Books by The Long Family

A Life On Gorge River

Robert Long and his family – wife Catherine, and children Christan and Robin – live in complete isolation, in a hut two days’ walk south of Haast in South Westland, New Zealand.

Robert has lived there for nearly 30 years; Catherine for 20 and the kids all their lives. Their only contact with the outside world is a helicopter or plane once a month, and two trips a year to the ‘outside world’.

This is the story of how and why Robert – known locally as ‘Beansprout’ – came to live at Gorge River, and the family’s experiences there over the years, living self-sufficiently and forging close bonds with the natural environment. It is an inspiring tale of one man’s decision to ‘drop out’ of capitalist society and successfully establish a lifestyle most New Zealanders can’t even imagine, harking back to the days of the earliest pioneers.

A Wife On Gorge River

In 2010, New Zealand met its remotest family, through the writing of Robert Long — aka Beansprout — and we were intrigued. Now Beansprout’s wife, Catherine Stewart, tells her story, and answers many of our questions.

Why did she decide to join him on the wild West Coast, two days’ walk from the nearest road? Why and how did they raise their family there? Was it terrifying to be so far from medical help?

How did she home-school the children? How have they all fared now the kids are young adults, forging their own way in the world? And what lessons are there for the rest of us from her experiences raising her family in such splendid isolation? In this entertaining bestseller, and with dry humour and fascinating insights, Catherine paints a vivid picture of her life at Gorge River and beyond.

A Life On Gorge River

The story of how an extraordinary childhood shaped an extraordinary life.

On the West Coast of the South Island, past deep fiords and snow-capped mountains, Chris Long grew up two days’ hike from the nearest road. He was born into the country’s most isolated family, his parents committed to freedom from capitalist society and connection to the natural world.

In this inspiring memoir, Chris describes a childhood with nature on his doorstep – helping his father catch crayfish and his mother grow vegetables, playing with toys crafted from driftwood and jade, and learning to live in the wild – until, in his teenage years, he began to wonder: could he survive in the wider world?

The Boy from Gorge River is an enthralling account of chasing adventure while forever staying true to where you come from.