Author(s): Dave Cull

NZ Pictorial

In Big Weather South, author Dave Cull features the dramatic big weather that comes our way: the floods, the strong winds, the droughts, the hoar frosts and snow, the big seas. He also covers the major influences on the New Zealand climate, our position in global circulation and the affects caused by being surrounded by a large area of ocean. He describes how fog, frost, and thunder storms are caused. Cull traverses not only the coastal regions, the mountains and hill country, but also investigates the plains and basins, such as the Maniototo and Cromwell Basin. And he asks the question, did the weather shape the Presbyterian character of those in the South, or was it just a perfect fit? Major historic weather events are recounted: the blizzard that killed gold miners during 1875, storms that caused shipwrecks and floods that closed airports. One only needs visit a high country station, a wind farm, a hydro-electric dam, or a vineyard in Central Otago to see how the weather has moulded our livelihoods and enterprises, as well as our recreational life. And what about the future and the effects of climate change? Where to for the South?Big Weather South is an informative, lively and entertaining account that looks at the wide-ranging effects of climate. The book is extensively illustrated throughout with the striking and powerful photographs of Stephen Jaquiery, and is published in association with the Otago Daily Times.