You can't help but wonder about the stories behind the unusual buildings you see around New Zealand - from cute colonial cottages to abandoned industrial buildings or ghost towns. Nicola McCloy went looking to find out ... who lived there?

From basic stone cottages in barren-looking countryside to pretty coastal villas, romantic churches and small-town taverns, New Zealand is full of buildings whose back stories have been lost over the generations. Jane King's photographs and Nicola McCloy's words weave the facts back together to present gripping stories of these places and their ups and downs over time. The strength of women, often left to fend for their families with little help or support, and the enterprise of early New Zealanders feature in this fascinating book, which you can dip into as you travel the country or read cover to cover from the comfort of your armchair.

Find out about places as diverse as the old School of Mines in Thames, Rush Munroe's Ice Cream Garden in Hastings; Couldrey House at Wenderholm, near Auckland; the National Tobacco Company in Napier; Mt Cook Police Barracks in Wellington; Langlois-Eteveneaux House in Akaroa; Donovan's General Store in Okarito; and the Empire Tavern in Dunedin.

With beautiful photographs by Jane King, supplemented with historic shots to show how little or how much some of these places have changed.