SPOILERS!!!
I enjoyed the novel even though some parts were too sugary or far-fetched. What I do not like is that fact that the English-speaking characters are of British origin. Yet, the tranlation uses American words and expressions.
In the last part of the novel Karl decides to go and find Ida. Before doing that, he buys a flock of sheep when the original buyer does not turn up. Then in a pub that he goes, he discovers Ottfried and his partner, Joe. He is witness of some angry men who demand to have their money back as the land they bought from them is in the holy soil of the Maori. There is even a lawyer, demanding reparation. Joe says that he will go to Nelson to get the money.
Karl turns up where Ida and Cat live, and he tells them about what happened in the pub. When Ottfried appears, he is angry and says that Joe has simply abandoned him. Then Karl tells them about his plan to take his sheep to Chris Fenroy's farm, and he says that they will come with them and they can all be partners.
They travel there and settle with the Finroys. The activity now is sheep breading, which gives them good profit. Ottfried wants to have his own flock, and he leaves for Nelson and returns with a good flock.
It is obvious that Chris and Cat are drawn to each other, and when their attraction can't be ignored, they get together and declare their love. Cat then decides that she needs to leave because her presence will create problems. So she finally goes to live with the Maori.
Karl is also crazy about Ida, and even though she tries to keep away from him, they eventually can't keep apart, and they meet in secret. Karl wants them to leave, but Ida refuses, especially when she gets pregnant.
Another love match that suprises us is when Jane falls for the chieftain, and he goes to find Chris to tell him that Jane wants a divorce, which is possible in the Mori culture after a ceremony, and in exchange Chris will own the land. Chris does not love Jane, but he keeps saying that in his culture a divorce is not possible. In the end, he can't refuse because this is what Jane wants.
Ottfried decides to sell his sheep to the Maori, and we understand that he actually stole these sheep from the Redwoods. When the men come, trying to find their sheep, he decides to direct guilt to the Maori. So he tells the Redwood brothers and they bring the sheriff. What he intends is to start a shootout. The Maori girl who looks after the sheep run to Cat and Ida, who decide to go and see. They witness how Jane is about to explain the reality to the sheriff and Ottfried is about to shoot. Cat cries Jane's name, but it is Ida who shoots and kills Ottfried. Ida had been hunting for that day's dinner.
Ida is totally devastated to learn what she has done and even takes to the bed. Cat, Karl and Chris talk, and Cat realises that this is something that happened when her adopted mother died, and she thinks he was the one who shot. Karl says that he knows Ottfried had changed from the man he used to know, and he thinks that the incident in the Maori tribe must have eaten him with guilt. He also thinks that he was too young then to have planned that, and he is almost sure that it was his father and Ida's father who must have talked him into shooting his gun that day.
There is a scene when Ida is burning with fever, and the Maori women tell Karl to use something to infiltrate her spirit. So what he does is to read the book that she gave him when they were children in Germany, and he even talks to her about the stars, and he carries her outside. The next day Ida is better, and she knows that she did the right thing to save Jane, but she feels terrible for Ottfried, especially thinking how guilt must have driven him to drink and act against her.
At the end of the book Karl and Ida will marry after a time of mourning. The child Ida is expecting could be Ottfried's as well as his, but he knows that he will consider the baby his in any case. Cat tells Chris that she can't marry him anyway because he and Jane are still married legally, but she will return to the station, which they will call Rata station from now on. They will be neighbours but very close neighbours.
I have enjoyed the book, and now I am going to read the second part.
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