priscilla rawiri-steele

   Almost two and a half centuries have passed since my ancestors met Lt. James Cook upon HM Bark Endeavour; what happened to us, and where are we now?  By chapter: the foreword is a glimpse of events that led to loss of the vast matrilineal inherited estates Te Ware’s maternal and paternal Grandmothers once owned, and begs the question; was my mother Dinah murdered for her estates, as was her ancestress, Pukohu Te Whetuki? Alice explores/juxtaposes the extreme poverty of my childhood, with the extraordinary honour of being taken by my Grandparents to personally greet Their Royal Highnesses Queen Elizabeth II and Charles, Prince of Wales. Steve showcases our family’s efforts to rid ourselves of the pollution of the vicious pedophilic teacher Graeme Collett, and my subsequent abandonment of New Zealand in the mid to late 1970s, to join, and go straight to the top of the Church of Scientology’s Sea Organization here in Australiana.  Marcus speaks of my efforts to save my only brother’s life, when shortly after Dinah died he was placed on trial before the High Court of New Zealand.  Finally, Tipa revisits Turangawaewae marae during the funeral of the Maori Queen, thirty five years on from greeting Their Royal Highnesses.