Moon Over Martinborough

The hilarious tale of how two American city boys learn to become olive farmers on a lifestyle block in New Zealand. For Jared Gulian, leaving the United States and coming to tiny Wellington, New Zealand, was switch from the bright lights of big cities enough. So when his partner CJ decided they just had to buy a rundown olive orchard in the Wairarapa, it was almost too much to cope with. First they'd have to drive over the dangerous Rimutaka range road to get there, and he was terrified of heights. And second, they'd have to figure out what on earth you do with 500 olive trees that hadn't been pruned for years, a geriatric rooster, warring hens, an obese kunekune pig, cast sheep, marauding cattle and understanding your neighbors when they said "yiece' but meant 'yes'. In this endearing, hilarious, wry and warm-hearted book, Jared Gulian describes the first four years of their new life in the country, its disasters and small triumphs, its surprises and pleasures. But most of all he describes the warmth of the local community that welcomed him, saved him from certain peril, taught him how to cook, how to care for animals, and how to understand and love the land. Its specially commissioned line drawings set this book apart as a little treasure.