This book focuses on the history of Whites Bay over the past 150 years. Significant events during this time were the establishment of the cable station to enable the operation of the first Cook Strait telegraph cable, and construction of a road that gave public access to the bay. In addition to official records and newspaper reports, the author has used personal accounts to illustrate the conditions and experiences of those closely associated with Whites Bay. Pre-European history is mentioned relatively briefly, but the appendices include an article by historian Dr Peter Meihana, reprinted from the Marlborough Express, with extra information on aspects of the Maori history of the bay.