Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Skink Gully
    Skink Gully
    Skink Gully
    Ebook81 pages50 minutes

    Skink Gully

    By Des Hunt

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Central Otago’s searing summer has been long and brutal. And yet somehow the sheep and smaller creatures on Stonefields Station have survived. That’s until Garth Fischer arrives, along with his gun and plans to change things in a big way. Then three youngsters — Tamsin, the farmer’s daughter, and city-kids Dylan and Nimish — make an important discovery in Skink Gully. A find they must now protect. But Fischer will do anything to get his way, even if that means destroying the gully and all that live there.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDes Hunt
    Release dateMay 30, 2015
    ISBN9780994122612
    Skink Gully
    Author

    Des Hunt

    Des Hunt is a well respected educationalist and teacher, responsible for writing the national primary schools science curriculum. He has written a series of successful environmental adventures for 9-12 year olds. He lives in Whitianga, NZ and teaches at the Mercury Bay Area School.

    Read more from Des Hunt

    Related to Skink Gully

    Related ebooks

    Children's Action & Adventure For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Fitting In

      Oct 1, 2021

      Fitting In
      6 min read

    • Article

      Doodlebug & Dandelion The Squirrel Quarrel

      Sep 1, 2023

      Doodlebug & Dandelion The Squirrel Quarrel
      3 min read

    • Article

      Doodlebug & Dandelion Sea Monsters

      May 1, 2022

      Doodlebug & Dandelion Sea Monsters
      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘A Children’s Bible’: Featured Fiction from Lydia Millet

      May 12, 2020

      "My phone had ceased to interest me since the news started repeating, bringing a wash of grimness whenever I looked. I solved the problem by ignoring it." The post ‘A Children’s Bible’: Featured Fiction from Lydia Millet appeared first on The Million

      4 min read

    • Article

      Mysterious Moments

      Jul 25, 2018

      I sat on the porch of my childhood home, the morning after my mother had passed. I am a person of faith, but Mom’s death was difficult. I prayed, Please, God, show me Mom is with you! I immediately saw a blue dragonfly hover over Mom’s favorite yello

      2 min read

    • Article

      In Dad’s Hands

      Nov 24, 2018

      In Dad’s Hands
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ferrets Up To Scratch

      Mar 24, 2021

      Ferrets Up To Scratch
      4 min read

    • Article

      Doodlebug & Dandelion The Big City

      Jul 1, 2023

      Doodlebug & Dandelion The Big City
      3 min read

    • Article

      I Had A Fortress Once In Paradise

      Mar 1, 2021

      I Had A Fortress Once In Paradise
      10 min read

    • Article

      Sam Owbridge

      Dec 14, 2022

      Sam Owbridge
      4 min read

    • Article

      Heart of OAK

      Feb 16, 2022

      Heart of OAK
      6 min read

    • Article

      Pitting Wits With Sheep

      Oct 17, 2019

      Pitting Wits With Sheep
      6 min read

    • Article

      Cliffhanger

      Sep 1, 2019

      Cliffhanger
      7 min read

    • Article

      Since Boats Was Boats

      Nov 5, 2020

      Monica Edwards First published 1955 (o.p.) Most recent edition ggbp.co.uk The sails were going up, warm red-brown against the grey. Rissa was at the jib, pulling it up to a cheerfully gasped rendition of ‘Hanging Johnny’. The mizzen was already up; t

      4 min read

    • Article

      From Heartbreak To HOPE

      Jan 29, 2020

      From Heartbreak To HOPE
      7 min read

    • Article

      Big Tree Down!

      Sep 1, 2021

      Big Tree Down!
      2 min read

    • Article

      For The Love Of Camping

      Mar 5, 2020

      For The Love Of Camping
      7 min read

    • Article

      Leagues Under The Sea

      Mar 27, 2018

      Leagues Under The Sea
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Very Present Help

      Oct 24, 2020

      A Very Present Help
      1 min read

    • Article

      Ready, Set, Let go!

      May 15, 2019

      Ready, Set, Let go!
      11 min read

    • Article

      HUNTING With The Ellements…

      Sep 13, 2021

      HUNTING With The Ellements…
      19 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Skink Gully

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Skink Gully - Des Hunt

      About Des Hunt

      After more than forty years working in education, Des Hunt is now a full-time writer living on New Zealand’s beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. Since the 1970’s he has shared his fascination with science and technology through textbooks, electronic devices, and computer programs. More recently he has turned to fiction as a way of interesting youngsters in the world that surrounds them. His first novel, A Friend in Paradise, was published in 2002.

      Four of his books have been finalists in the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards; two LIANZA finalists; and ten listed as Storylines Notable Books.

      For more visit www.deshunt.com

      Other Books by Des Hunt

      Fiction

      A Friend in Paradise Harper Collins

      The Moa Cave Harper Collins

      Frog Whistle Mine Harper Collins

      Where Cuckoos Call Harper Collins

      Shadows in the Ice Harper Collins

      The Tooth Harper Collins

      Whale Pot Bay Harper Collins

      The Last Tuatara Scholastic

      Cry of the Taniwha Harper Collins

      The Crocodile Nest Harper Collins

      The Peco Incident Harper Collins

      Cody’s Unexpected Catch Harper Collins

      Steel Pelicans Harper Collins

      Crown Park Oceanbooks

      Phantom of Terawhiti Harper Collins

      Project Huia Scholastic

      Cool Nukes Scholastic

      Nonfiction

      The Naughty Kid’s Book of Nature

      Illustrated by Scott Tulloch Harper Collins

      Physics 2000 Longman Paul

      Beyond 2000 Longman Paul

      SKINK GULLY

      Des Hunt

      First published 2015 by Torea Press

      107 Miro Place, RD2 Whitianga 3592, New Zealand

      © Des Hunt 2015

      ISBN 978-0-9941226-0-5

      Des Hunt asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work under the terms of Section 96 of the Copyright Act of 1994 (New Zealand.) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher.

      Editor: Kate Stone

      Contents

      About Des Hunt

      Other Books by Des Hunt

      1 Shots in the Night

      2 Bodies

      3 Skink Gully

      4 The Great Skink Hunt

      5 Bones

      6 Fears

      7 Fire

      8 Accused

      9 Alarm

      10 Chase

      11 Epilogue

      1 Shots in the Night

      Hey, look at that! said Mark, slowing the car. Oystercatchers.

      Where, Dad? asked Dylan from the back seat.

      On that pile of schist up front.

      Nimish, who was sitting next to Dylan, looked shocked. "Pile of what, Mr Hall?"

      "Schist, Nimish. It’s a type of rock. Pretty much all the rocks around here are schist."

      Dylan, giggled, nudging his friend. Nimish grinned back.

      By then the car had slowed so that they could study the birds.

      They won’t find too many oysters around here, said Mark. This part of Central Otago is about as far from the sea as you can get in New Zealand.

      Then what do they eat? asked Nimish.

      Worms, grass grubs, caterpillars, snails … I suppose skinks, if they can catch them. They come here in the summer to breed.

      Dylan looked at the dried weeds and grasses surrounding the rocks. Is it always this dry?

      Not always this bad, said Mark. It’s been a very dry summer here in the Maniototo. Even those irrigation schemes we saw earlier are running short of water.

      A few minutes before, they had travelled across plains dotted with cows grazing on fields kept green by huge irrigation rigs. Places where the rigs couldn’t reach were brown, and even some of the irrigated paddocks were showing patches of yellow. Now that they were off the plains and into rolling hills, almost everything was a shade of brown.

      Shortly afterwards, Mark turned the car onto a gravel side road. The change in noise stirred the fourth occupant of the car — Zeb, the Halls’ spaniel, who was curled up on the front passenger seat. He looked across to Mark, questioning.

      Yes, Zeb, we’re almost there.

      Zeb had slept most of the way from Wellington, waking only when they took comfort or food stops. The dog had sniffed and tagged towns all the way down the South Island. Now he pushed his head out the side window, sampling the local smells.

      Kilometre by kilometre, the road got narrower until it was just two wheel-tracks with plants struggling to survive down the middle.

      Then they came to a gate with a sign:

      TRACK NOT SUITABLE

      FOR CARS

      DO NOT USE

      IN WINTER

      Nimish volunteered to open the gate.

      Dylan studied the rocky landscape. Is this the start of the farm?

      Stonefields Station? No, it’s been alongside us since the dirt road began.

      Can anyone drive through it?

      It’s a public road, although not too many vehicles come this way. Um, Dylan you’d better go and help Nimish with the gate.

      Dylan looked over at his friend struggling with the catch. Nah, he’ll work it out.

      Finally, Nimish had the latch undone, but now he had another problem. A group of young steers had moved out from behind the rocks to see what was going on. They advanced on Nimish, daring each other to get closer. The boy opened the gate, making sure it was always between him and the beasts.

      As Mark drove through, the steers retreated a little, only to advance again when the car stopped. They were so close that Nimish would have to pass right by them to shut the gate.

      Zeb had seen them and was almost climbing out the window, his eyes bright with excitement.

      Nimish was frozen.

      Just wave your arms, Dylan called out. "They’ll go

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1