Author:
Paul W. Feenstra is a historical fiction novelist. Meticulously researched and detailed, his character driven novels create a dramatic window into our chronicled and complex past. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1959, to Dutch immigrants, Paul still commutes to Los Angeles, California, where he worked as a multiple ‘Emmy’ nominated entertainment industry professional.

Will justice prevail over greed and ruthless ambition?

July 1839, without the permission of the English Government, the New Zealand Company ship, Tory, quietly departed England, anxious to reach New Zealand with the utmost speed. Expedition leader, Colonel William Wakefield’s objective is clear –  acquire millions of acres of valuable land from the natives at the lowest possible price.

On board the Tory, Andrew and Eleanor Stewart, young Scottish emigrants indentured to the New Zealand Company, are excited at the prospect of beginning a new life in a perfect town called Britannia. It’s the Utopia the company promised. 

Boundary highlights adversity as settlers struggle to survive the hardships of a new colony. Where mounting claims of illegally obtained lands and deception force local Maori chiefs to resist. How much more can they endure before they finally take action and revolt? 

Caught between the loyalty to their employer, and helping Maori, Andrew and Eleanor encounter schemers and murderers as they challenge the powerful New Zealand Company and the men who govern. Meticulously researched, Boundary is a story of greed and injustice, and draws attention to an often-misunderstood dark passage in New Zealand’s early colonial history.

Boundary

Robert Park, one of many surveyors for the New Zealand Company, stood straight, and stretched his back, easing his cramped muscles. He repositioned his hat and placed his hands on his hips looking out across the land before him. Much of this area had been cultivated and was growing vegetables, mostly potatoes and a variety of other produce Māori sold to settlers. He wasn't happy seeing his men damaging plants by walking through the crops, or seeing the chain indiscriminately ripping through vegetables as it was straightened and pulled tight. He'd repeatedly demanded that the chainmen be respectful and avoid damage. He shook his head in quiet sympathy. Some surveyors didn't care and showed little or no respect for Māori buildings or crops and just pretended they didn't exist. 


Chapter 22