A Canoe in the Mist, the story of two girls experiences during the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera, was released by Jonathan Cape in 1984, with illustrations by John Shelley. Lillian lives with her widowed mother in the village of Te Wairoa, a popular destination for visitors seeking the famous volcanic sights of Lake Rotomahana. Lillian befriends Mattie, the daughter of English tourists, and together they see the famous Pink and White Terraces, but ominous signs have been seen – a tidal wave on the usually calm lake, and there are reports of a waka wairua ghostly canoe seen through the mist. The maori sage Thuhoto predicts disaster. That night the volcano suddenly erupts, and the girls are thrown into in a desperate struggle for survival as all around is destroyed. Re-published in 2005 in the Collins Modern Classics series, the National Library of New Zealand has described the book as a "kiwi classic."
