Anna Yeoman was studying science communication through Otago University, while living in Alexandra, and needed an internship with a scientist for one of her papers.
Her husband Ollie introduced her to Manaaki Whenua Landcare research wildlife ecologist and Central Otago Ecological trust chairman Grant Norbury. Dr Norbury needed material written for the Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary website.
The Sanctuary is on the hills near Alexandra. About 15 years ago the Central Otago Ecological Trust was formed with the vision of bringing back critically endangered lizard species.
During Yeoman’s internship, the Department of Conservation were doing their annual skink survey and offered her a place in the team.
"I said ‘I don’t know a thing about spotting lizards, I won’t be any good’ and they said you’ll learn, come along, so I tagged along.
"They give you a camera with a big, beautiful zoom lens, a 300mm zoom lens, and you’re wandering around these schist outcrops, a beautiful sunny morning and just looking for these skinks."
It was love at first sight when she spotted her first one.
"From the moment I saw my first grand skink and I was just looking at it through the camera lens and the fact I’d found it there and I could really ... see it up close, see this really gorgeous dark eye looking back at you and it was just stunning . . . I was hooked straight away."
As her spotting skills developed she could more easily see a wider range in the environment.
Following that the trust supported Yeoman to go the World Congress of Herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians, which was in Dunedin that year.
"I just heard these stories, these presentations about New Zealand’s lizards and I was like this is remarkable . . . there’s four new lizard species discovered in Otiaki close to us in the recent five years and I was like ‘really, we’re still finding new species?’."
Inspired by what she heard, that was the moment she decided to write about lizards.
A few months, and several articles later, she decided there needed to be a book.
Searching bookshops, she found a good, but small, lizard guide book and many beautiful, in-depth books about birds.
Initially thinking it was too early in her career, after asking around and finding no-one else was doing it Yeoman decided she would write the book needed to push for conservation of the species.
With three small children, one a baby at the time, she wrote at night and then during the day as the children grew older.
The result is a glorious book with outstanding photographs taken by photographers from all around New Zealand.
"I’m just so thankful to the photographers. You don’t make enough as an author to be throwing much money around for photographs and they were just fantastic."
The book, published by Potton & Burton will be officially launched on Saturday by Green Party spokeswoman Lan Pham, who is Yeoman’s sister-in-law.
- The official launch of Geckos and Skinks will be at Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery, in Alexandra, on Saturday at 5pm. Everyone is welcome but please RSVP by tomorrow if you wish to attend.
