17 Mar 2023

Capturing the Native Beauty of Great Mercury Island/Ahuahu

Overcast skies gave way to sunshine as Heritage Adventurer sailed north toward the Mercury Islands. After completing extensive  biosecurity checks to ensure the continued protection of these precious islands, we enjoyed a sobering presentation on the latest situation regarding plastics in the ocean followed by a special guest workshop with artist Cora-Allan.

After lunch Theo, a conservation officer from Great Mercury Island/Ahuahu, came on board to deliver a short presentation about the area's history of introduced predators and the herculean efforts taken to remove them from the island. What a feat!

We then boarded our Zodiacs to cruise and wander on the private Great Mercury Island. The area was beautiful; with white sand beaches, lush vegetation and a symphony of bird calls. Cora-Allan's expertise in creating cyanotype prints using natural materials gave us a unique appreciation for the native beauty of the land. The warm water lured many in for a swim and a good time was had by all.

After drying up on board we had an entertaining recap of our adventures and a fabulous dinner to wind up the day.

Image (c): F. Wardle