None of the characters in this book are intended to portray real people, either living or dead. The exception is Te Rauparaha, whose stormy relationship with the Marlborough Sounds shore whalers is well documented. The confrontation between Jack Dawson and Te Rauparaha in Chapter 11 is based on an actual event that took place involving John Guard and Te Rauparaha, although I have changed a few details to fit the plot.
The characters and the setting were, however, inspired by history. John Guard, an ex-convict from Sydney, set up the first shore whaling station in the Marlborough Sounds, based at Te Awaiti on Arapawa Island. Popular tradition says this probably happened in 1829. He brought his 16-year-old bride, Betty Guard, from Sydney to live at Te Awaiti. Betty led a long adventurous life and produced nine children. Descendants of the Guards still live in the Marlborough area.
The most comprehensive book about the Te Awaiti shore whalers is Guards of the Sea, by Don Grady (Christchurch, Whitcoulls, 1978). For books about present-day life on Arapawa Island, read Weather Permitting (Cape Catley, 1996) and Flood Tide (Cape Catley, 1997), both by Heather Heberley, whose husband is a descendant of one of John Guard’s shore whaling crew.
Lorraine Orman