Across New Zealand in 140 Hitches

Hitchhiking is a slow way to travel. You observe passing cars and invent personalities for their occupants. Then when you least expect it a car will pull up with a driver and perhaps a friend, or a dog, or a family. In the seconds after seeing you they will have come to the decision that reflects a mind-set that accompanies a pace of life: there is little reason not to pick up a hitchhiker.

This collection of poems is dedicated to the lucky inhabitants of New Zealand who made this possible — accompanied by some delightful illustrations by Barbara Macfarlane.