Photo: Supplied
Ruth Shaw has lived life on the high seas, worked with sex-workers in Sydney's infamous King's Cross, and spent decades fighting for the environment.
She and her husband Lance spent 16 years operating the Breaksea Girl in Fiordland, helping raise awareness of the conservation happening on the country's first pest-free islands.
The pair has since retired, and live in Manapōuri, where Ruth has opened two tiny bookshops - one for adults, the smaller, for children.
