The first in Mary Jane Walker's series of worldwide travel adventures.At twenty, Mary Jane left New Zealand for five years. A Maverick Traveller begins with an epic voyage on a Chinese junk named La Dame de Canton, and then goes on to describe her later adventures worldwide.By the time she sat down to write her books Mary Jane had travelled the world, from the Arctic Circle to working as a park ranger on an uninhabited island administered ...

First published in February 2021, The Sensational South Island is the companion volume to The Neglected North Island: New Zealand's other half, judged 'Best Antipodean Cultural Travel Book 2021' by Lux Life magazine, lux-review.com. Both books expand on and update A Maverick New Zealand Way, which was a finalist in Travel at the International Book Awards, 2018. Mary Jane was born in New Zealand and constantly finds more to explore in her native land!...

Kiwi adventurer Mary Jane Walker explored America by Amtrak Train, travelling one and a half times around the lower 48 states and stopping off in Hawai‘i as well.The most memorable part of her trip was when she took the train to the Glacier, Grand Teton, Yosemite and Rocky Mountains National Parks before the snow hit. She nearly met a Grizzly Bear and now knows why Americans do not have to travel much worldwide, as they really do have it all in the USA.She went to to the Ci...

2021 IPPY Awards Bronze medallist in Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Rim – Best Regional Non-FictionAlso judged 'Best Antipodean Cultural Travel Book 2021' by Lux Life magazine (lux-review.com), The Neglected North Island describes New Zealand's other main island: the North Island. The North Island of New Zealand is often overlooked in favour of the mountain scenery of the South Island.Yet it's in the North Island that most of New Zealand's Māori cul...

A Nomad in Nepal and the Lands Next Door updates Mary Jane's earlier book, A Maverick Himalayan Way.With links to blog posts containing colour photographs and videos, A Nomad in Nepal and the Lands Next Door describes Mary Jane's three trips, so far, to Nepal and the Himalayan region.A little over a decade ago, Mary Jane knew almost nothing about the region. Since then, she has learned a lot. Delving deeply into Himalayan history, A Nomad in Nepal...

In 2019, Nine Arches Press launched their nationwide Primers scheme for a fifth time, in search of exciting new voices in poetry, with Jacqueline Saphra and Jane Commane as selecting editors. After reading through hundreds of anonymous entries, and narrowing down the choices from longlist to shortlist, three poets emerged as clear choices: Krystelle Bamford, Claire Cox and Hannah Jane Walker....

A Maverick Cuban Way is a flowing narrative of Cuba after the Castros.In her Maverick fashion, Mary Jane went to Cuba on a whim. A solo traveller, she met someone who suggested a casa run by a woman named Mikalena. Mary Jane travelled around the Island on local buses.She went to the Bay of Pigs museum and discovered that American-backed rebels had landed in a crocodile swamp. No one told her the Cuban Flag was American in origin.Her most memorable e...

A Maverick Pilgrim Way is more than a travel guide. It’s a self-help guide to hiking, to overcome grief.In her Maverick fashion, Mary Jane walked for years after her mother died. She trekked along the winding ancient roads of Old-World pilgrims, including parts of the Camino de Santiago or St James's Way, the West Highland Way, and climbed Mt Blanc, to name a few. Along the way she came to St Petersburg with its golden palaces, which is her favourite city in Europe...

Never planning anything more than two weeks ahead, Mary Jane travels through Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, Finland and the Orkneys, Shetlands and Inner Hebrides.She learns that the Vikings were the first Europeans to land in the Americas (not Columbus); ate seal meat dished up by her Inuit hosts in Ilulissat; and went dogsledding overnight. She discovered why Greenland got called green and went up the coast by ship. And was accused by some other visitors of bein...

FINALIST IN THE TRAVEL CATEGORY, INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS, 2018.A Maverick New Zealand Way is a Maverick writing about her own country. After her mother died, Mary Jane walked all New Zealand for four years. She will make you feel like you have already arrived. And perhaps even that you have known her and her country for years.Mary Jane shares her love of environmental conservation and volunteering, trekking and adventure. She suggests sustainable...

In this fascinating family memoir, Jane Walker reveals the remarkable life and achievements of her father, Russell Wollen, a forgotten pioneer whose impact on the Kenyancoffee industry influenced the development of a nation.From a grass hut to global negotiating tables, interwoven with the family's narrative of love, drama and sacrifice, this absorbing tale is a poignant window into Kenya's colonialpast. Wollen's resilience, determination and vision was instrumental in...

With links to blog posts containing colour photographs and videos, 'A Nomad in Nepal and the Lands Next Door' describes Mary Jane's three trips, so far, to Nepal and the Himalayan region.A little over a decade ago, Mary Jane knew almost nothing about the region. Since then, she has learned a lot. Delving deeply into Himalayan history, 'A Nomad in Nepal' is also a mine of useful firsthand experience about guiding and trekking pitfalls and the politics of the region, all while descri...