Based on the true story of Toroa, the 500th albatross chick to hatch at the breeding colony on Taiaroa Head near Dunedin, this story follows his life as he grows from chick to adult and begins roving out across the vast Pacific Ocean. Will fishing lines snag him? Can he avoid an erupting volcano? Does a plastic island pose a threat and will he make it back to Dunedin years later to start his own family? Toroa's Journey is an inspiring and insightful story for budding environmentalists to read together or alone.
Maria Gill has a teaching and journalism background, but now writes full time from a seaside village north of Auckland. Gill's book Anzac Heroes won the 2016 New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults Non-fiction Award, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and was a Storylines Notable Book. She has written 62 books for children and teachers, many of which have an environmental theme. Her book The Call of the Kokako was shortlisted for two awards and was also a Storylines Notable Book. Gill's interest in native birds and caring for the environment comes from travelling the outback of Australia with her family, and living near the sea.