Collection: Adult Non Fiction - Leisure

"This is a book about New Zealanders, the water, and our old and deep connection between the two: swimming in the outdoors. Every neighbourhood has its river swimming hole, its local beach, its back road to the lake or the climb over a fence to jump in the creek. From Northland to Fiordland, Anne...

This book is about the world of swimming, revealing 100 beautiful and inspiring places to take the plunge. Swimming is excellent exercise of course, but it's so much more than that: it can be a transcendental experience, offering us space to reflect and to escape. It's an antidote to screens and ...

Brothers Jack, Calum and Robbie have been swimming together their whole lives, and have never lost the sense of wonder, excitement and relief that getting in open water brings. In this book, we learn about their swimming feats, from tackling the 145km River Eden to setting the world record for sw...

Tried and tested by teachers for over 15 years, Swimming Games and Activities is packed with games and ideas for teaching children the basics of water competence. With over 200 graded games and activities, it provides enjoyable ideas to stimulate children of all ages.

'Switched on Pop' illuminates the essential musical concepts behind two decades of chart-topping songs. The text moves through close studies of 16 modern pop classics by artists from Beyoncé to Zedd, each chapter bringing out key aspects of a particular song as well as introducing core concepts ...

The history of classical music is littered with murder, adultery, bigamy, fraud, sado-masochism, riches, poverty, gluttony, nervous breakdowns, bizarre behaviour and terrible, terrible toilet humour (Mozart was the prime exponent of the latter). Classical music - nice? Not at all. It's the most i...

The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is the story of one of the world's greatest sporting challenges. One evening in May 1945, a small group of Sydney sailing enthusiasts decided that their planned post-Christmas cruise south to Hobart would be more enjoyable if they made it a race. And so began the stor...

Full of life-affirming personal stories and breath-taking images of scenery and swimmers, Taking the Plunge celebrates the remarkable wild swimming community. Now you too can immerse yourself in its energy, courage and irresistible joie de vivre!