Brings to life the three best-remembered passenger liners that linked Australia and New Zealand in the golden era of sea travel, WANGANELLA, AWATEA and MONOWAI. It recalls sunlit promenade decks, cocktails in the first class lounge, invitations to the captain's table, tennis on the sports deck, dining saloons with haute cuisine, cruising the Fiordland sounds, streamers and the cry of All ashore!' on sailing day. The story of these three ships through the exigencies of war and the uncertainties of peace is told with the help of a wealth of photographs, many never before published, sourced from major collections in New Zealand and around the world.