Brian Cross
My working career has involved a lot of business writing, in both public and private organisation settings. Suite101 provides the opportunity to write about my general interests as well.
Meaningful comment about what goes on in the world means first getting out, doing things and going places. For me an attraction of travel is the opportunity to study the history and geographical features of my destinations, and reflect on the cultures and attitudes of the people who live there.
As a resident of the South Pacific and student of its colourful history, I value my role as Suite101's South Pacific History Topic Editor. The learning process of research is a positive experience in itself, as is the creativity involved in producing a new work on a favourite subject.
My best qualifications for this pursuit are an enquiring mind, objectivity and an appreciation that it is a multitude of differences that make up the world. I have a degree from Victoria University of Wellington with majors in International Relations and Asian Studies.
Latest Articles
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French Settlement in New Zealand and What Might Have Been
Whaling interests were behind efforts to establish the South Island as a French colony. France was too slow to beat the British, but the race was close.
Feb 2, 2012
- Brian Cross
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Pitcairn Island, a Haven in the South Pacific
Pitcairn Island is an isolated and remote place in the South Pacific. In 1789 it was also uninhabited. That made it an ideal home for the Bounty mutineers.
Jan 17, 2012
- Brian Cross
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Staying in Levanto to Visit Cinque Terre
Whatever the circumstances, the pleasant town of Levanto is well situated to serve as a base for visiting Cinque Terre National Park.
Jan 10, 2012
- Brian Cross
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Roald Amundsen: First to Reach the South Pole
Roald Amundsen's better equipped Norwegian team outdid the British expedition led by Robert Scott, and so were first to the southernmost point on Earth.
Dec 26, 2011
- Brian Cross
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One Man's War on the Western Front, 1917
When Britain called, Private Albert Cross answered, to join the thousands of young New Zealand men who went to war on the other side of the world.
Nov 21, 2011
- Brian Cross
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From Scotland to New Zealand: The Early Auckland Settlers
For many working class families of 1840's Scotland, resettlement in New Zealand offered the promise of a better way of life.
Nov 6, 2011
- Brian Cross
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Guy Menzies and the First Trans-Tasman Solo Flight
Daredevil Australian flyer Guy Menzies made the first solo flight across the Tasman Sea, ending his journey upside down in a West Coast swamp.
Oct 28, 2011
- Brian Cross
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Frank Hurley and his Photographs of Antarctica
The groundbreaking polar photography of Australian Frank Hurley is celebrated a century on from his first visit to Antarctica with the Mawson expedition.
Oct 21, 2011
- Brian Cross
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Land Disputes Bring Conflict to Boulcott's Farm in Lower Hutt
With the NZ Company selling land that many Maori still considered theirs, eventually there would be violent conflict in the Wellington region.
Sep 27, 2011
- Brian Cross
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Exploring The Ross Dependency: New Zealand Antarctic Territory
In the media, the Trans-Antarctic Expedition became a 'race to the pole', a distraction from the venture's scientific achievements in the Ross Dependency.
Sep 5, 2011
- Brian Cross
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