Leap of Faith, Jenny Pattrick's latest historical novel

Historical novelist Jenny Pattrick is fascinated by the workers - often men - who built New Zealand. Her earlier novels described the lives of the Denniston Miners.

Her latest book Leap of Faith explores what it took to build the massive viaducts on the Main Trunk Line - in particular the viaduct in Makatote, an area she knows well.

Jenny talks to Lynn Freeman about the engineering and physical feats, the leadership, ingenuity and the sheer determination it took to build the viaduct.