Great Hearts
First Ladies of Aoraki Mount Cook
$35.10
- Paperback
384 pages
- Release Date
10 September 2026
Summary
From the 1870s, a generation of bold women made mountaineering history around Aoraki Mount Cook. They claimed space in the mountains, defying conventions and forging a legacy that shaped every woman who followed. Then their stories were quietly erased.
Drawing on scattered records, oral histories and forgotten stories, Great Hearts resurrects their extraordinary achievements, blending nonfiction with reimagined fiction in a tribute to their resistance, courage and grit.
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781991309341 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1991309341 |
| Author: | Hazel Phillips |
| Publisher: | Massey University Press |
| Imprint: | Massey University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 384 |
| Release Date: | 10 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 500g |
| Dimensions: | 35mm x 148mm x 200mm |
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Critics Review
‘Hazel Phillips gives voice to the so-called “weaker sex”, the early women alpine explorers, who mostly remain nameless but were there, pushing limits.’ — ANNA KEELING, PRESIDENT, NEW ZEALAND MOUNTAIN GUIDES ASSOCIATION
‘Filled with courageous women who spring to life on the page, Great Hearts is an accessible and essential addition to outdoor literature.’ — NAOMI ARNOLD, AUTHOR OF 2026 OCKHAM NEW ZEALAND BOOK AWARDS FINALIST NORTHBOUND
‘The extraordinary endeavours of women battling prejudice, sexism, male ego and ill-suited clothing to win their place in New Zealand mountaineering history.’ — SIR GRAEME DINGLE KNZM MBE, MOUNTAINEER AND PHILANTHROPIST
‘Phillips gives 30 women who made their own trailblazing mark on the peaks of what’s now Aoraki Mount Cook National Park a long-overdue opportunity to take their place in the annals of history’ — Claire Williamson, NZ Listener
Hazel Phillips
Hazel Phillips is the author of five non-fiction books, including Fire & Ice: Secrets, Histories, Treasures and Mysteries of Tongariro National Park and Solo: Backcountry Adventuring in Aotearoa New Zealand.
She has a background in newspaper and magazine journalism, and her work has appeared in media outlets and literary journals across New Zealand and Australia.
Hazel was awarded the Friends of the Hocken Collections Award 2026 and a Ministry for Culture & Heritage Whiria Te Mahara New Zealand History Grant for her research on early women climbers. She has held writer residencies at the Michael King Writers Centre and the Robert Lord Writers Cottage, and in 2025 became the inaugural recipient of the Luna Foundation Writers Residency.
Hazel holds a Master of Creative Writing with first-class honours, as well as an MA in media studies. Her work also appears in the essay anthology Otherhood (Massey University Press, 2024) and the Atlas of Mountaineering (Phaidon Press, forthcoming).
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