Hawke’s Bay has a remarkable history; like the rest of New Zealand’s, short by world standards – for the place was first settled only in the thirteenth century – but filled with colour, life and adventure. This profusely illustrated book tells that story from its beginnings, through the rumbustious nineteenth century when British settlers flooded into the region, on into the twentieth century of provincial life, and finally into the twenty-first with its lifestyles and new vision of district place.The history of Hawke’s Bay is a story of people – colourful characters whose lives lent such depth to Hawke’s Bay’s world. And it is a story of hope in adversity, of ambition, of recovery from disaster, and of success despite all the odds.This revised and updated second edition includes new photographs, further details and additional maps and material.