My Books - The New Zealand Bird Book

"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard."

- Standing Bear

The New Zealand Bird Book: South Island

Peter Rapeti is a curious rabbit who wants to meet and learn about the birds around him. He has a spontaneous camping adventure around the South Island, discovering more about the special birds that make it their home.

Are you wanting a fun family storytime? This book is appropriate for all ages, has clean humor throughout, and sounds good read aloud.

Are you wanting an educational resource for your classroom or nature group? This book is packed full of fascinating information about birds, including the mating habits, nest designs, behaviors, and appearance of a range of different birds.

Are you wanting a book to encourage conservation efforts? This book celebrates the successes that conservation work is having, as well as highlighting other ways that we can continue to help our native birds thrive.

Are you wanting a book about New Zealand? This book highlights the special place our native birds have in making our beautiful country unique.

This book is still being written, but will aim to be available before the end of the year.

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How this book came about

In 2024 my first book The New Zealand Bird Book, was published. The feedback I got from some of my young readers was that I had missed some great New Zealand birds!

So to rectify this problem, I have set about to write a sequel, where Peter Rapeti does end up meeting almost all of the birds in New Zealand, has lots of adventures, and discovers more fun stories along the way.

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"We recently hired Photo Bloom to take photos for our wedding. We were was so impressed with their work! They were professional, creative, and responsive to my needs. The photos they took were absolutely stunning, and we couldn't be happier with the results."

Mr & Mrs Miller

"I cannot recommend The New Zealand Bird Book highly enough. It is absolutely packed with information, all delivered in such an endearing and engaging story - my kids and I were in stitches at little Peter Rapiti's antics. My seven year old enjoyed it so much that we read it right over again as soon as we had finished it. We can't wait for book #2!"

- Rachel

"My 5 year old son loved listening to this book being read to him and kept asking for me to read it to him. He has had more awareness of birds and we have spent more time talking about different birds we have seen around the place as a result. Engaging and educational. So neat to have a resource on New Zealand birds that not only informs but also captures the imagination."

- Beth

"My daughter (nearly7) and I love reading this book together. It is precious to have access to this knowledge, packaged and presented in such a lovely way."

- Erica

"The New Zealand Bird book is a very charming story where a curious little rabbit introduces young readers to the captivating world of NZ's native birds.

What my son loved the most was the 130+ vibrant photos and stunning illustrations, every page is brimming with life! The stunning visuals in this book will charm any young reader."

- Peace through Grace

"What I loved about this book is that it takes you on a journey to learn about the habits, diets, and unique challenges of New Zealand’s feathered friends. It has this unique blend of storytelling and natural history, it’s a wonderful “living book” that even weaves in Māori vocabulary, making it both educational and engaging... a perfect fit for home schoolers and nature-loving families alike."

- Peace through Grace

Finding beauty in the everyday.