Journeys

Young Finbar Kelly enlists in the British Imperial Army and makes the journey from his home in Ireland to New Zealand in 1863. He’s embarking on a bold new life—serve his term, earn a land grant and build a future on his own farm.

But the dream soon turns to a nightmare. The Army’s first action is to put down the rebellion of the natives, who are threatening to attack Auckland—so they are told. The enemy, the Māori are not the primitive savages they are expecting, and the conflict is not as they were led to believe. The more Kelly learns of the political intrigue, the more disillusioned he becomes with the injustice, the betrayals of the Treaty, and the atrocities.

A deepening connection with a Māori family forces him to confront his own conscience, leading him toward a painful reckoning and, ultimately, a transformative spiritual awakening.

New Zealand’s dark past of colonisation, warfare and betrayal may make for uncomfortable reading. But Kelly’s journey of redemption and faith shines as a beacon of light against that darkness.

About the author
John Carstensen is a Danish born Kiwi and has also lived in Canada and China. He has spent most of his life in New Zealand and now resides in the seaside city of Tauranga. He is an English teacher by profession, but retired and devoting more time to writing and fishing. His short stories have appeared in various New Zealand and Australian literary journals and magazines. He published a collection of stories in 2019 and is collating more collections.

He brings his research into New Zealand history, his Christian faith, and his craft of writing fiction together in this fascinating historical novel. His protagonist grapples with moral and spiritual issues and, in the course of the narrative arc, develops strong Christian character.