Rolling out an interesting story, foreshore
By Tim O?Connell
Author and local historian Warwick Johnstone?s book on the Petone foreshore has been so successful that it has been updated and was launched at Petone Library on February 9. The original version of the book, simply entitled ?Petone Foreshore? chronicled the rich history of New Zealand?s oldest colonial settlement. Mr Johnston said he decided to produce this latest edition after public demand saw sales for the first book exceed expectations. ?It was such a good seller the first time round-we sold about 400 copies, I think. ?This is something that people certainly want to see, and are interested in reading about.? New maps and photos provide a more extensive account of the Petone story, as well as extra information on the Petone foreshore railway and the former roller skating rink near Hikoikoi, now occupied by the Wellington tenths trust. With an abundance of new information emerging, Mr Johnston is reluctant to refer to the 2009 version as a mere second edition, but more as a ?new revised? manuscript. ?The more people that know you are writing about something like this, the more information you tend to get.? However, it was nearly a case of starting from square one again at one stage. The printer for the original version of the book, who Mr Johnstone declined to name, had inadvertently lost the disk containing the historical data. Any crisis was averted with the help of a Maungaraki printer who rescued the original text from oblivion. Mr Johnston now looks forward to a favourable reception for the updated book, which will print on demand basis.
