From the Curio Bay to the Golden Bay, in Down South writer Bruce Ansley sets off on a vast expedition across the South Island. Te Waipounamu, visiting the places and people who hold the clues to the south’s famous character. Not so very long ago, the South Island had most of New Zealand’s people and just about all of the money. Gold minders found fortune in the hills and rivers while sheep barons straddled mountains, valleys and plains. Wealthy southerners ruled the government. Where now lies the South Island’s golden fleece? And what is its future?