Bushline – a Memoir with Robbie Burton
After thirty years bringing some of New Zealand’s best outdoor-focused writing and photography to Kiwis as helmer of Potton & Burton, Robbie Burton has deftly taken the author’s seat to share how his own passion for our wild places shaped an unexpected career in publishing. From his early tramping days around Nelson Lakes and fortuitous introduction to skiing as a teen, to a three-month traverse of the Southern Alps in his early twenties, Robbie’s deep connection with the outdoors is the through line of both his personal and professional story, reminding us all of the value of having a sense of place.
BREAK: The café will be open for a drink or a snack. Book sales and signings.
Not Set in Stone with David Vass
Imagine spending days on end climbing and tunneling through extensive underground cave networks – without a watch – and emerging to the light not knowing if it’s sunrise or sunset. Or barreling down an unknown river in a handmade raft, avoiding hypothermia by the grace of some abandoned thermals at a hut along the way. These were the formative adventures that led David Vass to a career as a mountaineer and guide, establishing numerous first ascents and descents in the country’s hills and canyons. But in 2015, an accident resulting in a broken neck and incomplete tetraplegia forced a change of direction. With humour and poise, David shares both colourful tales and thoughtful perspective on the importance of connection with nature, and what happens when we are separated from it.
*** Winner of the 2023 Nankervis/Bamford NZ Mountain Book of the Year ($2,000)
