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Thanks for having me, Kevin!
On the Road with Taine McKenna: Guest Post by Lee Murray
Have you noticed that literary road trips are the new trend in travel? More and more, people are loading up the car or putting on their boots to visit places they have read about in books or seen on the big screen, wanting to experience those sites first-hand. For visitors to the United States, Atlas Obscura’s Richard Kreitner provides road maps for twelve iconic titles, allowing holidaymakers to criss-cross the country, tracing the journeys of their favourite literary classics: Kerouc’s On the Road, Twain’s Roughing It, and Bill Bryson’s The Lost Continent. England has its own tradition of literary pilgrimages, and a quick google search reveals pages of road trip ideas for lovers of Austen, Hardy, JK Rolling, Agatha Christie, and Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. New Zealand has also become a literary hotspot for travellers with cities like Wellington and Dunedin, for example, offering tribute walking tours, Wellington’s including a stop by the birthplace of Katherine Mansfield (or its recent replica in the Hamilton Gardens), and of course there are all the Lord of the Rings sites, like Matamata’s Hobbiton village, a site made to celebrate Peter Jackson’s movie series. I can understand why writers would choose to visit a site, to improve the accuracy and the authenticity of their work, but why would readers make the same pilgrimage? Perhaps they hope to recreate feelings conjured while reading the story, or perhaps they want to satisfy themselves that real-life settings really are imbued with the mystery and atmosphere they appeared to have when seen on the page. In any case, choosing your holiday itinerary based on places in a book can certainly take you off the beaten track to some unexpected gems. Take, for example, my latest novel, Into the Ashes, where my hero, NZDF sergeant Taine McKenna head into New Zealand’s mountainous central plateau region during a natural disaster:
No longer content to rumble in anger, the great mountain warriors of New Zealand’s central plateau, the Kāhui Tupua, are preparing again for battle. At least, that’s how the Māori elders tell it. The nation’s leaders scoff at the danger. That is; until the ground opens and all hell breaks loose. The armed forces are hastily deployed; NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his section are tasked with evacuating civilians and tourists from Tongariro National Park. It is too little, too late. With earthquakes coming thick and fast and the mountains spewing rock and ash, McKenna and his men are cut off. Their only hope of rescuing the stranded civilians is to find another route out, but a busload of prison evacuees has other ideas. And, deep beneath the earth’s crust, other forces are stirring.
In true thriller fashion, Taine and his friends dash all over the region with little or no time to enjoy the sights. However, for readers of Into the Ashes looking to follow in Taine McKenna’s footsteps at a more leisurely pace, there are some fantastic sites to visit.
Waiouru
A little township in the middle of nowhere, for most people Waiouru is just a place to stretch their legs, get a cup of coffee, and fuel up the car. But on the south-eastern flank of the central plateau region, and with the local motto being Gateway to Adventure, the army town is great first stop on any Taine McKenna journey. I recommend spending a half day at the National Army Museum with its wonderful military library and first-class exhibits chronicling New Zealand’s military history.
Tokaanu
This sleepy little holiday township was once the main settlement at the south end of the lake, its thermal hot springs making it an essential stop for travellers doing the ‘Grand Tour’ of New Zealand. Travellers would come by coach, stay for a soak in the thermal waters, and then continue by boat, leaving the settlement via Tokaanu Wharf. One of New Zealand’s oldest structures, the wharf dates from the 1800s. Free to visit, with its mountain backdrop and offering gorgeous views across the lake, the historic wharf is a great place to take a selfie.
Lake Rotopounamu
Only a few minutes’ drive from Tokaanu, settled in its crater in the flank of Mount Pīhanga, is the beautiful Lake Rotopounamu, the lake’s name derived from the Māori words Roto (meaning lake) and pounamu (meaning greenstone). Covering just one square kilometre, the track around the lake is a moderate 5km walk, free to enter, and traverses gorgeous forest and several sandy beaches. Into the Ashes readers might catch a glimpse of the fallen tree, still lying across the Long Beach with its canopy in the water.
Mount Tauhara
North of Lake Taupo, on the edge of the township, Mount Tauhara (meaning alone or isolated) provides a free 3km walk to the summit (1088m) first climbed by Ngātoroirangi, the high priest of Te Arawa canoe, and ariki-ancestor of the Tūwharetoa people. A primary school excursion for the local kids, the view over the lake to the Kāhui Tupua mountains is absolutely stunning. Hardly surprising then that the legends surrounding the mountains inspired this Taine McKenna adventure.
And if you’re thinking of taking this little tour, don’t forget to stop by the Taupō waterfront and check out the Fire Station, a key stop on Taine’s journey.
Lee Murray is a multi-award-winning writer and editor of science fiction, fantasy and horror (Sir Julius Vogel, Australian Shadows). Her works include the Taine McKenna adventure series, and supernatural crime-noir series The Path of Ra (co-written with Dan Rabarts). She is also the editor of ten dark fiction anthologies, the latest being Hellhole: An Anthology of Subterranean Terror (Adrenalin Press). Lee lives with her family in New Zealand where she conjures up stories from her office overlooking a cow paddock.
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P335VB4/
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07P335VB4/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43550875
https://www.leemurray.info/
@leemurraywriter
“INTO THE ASHES is a kick-ass thriller with twists you will never see coming! Lee Murray serves up a nail-biter of a weird-science action adventure. Brava!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of DEEP SILENCE and V-WARS
Part disaster novel, part supernatural adventure – a suspenseful, action-packed thriller that’s entertaining as hell! – Tim Waggoner, author of TEETH OF THE SEA and BLOOD ISLAND
“INTO THE ASHES hits the ground running and does not let up. A unique background, interesting characters, a dollop of horror, and a relentless, thriller pace.” — Charles R Rutledge, co-author of the Griffin and Price series.
“Murray’s INTO THE ASHES reads like a gauntlet - an action-packed adventure where death strikes from every side. A thrilling read!” ‒ Ashley Knight, co-author of HERALD
On the Road with Taine McKenna: Guest Post by Lee Murray
Have you noticed that literary road trips are the new trend in travel? More and more, people are loading up the car or putting on their boots to visit places they have read about in books or seen on the big screen, wanting to experience those sites first-hand. For visitors to the United States, Atlas Obscura’s Richard Kreitner provides road maps for twelve iconic titles, allowing holidaymakers to criss-cross the country, tracing the journeys of their favourite literary classics: Kerouc’s On the Road, Twain’s Roughing It, and Bill Bryson’s The Lost Continent. England has its own tradition of literary pilgrimages, and a quick google search reveals pages of road trip ideas for lovers of Austen, Hardy, JK Rolling, Agatha Christie, and Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. New Zealand has also become a literary hotspot for travellers with cities like Wellington and Dunedin, for example, offering tribute walking tours, Wellington’s including a stop by the birthplace of Katherine Mansfield (or its recent replica in the Hamilton Gardens), and of course there are all the Lord of the Rings sites, like Matamata’s Hobbiton village, a site made to celebrate Peter Jackson’s movie series. I can understand why writers would choose to visit a site, to improve the accuracy and the authenticity of their work, but why would readers make the same pilgrimage? Perhaps they hope to recreate feelings conjured while reading the story, or perhaps they want to satisfy themselves that real-life settings really are imbued with the mystery and atmosphere they appeared to have when seen on the page. In any case, choosing your holiday itinerary based on places in a book can certainly take you off the beaten track to some unexpected gems. Take, for example, my latest novel, Into the Ashes, where my hero, NZDF sergeant Taine McKenna head into New Zealand’s mountainous central plateau region during a natural disaster:
No longer content to rumble in anger, the great mountain warriors of New Zealand’s central plateau, the Kāhui Tupua, are preparing again for battle. At least, that’s how the Māori elders tell it. The nation’s leaders scoff at the danger. That is; until the ground opens and all hell breaks loose. The armed forces are hastily deployed; NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his section are tasked with evacuating civilians and tourists from Tongariro National Park. It is too little, too late. With earthquakes coming thick and fast and the mountains spewing rock and ash, McKenna and his men are cut off. Their only hope of rescuing the stranded civilians is to find another route out, but a busload of prison evacuees has other ideas. And, deep beneath the earth’s crust, other forces are stirring.
In true thriller fashion, Taine and his friends dash all over the region with little or no time to enjoy the sights. However, for readers of Into the Ashes looking to follow in Taine McKenna’s footsteps at a more leisurely pace, there are some fantastic sites to visit.
Waiouru
A little township in the middle of nowhere, for most people Waiouru is just a place to stretch their legs, get a cup of coffee, and fuel up the car. But on the south-eastern flank of the central plateau region, and with the local motto being Gateway to Adventure, the army town is great first stop on any Taine McKenna journey. I recommend spending a half day at the National Army Museum with its wonderful military library and first-class exhibits chronicling New Zealand’s military history.
Tokaanu
This sleepy little holiday township was once the main settlement at the south end of the lake, its thermal hot springs making it an essential stop for travellers doing the ‘Grand Tour’ of New Zealand. Travellers would come by coach, stay for a soak in the thermal waters, and then continue by boat, leaving the settlement via Tokaanu Wharf. One of New Zealand’s oldest structures, the wharf dates from the 1800s. Free to visit, with its mountain backdrop and offering gorgeous views across the lake, the historic wharf is a great place to take a selfie.
Lake Rotopounamu
Only a few minutes’ drive from Tokaanu, settled in its crater in the flank of Mount Pīhanga, is the beautiful Lake Rotopounamu, the lake’s name derived from the Māori words Roto (meaning lake) and pounamu (meaning greenstone). Covering just one square kilometre, the track around the lake is a moderate 5km walk, free to enter, and traverses gorgeous forest and several sandy beaches. Into the Ashes readers might catch a glimpse of the fallen tree, still lying across the Long Beach with its canopy in the water.
Mount Tauhara
North of Lake Taupo, on the edge of the township, Mount Tauhara (meaning alone or isolated) provides a free 3km walk to the summit (1088m) first climbed by Ngātoroirangi, the high priest of Te Arawa canoe, and ariki-ancestor of the Tūwharetoa people. A primary school excursion for the local kids, the view over the lake to the Kāhui Tupua mountains is absolutely stunning. Hardly surprising then that the legends surrounding the mountains inspired this Taine McKenna adventure.
And if you’re thinking of taking this little tour, don’t forget to stop by the Taupō waterfront and check out the Fire Station, a key stop on Taine’s journey.
Lee Murray is a multi-award-winning writer and editor of science fiction, fantasy and horror (Sir Julius Vogel, Australian Shadows). Her works include the Taine McKenna adventure series, and supernatural crime-noir series The Path of Ra (co-written with Dan Rabarts). She is also the editor of ten dark fiction anthologies, the latest being Hellhole: An Anthology of Subterranean Terror (Adrenalin Press). Lee lives with her family in New Zealand where she conjures up stories from her office overlooking a cow paddock.
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P335VB4/
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07P335VB4/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43550875
https://www.leemurray.info/
@leemurraywriter
“INTO THE ASHES is a kick-ass thriller with twists you will never see coming! Lee Murray serves up a nail-biter of a weird-science action adventure. Brava!” —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of DEEP SILENCE and V-WARS
Part disaster novel, part supernatural adventure – a suspenseful, action-packed thriller that’s entertaining as hell! – Tim Waggoner, author of TEETH OF THE SEA and BLOOD ISLAND
“INTO THE ASHES hits the ground running and does not let up. A unique background, interesting characters, a dollop of horror, and a relentless, thriller pace.” — Charles R Rutledge, co-author of the Griffin and Price series.
“Murray’s INTO THE ASHES reads like a gauntlet - an action-packed adventure where death strikes from every side. A thrilling read!” ‒ Ashley Knight, co-author of HERALD
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