Skip to main content
Bee
Otari

Bee Dawson

New Zealand Author &
Social Historian

A one-time Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) psychologist, Bee turned to writing in her early 40s. Taking advantage of a family trip to Borneo and inspired by a love of plants, Bee led her husband and two young children on an adventure through the jungle to find the world’s largest single flower. Her article and images of the enormous, extremely rare and foul smelling Rafflesia led to her first story for New Zealand Gardener and launched her career. Bee jumped from magazine columnist to author a few articles later when she was commissioned by Penguin to write her first book, Lady Painters, the Flower Painters of Early New Zealand. The book grew out of her article on intrepid English painter Marianne North (1830-1890), who roamed the globe in search of interesting new plants to record on canvas.

About Bee

Bee’s Books

A selection of Bee’s books.