In the display case at the National Library of New Zealand

The children’s collection display cabinet on level one as it is July 2022.
A selection of books on Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. One of the books that features is a close friend of FDNWC, Susan Price’s ‘The Viaduct Postcard’.
Mary has included more information on the National Library’s original Facebook post, so do click through to have a read.To view the display, come up the marble staircase to level 1. The case is just before you enter the Reading Rooms.

Captions from the bottom image up, reading right to left:

Lighthouse
On an outing with her mother, Lucy finds out about the history of the first Pencarrow lighthouse, and the life of Mary Jane Bennett, New Zealand’s only woman lighthouse keeper.

Sheehan, Grant. Lucy goes to the lighthouse. Illustrated by Rosalind Clark.
Wellington, N.Z: Phantom Tree House Books, 2017

Lighthouse
The lighthouse began as a light in a cottage window on the Pencarrow hillside, where Mary Jane lived with her husband, George. After the SS Maria was wrecked at the entrance to Wellington Harbour, a proper lighthouse was built. Mary Jane, who was now widowed, ran the lighthouse on her own from 1859-1865, while raising her six children.

Sheehan, Grant. Lucy goes to the lighthouse. Illustrated by Rosalind Clark.
Wellington, N.Z: Phantom Tree House Books, 2017

Graham Family
A novel notable for its use of second-hand information about New Zealand, this story began the genre of the New Zealand emigrant novel. The author knew of New Zealand via letters from her husband’s cousin and his family and, while accurate in places, there are numerous errors such as placing kauri forests in the South Island. In this extract the family is at sea, having sailed from Nelson, when they witness the eruption of Mount Taranaki and experience a strong earthquake which causes damage in Wellington. It is likely that Mrs Aylmer based this passage on accounts of the 1854 eruption of Mount Taranaki and the 1855 Wairarapa Earthquake.
Read the book online here: https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/name-134573.html

Aylmer, Mrs J.E. Distant homes, or, The Graham family in New Zealand. With illustrations by J. Jackson.
London: Griffith and Farran, 1862

Taniwha
A retelling of the legend of how Wellington Harbour was created. In ancient times in Aotearoa, there is a beautiful lake in which there dwell two taniwha named Whataitai and Ngake. However, when Ngake gets bored and decides to break free into the ocean, his actions have far reaching consequences and help shape the landscape of our capital city.

Wairama, Moira. The taniwha of Wellington Harbour. Illustrated by Bruce Potter.
North Shore, N.Z.: Puffin, 2011

Boy Travellers
American born Thomas W. Knox was a journalist, author and keen traveller. This book is one of the very popular “Boy travellers” series (1879-1894) in which young Frank Bassett and Fred Bronson travel the globe with their mentor and guide, Dr Bronson, gaining an education along the way. Knox supplemented his personal knowledge with numerous sources, including books, newspapers, maps and personal correspondence. In this extract, the travellers discuss the city of Wellington, the next destination on their journey.
Read the book online here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60696
Knox, Thomas W. The boy travellers in Australasia: Adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan, and Feejee Islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia.
New York: Harper, 1889.

Viaduct
Bessie and Jack are off on an exciting trip to stay with their aunt in Karori. They make the journey from Levin by train and tram, passing under the Kelburn Viaduct on their way. The wooden viaduct described in the story was built in 1902 and it was replaced by the concrete viaduct (still in use today), in 1931. The book includes historical notes about Wellington in the Edwardian era.

Price, Susan. The viaduct postcard. Illustrated by Judith Trevelyan.
Havelock North, N.Z: Millwood-Heritage Productions, 2016

Boytravellers
American born Thomas W. Knox was a journalist, author and keen traveller. This book is one of the very popular “Boy travellers” series (1879-1894) in which young Frank Bassett and Fred Bronson travel the globe with their mentor and guide, Dr Bronson, gaining an education along the way. Knox supplemented his personal knowledge with numerous sources, including books, newspapers, maps and personal correspondence. In this extract, the travellers discuss the city of Wellington, the next destination on their journey.
Read the book online here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60696
Knox, Thomas W. The boy travellers in Australasia: Adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan, and Feejee Islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia.
New York: Harper, 1889.

Terawhiti
Zac is spending the school holidays with his father on Wellington’s wild South Coast when they witness a shipwreck. Zac investigates further and finds some unusual paw prints on the beach, and he is drawn into a mystery which threatens his life and those around him.

Hunt, Des. Phantom of Terawhiti.
Auckland, N.Z.: HarperCollins, 2013

Redrocks
When Jake takes a sealskin from Red Rocks, he unlocks an ancient spell that threatens to destroy his family. The story combines ideas from traditional Celtic and Norse tales of Selkies (seal people) with a Wellington South Coast setting.

King, Rachael. Red Rocks.
Auckland, N.Z.: Random House, 2012