Listen: John Summers, Green Sea

30 August 2026 First published RNZ

John Summers’ worst nightmare is getting lost in the bush so, he’s written about it. 

In this latest book Green Sea: Lost in the New Zealand Bush, John talks to those who have survived – from a man who was found near death after 29 days in Kahurangi National Park to a woman who covered herself with earth to stay warm in the Orongorongo Valley. He explores what ‘lost’ really means, a metaphor for everything from addiction to a midlife crisis. 

John is the author of The Commercial Hotel and The Mermaid Boy. He was the winner of the 2022 Janet Frame Literary Trust Award for Imaginative Prose. 

Green Sea is being launched this week at  WORD Christchurch.

John Summers talked with Jim Mora on RNZ's Sunday Morning.