A Bird in the Bush
From Fledgling to Flight: Stories from a Farming Life in the Pakihi Valley

'I fell in love with the bush (forest), the rugged terrain, the loneliness and wildness all rolled into a parcel and wrapped with the excitement of unknown territory. I was 14 and from that day, wanted nothing more than to immerse myself in the isolation and romance of the lonely Pakihi Valley.'There was never a dull moment in Marnie's formative years: mustering sheep and cattle over huge swathes of steep countryside; shearing and wool handling; drenching; skinning possums; chasing wild pigs; riding horses; catching poachers; surviving floods, fires and financial hardship - real-life experiences told with honesty, often interspersed with girlfriends, boyfriends, and young love.Her memoir of 1970s rural life in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, chronicles the transformation of a socially awkward teen into a resilient, self-confident young woman.