This eclectic and quirky anthology collects nearly 100 excerpts from the writings of travelers and tourists who have visited the Antipodes: the islands of Australia and New Zealand and their neighbors. Ranging from the illuminating to the laughable, these selections from published writings have been chosen for their intrinsic interest, and they make fascinating reading at a time in the post-colonial period when both Australia and New Zealand are redefining themselves. The extracts date from the sixteenth century to the present, and historian Jan Bassett arranges them thematically under such intriguing categories as Dreamers, Artists and Critics, Adventurers, Gold-seekers, Missionaries, Political and Social Commentators, Sporting Figures, Entertainers and Expatriates.