining book…she gives us fine word pictures of an incredibly scenic land and sincerely friendly people.’ Washington Post

‘Evans takes in some of the most picturesque, geologically turbulent sites on the planet and offers an able itinerary for anyone headed to the smaller islands Down Under.’ Virtuoso Life