I cannot think of any reason why anyone would have wanted to settle in the Auckland Islands, but a few attempts were made in the north at Enderby Island. They all failed! The attempt to start up a whaling station by a 19th century dodgy entrepreneur was foiled by poor soil conditions, and more importantly, by the relentless blustery weather!
The Auckland Islands are the dissected remains of two volcanoes. Enderby Island is the most northern part of the group, and the only place where you can land. There is evidence of the pyroclastic sediments, pillow basalts and extensive basalt lava flows. The southern cliffs are stunning columnar basalt, and were the site of numerous shipwrecks in the 19th century, probably because the islands had been plotted on the maritime charts some 35 miles away from their actual position!
The landing site at Sandy Bay is the site of a large colony of very aggressive Hooker’s Sea Lions, currently the most endangered of the 5 species of sea lion in the world. There is a brilliant boardwalk which runs right across the island, where you can see the amazing and unusual plants that are endemic to the islands. Of course, the day when we go it is raining, and the gusts of wind so strong that they were blowing the little people among us off the path! Not a great idea when the path runs by the cliffs!
Also seen on our visit – the solitary yellow-eyed penguin, wandering albatross, southern royal albatross, red-crowned parakeet, New Zealand pipit, Auckland Island shag, brown teal, tomtit, skua, giant northern petrel, black-backed gull, red-billed gull, bellbird and tui.
I am becoming a bird nerd!
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