Heart of the Tapu Stone

"Laurel is bought up in a world of privilege, in Wellington by her New Zealand European father, Colin. She is then forced to spend a summer in the sticks, with Doctor Ana Kingi, her mother who abandoned her as a baby. As Laurel is drawn into the fabric of the small town she meets Romeo, a boy taken off the streets of South Auckland by his Uncle, Robert McGregor, who is Ana's childhood friend. Laurel also comes up against Mauki, a tough misunderstood local girl carrying a burden almost impossible to bear. Together, Laurel and Ana discover how alike they really are. They unravel the past that kept them apart, and they uncover a seething pool of secrets, some, with the power to tear families apart. Heart of the Tapu Stone is a story about connections, not just blood and family. A classic 'fish out of water' tale, where city, country, Maori and pakeha all meet"--Publisher information.