The work of Mike Austin began, perhaps, on the Waitematā Harbour. In the late 1950s, Austin substituted boat building for the University of Auckland School of Architecture. Throughout his academic career spanning 1969–2016, Austin’s research and teaching remained intimately connected to the Pacific Ocean.

This edited volume brings together contributions from Mike Austin’s former students and colleagues, Rau Hoskins, Albert L. Refiti, Sarah Treadwell, Lynda Simmons, and Icao Tiseli, with photographs from his archive gathered in the Oceanic region. The authors and photographs trace the roots and routes that tethered and extended Austin’s work, opening new pathways that would influence contemporary Māori and Moana architectural discourse.