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Welcome to Morcan Books & Films, the blog devoted to providing a unique perspective and intelligent commentary on books and films. It includes commentary on our own books and films – i.e. novels and screenplays co-written by the Morcans, and feature films produced by, or in development with, Morcan Motion Pictures.
Lance & James
For the first time, the hills and shores of Aotearoa echoed to the sounds of war. As competition for land and food resources increased, inter-tribal fighting became the norm. The inevitable result was war on a scale never before seen in Kupe’s land. Fighting was hand-to-hand, vicious and bloody.
One ugly side-effect of the conflict was cannibalism.
Eating the flesh of enemies provided a new source of meat as well as having symbolic significance for the victors. Cannibalism quickly became part of Maori culture, just as it had throughout the islands of the South Pacific. The losers in warfare accepted they would end their days in slavery or on the cooking fire, or probably both. Slaves provided labour for hard manual work and were a source of food when their meat-starved captors were hungry.
Feuds erupted between iwis which had previously lived side by side in peace. As rivalries intensified, bloodshed followed. Given the Maori preoccupation with mana [prestige] any slight was an invitation to violent retribution. The concept of mercy was unknown and the cycle of revenge that resulted was known as utu, or blood vengeance.
Utu would become the law by which Maori lived. It would survive, indeed flourish, until well into the nineteenth century.
Apera’s Te Arawa iwi had consolidated their tribal base at Rotorua, the inland whakatikatikatanga [settlement] located on the shores of the same thermal lake where they’d resided since relocating from coastal Maketu. But like most tribes of the day they needed more land for their ever-expanding population. It was because of this their rangatira decided to lead a sizeable war party down the east coast in search of slaves and new territory.
The decision to make war was not taken lightly. The Te Arawa had long been insulated from the feuding that was now common amongst coastal tribes. Increasing demand for new territory had recently seen their own tribal lands come under threat. Fortunately, their superior numbers had enabled them to repel any invaders. However, this was not enough to ensure their survival. More land, slaves and riches were needed.
Winter was always the worst time to travel or to make war. The land was cold, and food was at its scarcest, but the Te Arawa warriors chose to make their move in the middle of winter when their enemies would likely be least prepared.
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The paperback and Kindle ebook versions of ‘New Zealand: A Novel’ will be published on Amazon before Christmas; the hardcover and audiobook versions will follow in the New Year.
Aboard his flagship, the Heemskerck, Captain Abel Tasman (pictured) was feeling every one of his thirty-nine years as his vessel ploughed eastwards through heavy seas in the Southern Ocean and yet another squall left him soaked to the skin.
It was December 13, 1642. Nine days had passed – nine long days and sleepless nights – since the Heemskerck and her smaller companion ship the Zeehaen, an armed hauler vessel, departed an island he’d named Van Diemen’s Land. The Dutch master mariner had no way of knowing the ocean he now sailed would one day be known as the Tasman Sea.
Tasman stood on the Heemskerck’s quarterdeck, riding the rolling motion with the ease of a man who had spent all his working life at sea, and praying he’d sight land soon. He thought he glimpsed land directly ahead.
A cry went up from the ship’s crow’s nest, confirming he hadn’t imagined it. “Turn to port!” the captain shouted to his bosun. He had just sighted waves crashing onto a rocky shoreline, a scary sight even for an experienced seaman.
“Ja, Kapitein!” the bosun responded before relaying Tasman’s orders to his subordinates.
The Heemskerck responded slowly in the heavy seas and several tense minutes passed before she was safely sailing north and parallel to the coast. At the same time, the squall eased, and the clouds and mist lifted to reveal a rugged, forbidding coastline. Dark, green, bush-covered hills rose steeply beyond the rocky shore, and beyond them fleeting glimpses of majestic alps could be seen through breaks in the cloud. There was summer snow on some of the higher peaks.
Tasman was immediately struck by the majesty of the new land he’d discovered. It seemed prehistoric, but beautiful at the same time.
It was some moments before it dawned on Tasman that he had achieved his expedition’s main goal: he’d discovered the Great Southern Continent, or so he believed, for he was convinced the shoreline he was now looking at was that continent’s western edge. The realisation almost brought him to tears, and thoughts of great reserves of gold and other treasures flashed through his mind. He wondered whether the land was inhabited. First impressions were that this was virginal land, uninhabited and unoccupied. If he was right that would mean Holland would have unobstructed and unrivalled access to its resources.
Looking at the coastline beyond the starboard rail, he murmured, “I name this new land Nieuw Zeeland.”
Tasman would soon learn – to his cost – that the land he’d discovered was occupied by warlike peoples who called themselves Maoris. However, he would go to his deathbed mistakenly believing the new land was the Great Southern Continent. It would be well into the following century before his countrymen learned Nieuw Zeeland was an island nation roughly the size of England.
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The paperback and Kindle ebook versions of ‘New Zealand: A Novel’ will be published on Amazon before Christmas; the hardcover and audiobook versions will follow in the New Year.
The early days in Aotearoa were difficult days for those Islanders who survived the epic sea voyage from their Hawaiki homeland. In the first year more deaths further reduced their number although those were partly offset by the births of several babies. And so far, the land of the long white cloud was living up to its name: it was cloudy. With the clouds came rain and cooler temperatures, and the new arrivals shivered as they adapted to life in this foreign place.
Food, or lack of it, was the most crucial issue facing them. The abundant food sources of the islands of the South Pacific were sadly lacking. There was no sign of the pigs, turtles, bananas, coconuts, kumaras or yams they were familiar with. Wild berries from the hīnau, karaka and other native trees were the only fruits available. Though there was a profusion of fish and bird life, new fishing and hunting techniques had to be mastered before those creatures could be added to the recent arrivals’ diet in any quantity.
Hotu remained staunch. The rangatira knew there’d be hardships to overcome before his people would be at one with the land. He was sure Kupe’s followers had faced the same problems all those centuries ago. Whether they had survived was another story.
So far not one sign of another human being had been found. Not even a solitary footprint.
The first hunting expedition into the unexplored interior provided a much-needed boost for flagging spirits. Concerned they’d seen no pigs, or any animals for that matter, along the coast, Hotu led a dozen hunters inland. Their number included Kafoa who made up for his tender age and inexperience with enthusiasm. The hunters never found pigs, but what they did find soon proved to be as good.
On the flatlands and rolling hills between the coast and the mountains, they discovered mobs of giant birds. The biggest of these emu-like creatures stood taller than the tallest man, and, Hotu observed, they had plenty of meat on their bones. Better still, like some other birds in this land, they were flightless. With no natural predators, until now, they had no need of wings. The moa, as they came to be called, were timid and easily killed. Moas quickly became a staple part of their hunters’ diet and would remain so until their extinction less than two centuries later.
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The paperback and Kindle ebook versions of ‘New Zealand: A Novel’ will be published on Amazon before Christmas; the hardcover and audiobook versions will follow in the New Year.
This epic, historical adventure-romance is a tale of conflict, lust and adventure. It spans almost 500 years and covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans.
Shrouded in cloud at the bottom of the world, this was the land that time forgot: the last sizeable piece of undiscovered land on Earth. Two hundred million years after breaking away from the vast southern continent of Gondwana, Man had yet to leave his footprints on this prehistoric place.
Mythology would have it the land was fished up out of the ocean. In fact, earthquakes and volcanic activity forced it to literally erupt from the seabed. This violent birth left it with a majestic ruggedness that would always reflect its former turbulence.
Over time, its features softened. Scenes of beauty emerged out of the mists. There was a haunting stillness about the land. It was a place of mystery – of magical forests and sparkling lakes and rivers. And the sea surrounded it like some huge tidal moat.
Its isolation ensured it wouldn’t be until well into the First Millennium AD that Man would step foot on these shores. The hardy, brown-skinned people who arrived here called themselves Maori and they called their new home Aotearoa – land of the long, white cloud.
Not until its rediscovery centuries later by European explorers would the land receive the name by which it is known today: New Zealand. Their arrival would herald a clash of two vastly different ideologies as European civilization collided with indigenous culture.
It was a time of conflict, lust and adventure.
***
My historical adventure epic NEW ZEALAND: A NOVEL is a tale of conflict, lust and adventure. It spans almost 500 years and covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans. From the outset the two stories are interposed. It starts in the 1300’s with the departure of Islanders from Hawaiki in search of land far to the south.
Under ‘Historical Notes’ at the end of my soon-to-be-released historical adventure epic NEW ZEALAND: A NOVEL, I advise readers that cannibalism was widely practised by Maori and it continued until well into the 1800’s, especially during the Musket Wars of the early 1800’s when a quarter of the Maori race perished in inter-tribal warfare.
I also advise readers, my novel is a work of fiction, albeit inspired by true events, and in the interests of telling a good story I have deviated from Maori and European history in places.
Excerpts from my Historical Notes follow:
In the case of Maori history, it’s important to remember that New Zealand’s indigenous people had no written language before Europeans arrived. Theirs was an oral history, which by its very nature is inexact, and therefore many facts – such as the place of origin of the Maori people – are subject to conjecture. That place, according to Maori legend, is known as Hawaiki. I have opted for the South Pacific island nation of Marquesas as being that place even though many historians believe it more likely Maori originated from Tahiti. As an aside, I have met Cook Islanders who, to my eyes and ears, look and sound like Maoris. Then again, I’ve heard indigenous Hawaiians say they can understand much of Te Reo, the Maori language, when they hear it spoken. So, logic tells me it is quite possible Maoris originally came from any one of the aforementioned island nations.
The conflict in the early 1500’s between the Te Arawa and Ngati Porou tribes is pure fiction. However, it typifies the clashes that occurred between warring iwis, or tribes, of that time. And despite what some present-day historians might say, the descriptions of cannibalism have not been exaggerated – not if the early writings of European explorers, seafarers, adventurers, missionaries, settlers, army officers and others are to be believed. Cannibalism was widely practised by Maori.
I am aware some fans of historical fiction expect writers in this genre to stick to the facts. Some readers will be aware I have deviated, considerably in places, from what actually occurred during the respective discoveries of New Zealand, first by Pacific Islanders then by Europeans. In my defense, I would point out that prominent historical fiction authors, Bernard Cornwell included, often replace history with invention in their novels.
For a more historically accurate overview of the Endeavour’s expedition to, and circumnavigation of, New Zealand I highly recommend the Captain Cook Society’s informative website, which includes verbatim extracts from Cook’s journals; and for an intriguing insight into early New Zealand and Maoris’ ancient origins I recommend these books by two of New Zealand’s most respected historians: The Penguin History of New Zealand, by Michael King, and This Horrid Practice: the Myth and Reality of Traditional Maori Cannibalism, by Paul Moon.
Finally, while my novel may not convey exactly what happened during the discovery and settlement of New Zealand, I believe it accurately captures the spirit of those bygone days.
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The paperback and Kindle ebook versions of ‘New Zealand: A Novel’ will be published on Amazon before Christmas; the hardcover and audiobook versions will follow in the New Year.
Kafoa scanned the ocean ahead of the double-voyaging canoe that had carried his fellow Islanders, or those of them who had survived at least, so far from their homeland in Hawaiki. Finally, he saw what it was the men had seen.
Low on the horizon, at the limit of the boy’s vision, was a large landmass resting beneath a long white cloud. Studying the distant landmass, he murmured, “Aotearoa.”
His father nodded. “Aotearoa,” Hotu agreed. “Land of the long white cloud.”
Kupe’s land now had a name.
You are reading an excerpt from an early chapter in my soon-to-be-released historical adventure epic ‘New Zealand: A Novel’.
Excerpt continues:
The excitement on board was unrestrained as the landmass now referred to by all as Aotearoa came into clear focus beneath the umbrella of cloud. Everyone who could stand was standing. The only voyagers not on their feet were those too weak to rise from where they lay.
Hotu was now manning the tiller. His heart beat fast. Here at last was Kupe’s land!
Tears filled the rangatira’s eyes and he murmured a prayer of thanks to the spirits of his Hawaikan ancestors. This land, their land, would be his people’s salvation. Of that he was sure.
From around twenty miles out, the land appeared dark and mysterious in the shadow of the cloudbank above it. Forbidding even. The sight had a sobering effect on the voyagers. All conversation ceased as they studied their new homeland.
As the canoe sailed onwards, floundering deeper than ever in the water, the land mass ahead slowly took shape. It was high – higher than the tropical islands of the Pacific – and it was covered in dense, lush, green bush.
Although still too far away to ascertain, the land appeared to be unoccupied, and some sixth sense told Hotu it was. Which meant he and his fellow survivors would be the only people on these shores. He wondered what had become of Kupe’s fellow voyagers all those centuries ago.
*
The paperback and Kindle ebook versions of ‘New Zealand: A Novel’ will be published on Amazon before Christmas; the hardcover and audiobook versions will follow in the New Year.
New Zealand: A Novel, by Lance Morcan, spans almost 500 years and covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Maori and European. It starts in the 1300’s with the departure of Pacific Islanders from Hawaiki in search of land far to the south; it ends in the 1700’s with Captain James Cook’s historic circumnavigation of that same land – a land he calls New Zealand – as seen through the eyes of young crewmember Nicholas Young aboard the bark Endeavour. From the outset the two stories are interposed. The adventures of the descendants of the earliest Maoris are followed down through the centuries, culminating in their often violent, sometimes romantic, always fascinating interactions with the white intruders they call pakehas.
New Zealand… the land that time forgot.
Shrouded in cloud at the bottom of the world, this was the land that time forgot: the last sizeable piece of undiscovered land on Earth. Two hundred million years after breaking away from the vast southern continent of Gondwana, Man had yet to leave his footprints on this prehistoric place.
Mythology would have it the land was fished up out of the ocean. In fact, earthquakes and volcanic activity forced it to literally erupt from the sea bed. This violent birth left it with a majestic ruggedness that would always reflect its former turbulence. The legacy of those fiery beginnings includes still-active volcanoes amidst the mountain chains that dissect the land.
Over time, its features softened. Scenes of beauty emerged out of the mists. There was a haunting stillness about the land. It was a place of mystery – of magical forests and sparkling lakes and rivers.
And the sea surrounded it – like some huge tidal moat.
Its isolation ensured it wouldn’t be until well into the First Millennium AD that Man would step foot on these shores. The brown-skinned people who settled here would call their new home Aotearoa – land of the long, white cloud. Not until its rediscovery centuries later by European explorers would the land receive the name by which it is known today…
New Zealand – aptly named by some as Aotearoa…Land of the long white cloud.
Author’s note:
Target audience for New Zealand: A Novel is adult readers; manuscript word count is 103,000 words. Genres include historical fiction, adventure, romance.
Given the increasing worldwide interest in New Zealand and the fascination over its indigenous people, I believe the timing couldn’t be better for this novel. While it has the lust and violence associated with those pre-European and Colonial times, New Zealand: A Novel has strong themes of love and romance, which will endear it to female readers as well as male.
–Lance Morcan
Excerpt:
The following excerpt from New Zealand: A Novel sees the surviving Hawaikan voyageurs reach their destination at the end of a gruelling six-week journey from their South Pacific homeland.
“I see land!” Rangi shouted triumphantly, leaping to his feet.
“Where?” Hotu demanded.
“There!” the excited navigator said, pointing directly southwest.
Kafoa was wide awake now. He pushed himself to his feet and squeezed between the two men, searching the horizon for a glimpse of land.
Hotu said, “Yes! I see it!”
Rangi adjusted the tiller until the canoe pointed slightly more to the west.
Others gathered around, aroused by the sudden commotion.
Kafoa strained his eyes, but could see only sky and ocean. “Where is it?” he implored. “I cannot see anything!”
Hotu smiled. “Look for the signs and you will see it.”
Kafoa scanned the horizon, looking for any one of the signs he had memorised by heart. He absentmindedly massaged the stub of the extra small finger on his left hand as he studied the sea and sky around him. Finally he saw what the men had seen. Low on the horizon, at the limit of his vision, was a large landmass resting beneath a long white cloud. Studying the distant landmass, he murmured, “Aotearoa.”
Hotu nodded. “Aotearoa,” he agreed, “land of the long white cloud.”
Kupe’s land now had a name.
#
The excitement aboard Ronui was unrestrained as the landmass now referred to by all as Aotearoa came into clear focus beneath the umbrella of cloud. Everyone who could stand was standing. The only voyagers not on their feet were those too weak to stand.
Hotu was now manning the tiller. His heart beat fast. Here at last was Kupe’s land! Tears filled his eyes and he murmured a prayer of thanks to the spirits of his Hawaikan ancestors. This land, their land, would be his people’s salvation. Of that he was sure.
From around twenty miles out, the land appeared dark and mysterious in the shadow of the cloudbank above it. Forbidding even. The sight had a sobering effect on the voyagers. All conversation ceased as they studied their new homeland.
Hotu glanced down at Kafoa who hadn’t left his side since the first sighting. Overcome with love for the boy, he reached down and ruffled his hair yet again. Kafoa looked up and smiled at the father he idolised.
As Ronui sailed onwards, floundering deeper than ever in the water, the land mass ahead slowly took shape. It was high – higher than the tropical islands of the Pacific – and it was covered in dense, lush, green bush.
Although still too far away to ascertain, the land appeared to be unoccupied, and some sixth-sense told Hotu it was. Which meant he and his fellow survivors would be the only people on these shores. He wondered what had become of Kupe’s fellow voyagers all those centuries ago.
Hotu’s mind returned to the present and he realised the bigger question was what had happened to Ra and the others aboard Tautira. He prayed they were safe.
#
By mid-afternoon, the clouds lifted and Aotearoa was bathed in brilliant sunshine.
The Hawaikans were close to shore now. They scrutinised every feature of their new land. Ahead of them breakers crashed against impressive white cliffs that rose straight out of the sea. The clifftops were fringed by trees whose distinctive flowers blazed scarlet under the summer sun. Kafoa thought it likely the branch that was recovered from the sea came from one of those very trees.
Hotu was anxious to find a suitable landing place before nightfall. It was the ever-vigilant Rangi who brought his attention to a bay slightly to the north of where they were heading.
“Over there!” the navigator said, pointing to a crescent-shaped bay.
“Uh,” Hotu confirmed, steering the canoe toward the bay. A prominent headland at the bay’s southern end guarded the entrance to it.
The rocky shoreline gave way to a white-sand surf beach. Calm water and only the faintest of breezes aided an uneventful beaching. After such a long and dramatic voyage, the landing seemed almost an anti-climax to the exhausted survivors.
Kafoa was first to disembark, jumping from the canoe into the shallows. In a few strides he was standing above the high tide mark on the beach, his hunger pangs and tiredness forgotten for the moment. One by one, the other survivors joined him.
The descendants of Kupe had come home.
Hotu prayed that Ra and the others aboard Tautira had also arrived safely. He had no way of knowing they would soon land on a similar beach several hundred miles to the north.
It would be two centuries before the descendants of these separated peoples would meet, and when they did, it would not be as friends but as mortal enemies.
The Hawaikans survived daunting odds to reach Aotearoa circa 1300 AD.
Captain Cook’s bark the Endeavour off New Zealand’s coast (above) and an adaptation of Cook’s map of New Zealand (below).
My inspiration for this short story was the real-life abduction by Maori of a young white girl who happened to be one of two identical twins living in 19th Century New Zealand. The girl’s bereft father spent years unsuccessfully searching for his missing daughter.
That true story had a happy ending many years later after a chance sighting in Wellington saw the separated twins reunited. It turned out the abducted sister had been raised as a Maori by the tribe that had taken her; she’d had two loving husbands, both Maoris, and had children by them both; she spoke fluent Te Reo Māori and had no desire to return to her previous life.
In Once were Brothers, seven-year-old Daniel Thomas is abducted from the family farm in New Zealand’s Far North by Maoris opposed to the presence of white settlers. Daniel’s father devotes his remaining years to searching for his missing blue-eyed, blond-haired son. Until his death a decade later, he’s assisted in his search by Daniel’s identical twin brother Benjamin.
Twenty years later and now a family man himself with children of his own, Benjamin receives a tip-off that could confirm one way or another whether his brother is alive or dead.
![Once Were Brothers by [Morcan, Lance]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51jikg0GmPL.jpg)
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