Tells the story of Maraea, an elderly Maori woman living in a coastal community. The site of the kainga is also next to an albatross colony, and there are close (and fabulously illustrated) links between the people and the birds. But people are drifting to the cities, and the community is falling apart. Soon only an aging Maraea is left on the clifftop, looking out to sea to welcome the birds. And soon even Maraea passes away. On the site of Marea's old sitting place on the clifftop, only a rock remains. But something is happening, the rock is moving and stirring. It bursts open, and a great albatross emerges, spreading its massive wings and soaring up into the sky...

Author Biography

Patricia Grace needs little introduction. In addition to her best-selling adult fiction she has also written a small number of fine children's picture books, beginning with The Kuia and the Spider several decades ago. Brian Gunson is an experienced illustrator who has worked in recent years for Learning Media and other educational publishers.