Two Lakes Healing - Print

Two Lakes Healing
Creative responses to the hīkoi

By Kathleen Gallagher, Mark Gibson, Viv Whimster, Iaean Cranwell and others

[1 only in stock at this reduced price 1 July 2026
We will not be re-ordering this title when it has sold.]

A moving collection of poems, photographs and drawings that honours a healing journey around two Canterbury lakes and reflects on ecology, justice, kaitiakitanga and hope.

This book will help you:

• Reflect on the spiritual, ecological and cultural significance of Wairewa / Forsyth and Te Waihora / Ellesmere.
• Engage with creative responses to environmental damage, colonisation and the work of restoration.
• Explore poetry, black-and-white photography and drawing as forms of witness and healing.
• Deepen understanding of kaitiakitanga and the relationships between people, land and water.
• Consider the importance of local stories, marae hospitality and community action.
• Reflect on what a healthier and more just future might require.
• Connect environmental care with creativity, justice, spirituality and hope.

Features

• Creative work from 27 people who participated in an epic one-day hīkoi by bicycle.
• Includes reflective poems, black-and-white photographs and drawings.
• Centred on Wairewa / Forsyth and Te Waihora / Ellesmere in Canterbury.
• Includes stories and reflections connected with Wairewa Marae, Little River, and Ngāti Moki Marae, Tuamutu.
• Explores themes of kaitiakitanga, colonisation, environmental degradation, healing and restoration.

Soft cover 66pp
6" x 9"
ISBN 9781791570552
D J Pyle (2019)

Description

This thoughtful and evocative collection arises from a journey of witness, listening and creative response. In one epic day, 27 people cycled around the shores of two iconic but degraded Canterbury lakes: Wairewa / Forsyth and Te Waihora / Ellesmere. What emerged from that hīkoi was not simply a record of a physical journey, but a layered expression of grief, memory, responsibility and hope.

Through reflective poems, black-and-white photographs and drawings, the contributors respond to landscapes marked by beauty and damage. The journey began and ended with overnight stays on local marae—Wairewa at Little River and Ngāti Moki at Tuamutu—where deep stories were shared about relationship with the waterways, kaitiakitanga, colonisation and the ongoing commitment to restoration. These stories give the book its grounding: the lakes are not merely scenic places, but living waters held within whakapapa, history, community and care.

The creative works gathered here invite readers to slow down and look more carefully. They bear witness to ecological harm while refusing despair. They acknowledge the suffering caused by colonisation and environmental neglect, while also honouring those who continue to work for healing. The result is a book that is both local and universal: rooted in Canterbury, yet speaking to wider questions about justice, land, water, memory and the future of the community of life.

This collection will appeal to readers interested in environmental care, indigenous perspectives, poetry, visual art, spirituality, activism and place-based reflection. It is especially valuable for those seeking creative and holistic ways to respond to ecological crisis. As the introduction suggests, the search for a healthier and more just future requires a kaupapa that holds together people, place, history, spirit and action.

About the Authors

Kathleen Gallagher, Mark Gibson, Viv Whimster, Iaean Cranwell and other contributors bring together a range of creative, ecological, spiritual and community perspectives in this collaborative work. Their poems, photographs and drawings arise from participation in a hīkoi around Wairewa / Forsyth and Te Waihora / Ellesmere, and from listening to stories of kaitiakitanga, loss, colonisation, restoration and hope. Mark Gibson contributes the introduction, framing the project within a holistic kaupapa for healing, justice and the wider community of life.

Contents

Introduction by Mark Gibson
Creative responses from 27 hīkoi participants
Reflective poems
Black-and-white photographs
Drawings
Reflections on Wairewa / Forsyth
Reflections on Te Waihora / Ellesmere
Stories connected with Wairewa Marae, Little River
Stories connected with Ngāti Moki Marae, Tuamutu
Themes of kaitiakitanga, colonisation, ecological damage and restoration
Reflections on healing, justice and hope for the community of life