Author(s): Ian Dougherty

NZ Non Fiction

Arawata Bill (1865–1947) was a pioneering New Zealand folk hero. He spent decades in the unforgiving mountain country of North-west Otago and South Westland, prospecting for gold and other minerals and making new tracks in unexplored areas. His astonishing feats of endurance and tenacity, coupled with his charming eccentricity, have captured the imagination of generations of New Zealanders, and Denis Glover immortalised him in his famous poem, ‘Arawata Bill’. This new edition of Ian Dougherty’s landmark biography includes information about O’Leary’s life that has only recently come to light.