"They were three young men. Brothers. All arriving in New Zealand to start new lives. Joshua came first, worked with John Robert Godley and then set up his own law practice, later to become a magistrate and a mayor. David came on one of the first four ships into Canterbury and became a surveyor and map maker in Whanganui and Wellington. While in Whanganui, he also acted for Sir Donald McLean in buying land for the Crown. Alfred, the youngest brother arrived shortly after the other two and established what was to become Castle Hill station. He was the first European to discover what would be called Porters Pass. Drawing on contemporary accounts, along with diaries, memoirs and family letters, John Ewan has traced the careers of the three brothers, the women they married and the challenges they faced. Their contributions to early New Zealand were unique but at the same time were typical of the many new arrivals in a new land. The author is a great grandson of David Porter"--Back cover.