From 1859 to 1860 Nelson Province made a concerted effort to open up the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand for settlement. Before settlement could begin they needed access by an overland route, a reliable map of the area, an assessment of its potential for farming as well as the value of any mineral wealth such as coal or gold, and to purchase of the land from Maori.

The three explorers chosen to lead the 1859-60 expeditions to the West Coast were John Rochfort, James Mackay and Julius Haast. These men needed great strength of mind and physical endurance to overcome the elements while crossing through the rugged wilderness. Great Expeditions describes who they were and gives the context of their journeys, namely life in colonial New Zealand, especially in the Province of Nelson.

With chapters that vary from intrepid to biographical to political, the changing balance of power in New Zealand is described from the first arrival of settlers to the end of certain people’s lives. Great Expeditions describes the exploration of the West Coast in context with European expansion, and illustrates the circumstances which led the West Coast Maori to be willing to sell their land, while at the same time a faction of Maori in the North Island had united and were fighting a war to resist further land sales.

The e-book version features a navigable table of contents and hyperlinks to all source material including individual newspaper articles.
The paperback version features a comprehensive index and a list of all newspaper references.
Both versions feature maps and a bibliography.