The Wild Green Yonder

Itching for a change, city girl Philippa Jamieson quits her cosy job in Dunedin to travel around New Zealand on the WWOOF scheme (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Over the course of two-and-a-half years she volunteers at 40 locations - market gardens, livestock farms, communes - many of which truly lie in the wild and hairy yonder. Along the way Philippa meets a bevy of diverse characters: the irrepressible farm host who's built his own coffin - with a limerick for an epitaph; Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons; and many more, not forgetting Thelma the goat. Some of our unsung heroes can be found in these pages: forward-thinking Kiwis who are quietly working away at producing healthy food without toxins, saving heirloom crop varieties, practising self-sufficiency and improving the soil for the next generation. Informative, entertaining and affectionate, The Wild Green Yonder offers inspiration to anyone with a yen for life's positive alternatives, as well as a unique view on where organic farming is at in New Zealand today.