Johnson Goes Bush: Geography and Fiction in Man Alone

Abstract

Few New Zealanders would not have heard of the “Desert Road”, that thirty-three mile section of State Highway One which runs generally from north to south, past the eastern slopes of Mounts Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, on the volcanic plateau of the central North Island. For many travelling along that highway, the magnificent peaks to the west are a pleasant reminder of vacations and weekends enjoyed skiing, climbing, hiking, fishing or just relaxing, supported by chair-lifts, huts, lodges, trails and camping grounds, that are established mainly on the western and southern slopes.