The thrill of the chase : celebrating hunting with harrier hounds in New Zealand / Sarah Milne ; photography Rob Tucker.

Horses, hounds, risk-taking, adrenaline, the great outdoors and camaraderie are all part of the thrill of hunting. Equestrian journalist and hunting enthusiast Sarah Milne and award-winning photographer Rob Tucker, combine their talents to capture the essence of this dynamic sport in New Zealand. Separate chapters outline the roles of key participants in a hunt, including the master, huntsman and whipper-in. Other chapters provide an insight into breeding, assessing and preparing hounds for hunting. Several of New Zealand's most recognised hunting identities are profiled and give their personal insights into the unique qualities of hunting in this country. Hunting remains an integral part of rural sporting and social life with 28 hunt clubs in the country and more than four and a half thousand members. During the hunting season which starts late March or early April and runs through to the beginning of August, keen riders often travel to share a day's hunting with other clubs and over different terrain. In the diverse New Zealand landscape, this can involve the challenge of negotiating large fences (often wire), riding through streams or on the beach, around bogs or swamps and areas of bush.