This biography is a captivating account of the life of the Nga Puhi warrior chief Hone Heke. It is set against a background of political turmoil and ethnic tension, and at almost every turn, the reader will be surprised at the remarkable events and circumstances that engulfed New Zealand in the mid 1840s. Most New Zealanders know little of Heke except that he was the man who chopped down the flagpole. Now, Moon's research has revealed far more about this warrior who at one stage seemed to hold the future of the colony in his hand. Moon has portrayed Heke in an honest light and has combined his qualities, strengths, weaknesses and vanities in such a way that he breathes life on every page.