Oliver walked slowly toward his home, a kilometre or so from school. It was Friday afternoon and he was looking forward to the weekend, because it was a long one, as Monday was a public holiday.

His mother Jacki was a writer, and Ben, his father, a photographer. They were often away working on weekends, and when that happened, he usually stayed with his Gran.

As he walked in the door, his mother called out, “Oliver, come into the sitting room please, we want to talk to you.”

This book tells the story of Oliver who gets to visit Stephens Island Lighthouse, in the often stormy Cook Strait, where he encounters some rare and unusual animals, learns about the sad fate of a unique bird without wings, meets the last lighthouse keepers and has his first-ever ride in a helicopter.

This book is dedicated to Len Akers and Jill Barton the last keepers of the lighthouse on Stephens Island.