Philip Temple is a prolific, award-winning and honoured New Zealand author of novels, a wide variety of non-fiction works and children's books. Born in Yorkshire, UK, he emigrated to New Zealand at age 18 and soon gained a reputation as an exploratory mountaineer. Apart from new climbs in the Southern Alps, he made the first ascent of one of the Seven Summits - the Carstensz Pyramid - with Austrian Eigerwand pioneer Heinrich Harrer in 1962. He later sailed to Heard Island in the sub-Antarctic with the legendary Bill Tilman and took part in the first ascent of its volcano, Big Ben. He led the first winter trek to the Everest region with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
After a spell as an instructor at the New Zealand Outward Bound School, Philip became a full-time author. His anthropomorphic novels, employing Southern Alps kea mountain parrots as characters, are unique in New Zealand literature. His biography of the Wakefield family, the 19th century pioneers of British settlement in New Zealand, earned many awards. Among other honours, Philip Temple has received a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement and has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his services to literature.
More information about Philip can be found on his website www.philiptemple.com
