Going to Extremes

From the acclaimed author of The Trout Diaries and The Trout Bohemia, Going to Extremes tells eleven fascinating stories of New Zealanders – some forgotten, some ‘elite’, some ‘ordinary’ – achieving amazing things. Here the extreme can be found in anything from diving, caving, alpine climbing, and saving endangered species, to maritime rescue and pioneering aviation. The common thread is the inner fire, the passion and the commitment.

Comprising some of Derek Grzelewski’s best-published work to date, the stories in this book all explore and reveal some unexpected element of the extreme. They transport you to extraordinary, unknown and inaccessible places, and into encounters with a diverse range of people. As Grzelewski discovers, some of the most extreme adventures and heroic deeds happen in our daily lives, and often pass unnoticed. If you doubt that, he says, visit a spinal recovery unit. Or join the fire-fighters’ training programme. It will redefine your idea of extreme, as it redefined his.