Stretching from Mesopotamia Station near the headwaters of the Rangitata River at the foot of the Southern Alps, to Winchester on the Canterbury plains, the Geraldine District has experienced dramatic change over its lifetime: from a hunting area for the moa hunters, to an outpost for the later Maori hunters and gatherers, to grazing district and saw milling town, to farmers' marketing centre, to retirees' Shangri-La, artists' haven, business centre, paradise for outdoor sports and tourist destination. In the outlying areas are picnic spots in picturesque gorges, walking tracks to suit all levels of fitness, a marble quarry, limestone escarpment and historic lime kiln. The region's history is rich and includes such contrasting characters as the intellectual pastoralist Samuel Butler and uneducated bullock drivers such as Bullocky Jones and lime burners like George Meredith... This book tells the story of people like Sarah Mulhern, Richard Coles, Jimmy the Needle, Barney White Rats, Jimmy Evans, David McKenzie and Robert Thew... In spite of its recent burgeoning as a vibrant business town and tourist attraction, it somehow retains the bucolic charm of an English village with neither parking meters nor traffic lights. Geraldine is unique.