U3A Takapuna

Tessa’s latest book tells how Lieutenant James Cook created the first chart of Aotearoa New Zealand. The illustrations are by Dunedin artist David Elliot. Published by HarperCollins this month, it is timed to coincide with Tuia - Encounters 250, the commemorations of Cook's arrival in New Zealand in October 1769. Since it was published in 1773, Cook's chart of New Zealand has been regarded as one of the most extraordinary achievements in the history of cartography. Tessa’s book tells the human story behind its creation, following the progress of Cook's six-month circumnavigation of New Zealand over the summer of 1769-70. Tessa trained as a journalist and has published more than forty works of fiction and non-fiction. Her best known work Alex (1987) was adapted for a 1993 movie, and recent books include biographies of Margaret Mahy, Sir Peter Blake and Auckland’s ‘First Lady’ Sarah Mathew. She has appeared at literary festivals around the world. Her awards include a number of children’s fiction prizes, the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal (1996), the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship to Menton (2003), Artists to Antarctica award (2007), the OBE (1994) and an honorary doctorate from the University of Waikato (2008). She serves on the boards of the Storylines Children’s Literature Trust and the Spirit of Adventure Trust. She has four daughters and two grandchildren and lives in Auckland, where she enjoys sailing, concert-going, teaching creative writing and reading.