1574: Kermadec Islands: Land of Dreams 26 Mar 2015
Voyage #1574
Kermadec Islands: Land of Dreams
Kermadec Islands: Land of Dreams
Date: 26 March – 5th April 2015
Expedition staff/crew
Ship: Professor Khromov/Spirit of Enderby
Expedition Leader: Aaron Russ
Captain: Dmitry Zinchenko
Cruise Director: Jessie Prebble
Chief mate: Aleksei Zinchenko
2nd mate: Sergei Ostapenko
3rd mate: Valentin Drozdov
Radio Officer: Aleksander Goncharuk
Chief Engineer: Alexander Gridnev
Chief Electric Engineer: Valerii Raubo
Chief Stewardess: Natalia Bogdanova
Chefs: Cath Stone-Thorpe and Linzy Thorpe
Guides/Lecturers: Alex Fergus, Chris Collins, Julia Stace and Mike Holland
Medical Advisor: Dr Alejandro Levin
Some time after this voyage an item was shown on New Zealand television news which features several of the DOC staff we met during our visit. You can view this item at:
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/s-lonely-job-doc-seek-volunteers-work-raoul-island-video-6279324
Day 1 – 26th March 2015
Convergence on Tauranga and our departure
(Alex Fergus)
Position at 1800: 37 24 S 176 19 E
From all over New Zealand, Australia and various other points of the planet, our expedition’s contingent assembled early on a blazingly warm afternoon in Tauranga. Bags labelled, bus boarded, we made our way onto the wharves of the Port of Tauranga and up the gangway to our cabins on the Professor Khromov, an ex-Russian research vessel known to us as the Spirit of Enderby, and our home for the next 11 days. Bright sunshine subsided into clag and drizzle as the ship was prepared for a 1600 departure. Rounding Mount Maunganui and beyond the limits of the Port, the pilot was smoothly collected from our port side and we were away on a NNE bearing towards the Kermadec Islands. At 1700 we were summoned for the first time down towards the bowels of the ship, to the Lecture Room on the 200 level. Here Aaron our Expedition Leader introduced the ship, the expedition team, and the theoretical component of an emergency drill at sea. Shortly afterwards, seven short and one long blasts (repeated thrice) of the ship’s horn, indicated it was time to put theory into practice, as we made our way to our respective life rafts on the 500 level. The bar opened in recognition of our body-cramming efforts and we began to get to know our fellow passengers. Prior to dinner dozens of Dusky Dolphins could be seen around the ship as we passed to the west of Mayor Island and continued northwards. We sat down for the first time to Cath and Linzy’s cooking, the most consummate of couples setting the bar high for the days to come.
Chris’s bird of the day: Buller’s Shearwater
Farewelling ‘The Mount’. Mount Maunganui off the bow of the Professor Khromov.
Day 2 – 27th March 2015 – At sea
(Alex Fergus)
Position at 0600: 35 44 S 177 41 E
Position at 1800: 34 03 S 179 02 E
Following breakfast, most of our contingent assembled in the Lecture Room for a viewing of the documentary ‘Up with the Birds’, a Wild South production dedicated to the story of the recovery of Macauley Island after the removal of introduced goats. Scattered liberally with eighties colloquialisms and charm, the documentary targeted a day in the life of the island, as different bird species awoke, fed, survived the heat of the day and retired. The island’s environmental history was touched upon, the burning of the island 200 years ago, followed by the goat introduction, effectively removing almost all woody vegetation from the island. The ‘Great Goat Shoot’ ended the reign of hooves in the 1970s and while the bird life has responded accordingly, the vegetation, while still undergoing change, is many decades away from once again having a closed forest canopy. (Although, encouragingly, a few weeks later a discussion with a colleague – who had landed on Macauley some 15 months earlier – revealed that the island’s woody species, Homolanthus polyandros, the Kermadec Poplar, and Myoporum rapense subsp. kermadecense, the Kermadec Ngaio, are both recovering in good numbers on the island).
Chris took up the microphone just before lunch and gave us an overview of the seabirds we were likely, or might possibly see, between Tauranga and the Kermadec Islands. Chris demonstrated through slides the characteristic traits of the various Pterodroma and Procellaria Petrels before moving onto the Shearwaters and Albatross species. From here he worked through the Giant Petrels, Storm Petrels and Diving Petrels before describing some of the more exciting tropical additions to New Zealand’s avian fauna found in this region of the sub-tropics: the Tropic Birds, Boobys and Noddies. Chris ended his description of seabirds of the region with the terns and ternlets.
Just before lunch a large mixed pod of 40-50 Striped Dolphins was seen porpoising both sides of the bow. A delicious lunch, Cath and Lindsay’s modus operandi, set us in good stead for Julia’s introduction to a societal perspective of the Kermadec Islands, with her presentation entitled ‘Raoul: An Island of Visitors’. From Polynesian discovery and species introductions, Julia moved onto European arrival and discovery of the remaining islands south of Raoul. The early period of attempted colonisation was explored, as was the 36 years of Thomas Bell and his families taming of Raoul. Following the annexation of the Kermadecs by New Zealand, other hopeful colonizers failed in their attempts, before scientists and meteorological staff began arriving at the island. Alf Bacon and his orange grove plans gave way to the coastwatchers, then the Metservice and finally the Department of Conservation. Julia went on to explain the origin of many of the buildings and physical changes on Raoul.
We joined together once more in the Lecture Room in the late afternoon for part one of ‘Life in an Ocean of Islands’ a BBC documentary dedicated to the South Pacific: ‘Wild Pacific: an Ocean of Extraordinary Discoveries’. From Macquarie, to the Galapagos, to Hawaii to Easter Island, we gained a grasp of the variation in animal life and the impact of both the ocean, and of mankind upon it. The closing exemplar, the collapse of Easter Island society, necessitating a visit to the bar, in order to postpone consideration of the seriousness of our responsibility in each of our own places in the Pacific.
Chris’s bird of the day: Black Petrel
Chris regaling us with the characteristic traits of the Tasman Booby.
Day 3 – 28th March 2015 – L’Esperance Rock and Curtis/Cheeseman Islands
(Julia Stace)
Position at 0600: 32 10 S 179 28 E
Position at 1800: 30 23 S 178 29 E
After a delicious breakfast we sighted Esperence Rock c.10 am.
We cruised past, the sunlight clearly revealing the volcanic structure of the rock. We speculated on where the helicopter refuelling depot might have been and noted how little space there was to land a helicopter. The refuelling depot disappeared in Cyclone Bune in 2011.
We were entertained by a lecture from Alex on the Pacific Ring of Fire, of which the Kermadecs form a part, and also watched part 2 of Oceans Blue, a DVD which covered ‘castaways’, how plants and animals arrive can on remote islands.
We sailed on in beautiful weather and soon Cheeseman and Curtis Islands came into view up ahead. Both islands were named in 1788 by Capt. Severn after people connected with his sailing ship, the Lady Pinyin. They were the first to sight any of the Kermadecs. The Lady Penrhyn was homeward bound on her maiden voyage after taking 101 female convicts to Australia.
These islands got their names from the Curtis family, back in England, who were part owners of the vessel and Cheeseman, an Alderman in London, who had chartered the ship for the return voyage.
In excellent conditions we were able to cruise back and forth quite close in, getting such a good view high up on the Spirit of Enderby that there was no need to launch the Zodiacs. There were many seabirds flying around the islands. Steam was rising from the crater of Curtis Is indicating active fumaroles. Many people were able to photograph Macauley Island 60 km further north, through the Stella Passage, framed by Curtis & Cheeseman Islands. This passage between Curtis and Cheeseman Is is named after SS Stella, a New Zealand government vessel which brought the official New Zealand annexation team to the Kermadecs in 1887.
There was a light breeze; enough for Malcolm fly his vibrant orange and purple kite from the monkey deck. He carefully controlled it amongst the various aerials, antenna and other nautical structures. We had the best view of Cheeseman and Curtis Islands on this trip since the Heritage Expeditions has been visiting the Kermadecs. As darkness fell we passed Macauley Island, so we knew we would wake at anchor off Raoul Island.
After dinner Chris and the ‘birders’ reviewed all the seabirds seen throughout the day.
(Alex Fergus)
In other news, a telegraph from the mainland brought the news of Winston Peters’ victory, with a majority of 4,000 votes in the Northland by-election (non-New Zealanders, please ignore this regional political titbit of news from Aotearoa!)
Chris’s birds of the day:
- White-Bellied Storm-Petrel
- Tasman Booby
L’Esperance Rock.
Red-Tailed Tropic Bird at Curtis and Cheeseman Islands.
Cheeseman Island.
Curtis Island.
A quietly volcanically active Curtis Island.
Day 4 – 29th March 2015 – We meet Raoul Island
(Alex Fergus)
Position at 0600 and 1800: 29 14 S 177 54 E
Before 0600 we were anchored off of Fishing Rock, off the arc of the north-west side of Raoul Island. To our east, in a north to south line, we could see Nugent, Napier, North Meyer and South Meyer Island’s, first as silhouettes in the dawn light but soon bright under early morning sun. The ship was awoken earlier than the previous days, and soon after breakfast, we were packing lunches for the day, and had on board four Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers, our informal guides for the four days to come, and our biosecurity inspectors as we lined up to board the Zodiacs. In what was, according to our DOC rangers, Aaron and Julia, one of the calmest landings ever seen at Fishing Rock, we all gratefully clawed our way (dry) up onto the rock platform and back onto the pumice strewn beach before plodding up the steps that took us to near on par with the crater rim. With our DOC rangers at the lead, we began to get to know the island.
Most of us took our time on the 3km roadway that meanders along the edge of the crater rim towards the hostel. Beginning under an arched canopy of Kermadec Pohutakawa (Metrosideros kermadecensis) we made our way to the lookout over Blue Lake, where the damage from the 2006 volcanic explosion, could still be seen in the tattery vegetation clinging onto Devastation Ridge. Amid the clumps of Kermadec Nikau (Rhopalostylis baueri) and Kermadec Mapou (Myrsine kermadecensis) first dozens, but soon hundreds, of Tui and Kermadec Red-Crowned Parakeets could be seen playing and harvesting fruit, seemingly each minute becoming less and less aware of our presence. For the patient and lucky among us, the occasional rustles from the undergrowth revealed Spotless Crake (essentially tiny, well-behaved Pukekos) stalking the understorey. Soon the track opened up to the north, and as we began to descend, we could peer down over Low Flat towards the hostel.
We rounded the corner at the hostel to be met with a scene of subtropical charm, sharp white colonial-style buildings, freshly-cut lawns, banana palms, orange trees and brightly-flowered hibiscus trees, the perfect setting for lunch. After a casual hour lazing on the lawn or exploring the hostel and its grounds, we gathered by the workshop for what will likely be the only demonstration of a weed-dog that most of us will ever see. From here our group split, some heading up towards the Citrus Grove before heading back to Fishing Rock, the remainder of us continuing on towards Ravine Eight. We made our way past the Raoul Island Museum (formerly the Wool Shed Gen Shed) and the old Wool Shed, passed the felled monster Norfolk Pines, and beyond the airstrip above Bells’ Beach, before we were atop the roped, stepped path leading down into Ravine Eight. The scrambling roots of the Kermadec Pohutakawa seemingly held together the top edge of the ravine, losing dominance to the Kermadec Nikau, and finally a floor of ferns as we dropped down into the ravine. After a brief look around, we regained the track and slowly wended our way back to Fishing Rock, via the Citrus Grove and the hostel. Back aboard the ship, we took the opportunity to recap the day over a drink at the bar and generally agreed it had been a fantastic first day. We could only hope for more.
Chris’s birds of the day:
- Spotless Crake
- Kermadec Red-Crowned Parakeet
Alex’s plant of the day: The Kermadec Mapou, Myrsine kermadecensis
Blue Lake.
Tui.
A Kermadec Red-Crowned Parakeet.
A Spotless Crake, stalking the undergrowth.
Ravine Eight.
Day 5 – 30th March 2015 – Gaining altitude on Raoul and snorkelling North Meyer Island
(Julia Stace)
Position at 0600 and 1800: 29 15 S 177 53 E
At anchor near the Meyer Islands on a beautifully sunny, calm, warm day we were offered four options for the morning, with snorkeling off the Meyer coastline for the afternoon.
1. Walk to Boat Cove, approx. 8 km along a well formed road. This was a bush walk through Pohutakawa and Nikau forest, with the party having a brief stop on the beach below the Boat Cove Hut, before returning to Fishing Rock.
2. A climb to the highest peak on the island, Moumoukai @ 516m high, on a track which goes off the Boat Cove Road. On reaching the summit where the antenna and GNS camera are mounted there is a stunning view back over the off shore islets. A lookout into the crater lakes is just a few minutes further on. Those at the summit saw the balloon rise from the met station area around 10.30 am. It was such a still day that the balloon went straight up, which is a most unusual sight on Raoul Island.
If you are nostalgic for Raoul Island, the camera view of the crater may be accessed any time back home by going to Geonet.org.nz/Volcano/Kermadec islands.
3. Return to the hostel area and walk back along the beach and Low Flat, seeing other parts of the hostel surrounds not visited yesterday. This group arrived in time to watch Chelsea launch the weather balloon. We stood a safe distance outside the met station balloon shed as any static could cause the balloon to explode. From the flag pole we descended to Oneraki Beach and then climbed up onto Low Flat. Walking inland on a mowed track was much easier than boulder hopping along the stony beach. We passed the historic candlenut trees, heavy with nuts that are evidence of Polynesian settlement in the distant past. We saw the pou which was erected in 2002 in recognition of the Northland tribe Ngati Kuri’s Treaty claim on Raoul Island. Raoul or Rangitahua, the name by which it was known by them was visited by the Kurahaupo and Aotea canoes. We saw the relocated grave of Daniel Blackwood. The previous DOC team had moved the skeleton and it’s wooden cross some distance inland as the sea was eating into the back of the beach, where he was buried some decades before. The old road access to Oneraki Beach up which the bulldozer had been driven in 1938 has gone. The stormy seas have cut a steep face at the back of the beach. We saw and heard many Red-crowned Parakeets along the way. Some walking on their own also saw Crakes sneak out into the open.
4. An examination of the marine life in the big rock pools around Fishing Rock. Those who wanted to spend a little time ashore that didn’t involve any strenuous walking, opted for this. There was a great diversity of colourful fish in the pools here and on such a beautiful day Fishing Rock was a pleasant and safe place to enjoy the ambience of Raoul.
DOC staff accompanied each group and answered many questions about Raoul and the DOC work on the island. This is a new team that came to Raoul just 3 weeks ago. Nevertheless they look very fit and excited about the part they will play in this huge restoration project. It is now at the stage of weed finds in most areas being quite rare. Weed dog Maxie, that has a nose for purple and yellow guava and black passion fruit (all three species hard to spot in the dense bush) is being trialled here for the next six months.
In the afternoon we went snorkelling in two groups, beginners and advanced, off North Meyer not far from where the Spirit of Enderby was anchored. It was warm and sunny and the bird calls close in to the shore were marvellous. There were many colourful fish and some Galapagos Reef Sharks to add a bit of spice to the underwater view of sea eggs and small corals on wave pounded rocks. The visibility was excellent, at more than 15 m. Most of the DOC staff took this chance to snorkel with us as getting over to the Meyers is a huge under taking involving sending the two island dinghies down the foxway to the Fishing Rock crane and into the sea.
After another delicious dinner, with a main of Asian chicken or venison tagine another exciting day came to an end. We looked forward with great anticipation to moving to a new anchorage at Denham Bay at dawn tomorrow.
(Alex Fergus)
For New Zealander’s the final cricket update does not bare repeating L
Chris’s bird of the day:
- Kermadec Petrel
- Great Frigatebird
Alex’s plant of the day: The Kermadec Hutu, Ascarina lucida var. lanceolata (a single tree stop Moumoukai housed 30 frenzied Tui this morning, all vying for its black and white fruit).
Looking down from Mt Moumoukai.
Green Lake, looking Blue (to the north lies Blue Lake, looking green).
Groves of Kermadec Nikau.
Day 6 – 31st March 2015 – Denham Bay, Raoul Island
(Alex Fergus)
Position at 0600: 29 15 S 177 53 E
Position at 1800: 29 17 S 177 57 E
By 0745 the ship was anchored in the south east of Denham Bay, the obvious caldera edge of the now mostly submerged Denham Volcano. After breakfast, we began the run for the far north west corner of Denham Bay. With Aaron and Mike driving the Zodiacs, and myself and Lindsay in the water, we soon had everyone on the beach, perhaps not dry, but in working order. Here we once again met our DOC rangers who had arisen early and marched over from the hostel. In a loose group we started heading south towards the rusting hulk of the Kinei Maru 10. Under very mysterious circumstances, with many speculative possibilities, including too many birthday drinks, in the early hours of August 12th 1986, the crew ran the ship straight into Denham Bay. Very little damage resulted from the impact, but the ship was unsalvageable, and hence remains today. We explored the hulk as the waves crashed in around it, before continuing along the beach to the DOC sign that heralds a short inland track towards the hut. The charming, homely little ranger hut sits on what can only be a very historic site, with introduced Candlenut trees, Eucalypts, Hibiscus, all more than 140 years old, towering around it.
Julia led some people from the hut back to the beach and then south towards the southern extreme of the bay, while many of the rest of us took the opportunity to follow the Front Swamp Track around towards the cemetery of sorts at the head of the swamp. Grave sites of piled volcanic rock indicate where hundreds are buried, as the result of an early European ship abandoning great groups of sick and dying Polynesian slaves into the surf here. It is a solemn, but very peaceful site. Just beyond the bush edge, a second memorial can be found, that of 16 year old Fleetwood Denham. Some of us returned to the beach at this stage, while others followed the Back Swamp Track to the hut, and the rest attempted to make their way along Route 69, the more challenging of paths. Slowly we all made our way back along to the northern most point of the bay, where we watched the heavy swell break along our exit from the beach. Eventually, we managed to get everyone into the Zodiacs to return to the ship.
After lunch we had another opportunity to snorkel and two groups spent some time exploring the rocky submarine world just south of Denham Bay. By 1715 everyone was back aboard and as the bar opened, the anchor was lifted so we could make our way north. Within an hour we were passing Hutchison Bluff, the western most point of Raoul Island and soon we were off the coast from the hostel once again. An assortment of islands including Napier, Nugent and the Meyers was next in our sights.
Chris’s bird of the day: Black-Winged Petrel
Alex’s plant of the day: Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis) – dominating the beach edge along Denham Bay.
The Kinei Maru 10 on Denham Bay.
A tropical reminder of how far north we are.
Looking across the swamp.
The sad whale.
Day 7 – 1st April 2015 – Crater edge wanderings, snorkelling, and the Meyer Islands
(Julia Stace)
Position at 0600: 29 14 S 177 54 E
Position at 1800: 29 15 S 177 53 E
We had 3 options to choose from this morning:
- Walk back to the hostel and take the Denham Bay track, to a good viewpoint on the Denham Bay cliffs. This starts by the banks of solar panels behind the hostel, up and up to the crater rim and drops down into Denham Bay. DOC staff cleared the track and built steps in a couple of steep places just hours before we walked across. As the previous ‘vollies’ had left 6 weeks early, and much time had been taken up since with preparations for Cyclone Pam which fortunately passed well away from Raoul, some track clearing for the Sprit of Enderby passengers was still outstanding. Plenty of Nikau Palms and tree ferns grow higher up in the moister areas. Paul‘s watch recorded a total walk of 13 km and a total climb of 800 m. We ate our packed lunches along the way and were back aboard by 2pm. The conditions at Fishing Rock had been very gentle for both Zodiac transfers. Tui, black bird, thrush and many parakeets were spotted as we walked over the island. Almost back at the hostel we saw a black winged ball of fluff in its burrow along the Orange Grove Track.
- The first Zodiac of the Meyers left with the keen birders seeing many species on shore for their breeding season.
- We saw colourful tropical fish including sharks, kingfish in the oceans and sea urchins, soft and hard coral, including live brain coral, on the rocks below. The visibility was excellent as it is clear to 15-20 m here.
1400 & 1500 There were two showings of ‘Ocean of Volcanoes’, part of the BBC series on Pacific Islands sessions to suit the people who didn’t go ashore and those who did.
At 4.30 pm four Zodiacs maneuverered passengers close into the Meyers to watch the sea bird activities. There were tropic birds, grey ternlets, many petrels, chicks seen in burrows and even a turnstone down near the water’s edge. A couple of Frigate Birds were soaring over Napier Island and Boobies were photographed nesting up on the crest of the Meyer Islands. Everyone was amazed at the vast numbers of seabirds living on these tiny islets. This indicates how Raoul, now pest-free, will become if the sea here continues to feed vast numbers of seabirds so that as their numbers increase they utilize similar nesting habitat on Raoul Island. With so little land at these intermediate latitudes it is the best use of these islands to be havens for sea birds.
During the day Malcolm was able to fly his kites both on the upper deck of the ship and from a Zodiac. It was 79 days since he was flying the same kite on Campbell Island. This was significant because when Raoul was solely a Met Station it was common for weather personnel to do stints on both.
Chris’s birds of the day:
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Wandering Tattler
Alex’s plant of the day: The Kermadec Pohutakawa (Metrosideros kermadecensis)
The track to Denham Bay.
Looking down towards the Blue and Green Lakes (Mt Moumoukai obscured).
Looking down on the caldera arc that is Denham Bay.
The wetland behind the Denham Bay Beach, with the Kinei Maru 10.
Day 8 – 02 April 2015 – Macauley Island
(Alex Fergus)
Position at 0600: 29 58 S 178 15 E
Position at 1800: 31 24 S 179 19 E
Overnight we had lifted anchor from our calm position west of the Meyer Islands and powered steadily towards Macauley Island, which by breakfast time was in full view. Our approach from the NNE provided us with great views of the pale cliffs that dominate the north east end of the island. With the island in profile, the highest point, Mount Haszard in the west, could be seen above the steadily gaining plateau, while Haszard Island bounded the island to the east. With swells between 1.5 and 2.5 m we had no opportunity to Zodiac the coast of Macauley, but opted instead for a clockwise circumnavigation. Cruising along the east coast we could look up onto the fern and tussock-sedge swathed plateau, once dominated by forest, then decimated by the negatively reinforcing impacts of fire and goat browse. Captain Dmitry gave the island a wide berth, as the charts for the area around the island reveal a mysterious lack of depths or submarine features. By 0930, Curtis and Cheeseman Islands were once again in view, as we sailed west of them towards mainland New Zealand. Shortly after 1000, the next instalment of the BBC South Pacific documentary series was shown in the Lecture Room. ‘Strange Islands’ demonstrated the extraordinary way life has evolved on isolated islands in the South Pacific, including our own large flightless parrots, but also burrowing bats, giant skinks and kangaroos in trees.
After lunch we joined Julia in the Lecture Room for a presentation entitled ‘Raoul Island, a fragmented flora’. Julia described the geography and position of the island, contextualising the plants within it. She described some of the coarser vegetation types and went on to focus on some of the endemic species, those that only occur in the Kermadec Island group. Julia touched on the changes in vegetation, from early Polynesian introductions, through European times, and onto the more recent concerns of weeds. As Julia finished up we passed NW of L’Esperance Rock, and very close to an area of ocean mapped for volcanic activity in 2012 – another reminder of how active the Kermadec Arc remains. Just after 1600 we gathered once more in the Lecture Room, this time with Berwyn at the helm of the group. Berwyn played for us a documentary created by two of his colleagues from their time on the island in 1953/1954, giving us an insight into island life, and the changes in priorities of management on the island. Berwyn followed this up with a slideshow of his own photos, detailing daily life, and the sort of tasks he championed on the island, including the new life he worked into the old bulldozer.
Chris’s birds of the day:
- Brown Booby
- Kermadec Little Shearwater
- Little Black Cormorant
Chris’s marine creature of the day: pods (unsure of the collective term for groups of cephalopods) of soaring Flying Squid.
Alex’s plant of the day: Homolanthus polyandros, the Kermadec Poplar, struggling away in the nooks of Macauley Island.
Unchartered waters around Macauley Island.
Haszard Islet to the east of Macauley Island.
A mosaic of ferns, sedges and grasses on the plateau of Macauley Island.
Day 9 – 03rd April 2015 – Good Friday at Sea
(Julia Stace)
Position at 0600: 33 04 S 179 21 E
Position at 1800: 34 41 S 177 54 E
Everyone, especially Cath & Linzy our remarkable chefs, enjoyed a lie in this morning as this was to be a day of sailing. South, without any land to view.
0800 We had breakfast, with passengers finding many ways of combining the wide variety of breakfast foods, cereals, fruit, eggs, hash browns, toast and pastries.
1000 The last episode of Wild Pacific, Fragile Paradise was screened. We saw how they propagated corals in Fiji to replant on barren reefs. We saw huge purse seiners getting a bag of 150 tons of skipjack tuna, at one haul. There was footage of two divers swimming inside the net with the doomed fish. The bloody slick from the dying tuna should have attracted sharks to follow the net but strangely none did. Were there no longer any in the vicinity? We saw boats catching sharks, removing their dorsal fins and returning them to the ocean to die so somewhere far, far away someone could order a bowl of sharks fin soup. The people of Beqa in Fiji are now encouraging sharks into their lagoon as a tourist attraction. As their totem is a shark, they know that they will never be attacked.
1130 Peter Quinn who is on board because this trip was his prize for being NZ Geographic’s Photographer of the Year in 2014 showed us excerpts from his portfolio on a wide variety of topics. He began his career taking photos for a book on gangs and has done a wide variety of stories since on such wide ranging subjects as home births, white baiters and West Coast coal miners. His most recent book is on the Tuhoe people who wanted to show New Zealand that they are not terrorists, despite the allegations and arrests by the anti- terrorist squad trying to prove otherwise . He finished with some shots taken on this trip. The rock formations of Raoul and the Meyer islets have intrigued him. For more of his work go to:
www.peterjamesquinn.com
1300 A lovely lunch was served - salad, chicken and cookies.
1500 Jessie opened the ship’s shop for sale of Heritage endorsed products.
1630 Aaron showed us photos from other Heritage voyages. We saw the villagers of Melanesia entertaining the Spirit of Enderby passengers ashore and in contrast, some shots from Heritage Artic trips.
1900 At the daily recap several passengers spoke of highlights on this trip. Glo Shrubsall even wrote a poem today:
Blue Ocean – Kermadec Trip
How beautiful they are,
The birds of the sea.
Swooping and wheeling
Truly wild and free.
Rejoicing in freedom,
Delighting in flight.
Teasing the wave tops,
Soaring great heights.
Sea spray with rainbows
Rollers deep blue
Cloud-studded skies –
The sun shining through.
Spirit of Enderby
We share this with you.
(Julia Stace)
Calm seas have allowed us to make good time on our way back to the mainland. It will now be possible to have another trip ashore before we leave the ship tomorrow. Mercury Island which is more or less on our way to Tauranga is privately owned by Sir Michael Fay but he generously allows public access. We were all delighted to hear that there will be time to take a picnic lunch ashore and spend tomorrow afternoon on the beach there. An unexpected, bonus island!
Chris’s bird of the day: Welcome Swallow
Day 10 – 04 April 2015 – Great Mercury Island
(Alex Fergus)
Position at 0600: 36 08 S 176 15 E
Position at 1800: 36 37 S 175 47 E
By sunrise we were within sight of the mainland, as we followed a SSW bearing towards the Coromandel Peninsula. By breakfast Great Barrier Island could be seen to our starboard side, Cuvier Island was off the bow, and we were narrowing in on the Mercury group: Great Mercury (Ahuahui), Korapaki Island, Kawhitu (Stanley) Island and Red Mercury (Whakau) Island. A little westerly wind gave way sunshine and we all met in the Lecture Room for the last time. Aaron led a disembarkation briefing for tomorrow, and then all the staff had the opportunity to reflect back on the expedition, before we had a visual recap via a slideshow courtesy of Peter Quinn, Mike and other staff members. Not to be forgotten were the plans we laid for the day ahead, from 1200 onwards, hourly Zodiacs would be running to and from Great Mercury Island. We packed our lunches, and soon many of us were swimming, or lounging around the beaches of a shallow cove on Great Mercury Island. Others explored the island on foot, some arrived on the later Zodiacs, and one amongst us endeavoured to populate the skies above the island with as many kites as he could carry. By 1700 the last Zodiac departed Great Mercury Island, and for the last time we reflected in the bar on a great day before we sat down for one final magnificent meal.
Chris’s bird of the day: Little Blue Penguin
Our quiet cove for the afternoon on Great Mercury Island.
Finally, satisfaction for Malcolm, four kites on one line, another 8 soared on the line alongside this one, much to the satisfaction of the local rural community.
Day 11 – 05 April 2015 – Arrival Tauranga, disembarkation
(Alex Fergus)
In the wee hours of the morning we left our anchorage in the Mercury Island group and headed towards Tauranga. At 0700 the pilot boarded, and by 0730 we were tied up at the Port of Tauranga, under scattered cloud, on a pleasantly cool autumn morning. Breakfast was devoured, luggage was disembarked and farewells began. Following an extremely successful expedition to the Kermadec Islands the only thing left to do is to wish many more wild adventures to all, and to thank everyone for their enthusiasm and camaraderie.
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For those interested in marine life, Heidi has compiled a list of the fish seen in the Kermadecs. There were a couple of additional sightings during our day on Great Mercury Island but these are not included here...and just for the record, we used ‘Rodney's Rule’ requiring two individuals to confirm sightings & IDs like the birders did!
Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis)
Mosaic moray (Enchelycore ramosa)
Grey moray (Gymnothorax nubilus)
Red lizardfish (Synodus doaki)
Cornetfish (Fistularia sp.)
Trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus)
Common lionfish (Pterois volitans)
Cook's scorpionfish (Scorpaena cookii)
Spotted black grouper (Epinephelus daemelii)
Toadstool grouper (Trachypoma macracantus)
White trevally (Pseudocaranx dentex)
Kingfish (Seriola lalandi)
Kahawai (Arripis trutta)
Northern kahawai (Arripis xylabion)
Blackspot goatfish (Parupeneus spilurus)
Grey drummer (Kyphosus bigibbus)
Caramel drummer (Girella fimbriata) *endemic*
Bluefish (Girella cyanea)
Grey knifefish (Bathystethus cultratus)
Blue knifefish (Labracoglossa nitida)
Blue maomao (Scopris violaceus)
Pink maomao (Caprodon longimanus)
Mado (Atypichthys latus)
Lord Howe coralfish (Amphicahaetodon howensis)
Striped boarfish (Evistias acutirostris)
Splendid hawkfish (Cirrhites splendens)
Surgefish (Chironemus microlepis)
Notch-head marblefish (Aplodactylus etheridgii)
Painted moki (Cheilodactylus ephippium)
Two-spot demoiselle (Chromis dispilius)
Pacific gregory (Stegastes faciolatus)
Black angelfish (Parma albascapularis)
Kermadec scalyfin (Parma kermadecensis)
Blue-spotted wrasse (Anampses caeruleopunctatus)
Elegant wrasse (Anampses elegans)
Green wrasse (Notolabrus inscriptus)
Sandager's wrasse (Coris sandageri)
Two-tone wrasse (Thalassoma amblycephalum)
Sunset wrasse (Thalassoma lutescens)
Ladder wrasse (Thalasomma trilobatum)
Crimson cleanerfish (Suezichthys aylingi)
Rainbowfish (Suezichthys arquatus)
Tattooed rockskipper (Entomacrodus niuafoouensis)
Moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus)
Parrotfish (Scarus sp.)
Note: Identifications & common names were taken from onboard reference book ‘Coastal Fishes of New Zealand’ by Malcolm Francis.
Log Contributors: Alex Fergus (words and photos ©) and Julia Stace (words ©)
