Author Sandra Coney

On the Radar tells the story of Piha’s World War 2 radar station, where the new high-tech weaponry of radar scanned the skies for signs of invading Japanese and the seas for submarines. One of a coastal network, reporting to the secret nerve centre at the Epsom Filter Room, the Piha station was a key part of New Zealand’s home defence.

This is also a book about a place and the connections between its ancient past, its history and its present. The high hill on which the station sat was sacred to Maori, a place where supernatural feats were performed. In the 1940s, experiments were conducted here, now acclaimed as laying the foundations for the modern science of radio astronomy.

On the Radar will be a revelation for readers, containing much new material about strange happenings at New Zealand’s best known beach, along with over 170 previously unseen images.

Sandra Coney is a well-known writer with a deep love of the West Coast. She represents Waitakere on Auckland Council.

Published by Keyhole Press & Protect Piha Heritage

208 pages, over 170 historic and contemporary images, colour throughout, full reference and index

Paperback, section sewn

Cost $40 plus $5.50 packing and postage within NZ. Apply for postage overseas

Available at selected bookshops or use the form below to order

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Send a cheque to Keyhole Press, PO Box 106343 Auckland 1143