28 Jun 2022

Shipwrecked: the enduring mystery of the General Grant

From Nine To Noon, 11:30 am on 28 June 2022
Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant – Cristina Sanders

Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant – Cristina Sanders Photo: Supplied

It's a story involving shipwreck, treasure, castaways, heroism and survival.

The shipwreck of the General Grant is one of the most enduring mysteries of New Zealand's nautical history.

Cristina Sanders is an award-winning author and historian and has reimagined the events of 1866 in her new novel Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant.

The ship was London-bound and laden with gold from the mines when it was wrecked on the Auckland Islands. Expertly researched, Cristina Sanders dramatises what happened to the 15 survivors who lived as castaways for 18 months on a bleak and stormy sub-Antarctic island.

Kathryn speaks to Cristina Sanders about the enduring mystery of what happened to the gold and the possible whereabouts of the ship.

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