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Posted by Ferg While we were all asleep, Lance and the crew brought Breaksea Girl past Laurie Harbour (in the North) to the great Carnley Harbour and at three a.m. I surfaced just enough to hear the anchor chain running out. The next day was centered on the Dept of Conservation crew repairing the old Coastwatcher's lookout hut on the top of the hill overlooking Ranui Cove. We were allowed off ship and had a wonderful day exploring - saw a wild pig and her piglets in her "nest" among the tussocks - and of course sealions. One sealion greeted us in the morning jumping up beside the boat just like a dog! Sealions become part of our lives down there. Five of us landed after the DOC fellows had disappeared into the bush. "That's a sealion track," I offer. Never mind - off they go --- RRRORORORORFFFFF - and there is a young ropey male sitting in the bush. "Snap! Snap! ROOOOOOFFFF". "Guys," I murmur, "not a good idea", Slap, Slap of the flippers - he comes closer --- I beat a hasty retreat. We strike off around him. "Behind you - go left", sez I - friend sealion heads off into the bush. "He's gone," says one, "Yeah, right," sez I under my breath and five min. later there he is on our right, having outflanked us. No way he is letting these strange creatures out of his sight. The next morning was brilliant blue with SNOW on the hills of Adams Island and a magnificent rainbow from sea to sea. Breathtaking~! We spent the morning steaming deeper into Carnley looking for the old fingerposts that were put there for shipwrecked sailors pointing them towards depots with food and survival equipment back in the 1870s. (They were kept up until 1926). The wind is straight from Antarctica as we sail past Victoria Channel and Monument Island. "Tones of grey on tones of grey - squalls here and there pass by - Closer and closer to Adams Island, unexplorable island - sacred to DOC. Bleak, barren, rocky, volcanic outcrops - deep, wide gullies - fringe of rata like a scarf around its base - open grey green tussock reaching to the snow capped tops." "A morning of overwhelming beauty! I stopped writing because my hands were too cold to hold the pencil. Then the sun came out and in the shelter of Carnley the sun was hot. Brilliant blue sky, cloud birds on the hills. Found a fingerpost that was not marked on the map. Guys slapped some wood preservative on it and strengthened its base. We got up to Laurie Harbour and my work area on the 19th. It was a day of the worst case scenario that I painted for Bronwyn away back last summer when I invited her to join the trip -- told her the wonderful things, but then the realistic things - and let her choose if she wanted to come. Pouring rain, sleet, "the whole sheebang!" Lance dropped us off - and we had a most exciting day. Certainly finding material that shows the Hardwicke settlement area. Discovered that in this area the vegetation was clearly different where an old building had been. Called Oleria - a very dense, twisty, broad leaf bush that does grow into a tree, but where we were, just impenetrable - well, almost. Bronwyn and I were heading into one of these patches - she in front, me behind with my day pack off because it helped to use it to push through the bush. RUUFFFFFFFFROAR! Behind us about 25 feet behind us (from whence we had come) was, to quote my diary, "a bloody hoon". Now a hoon in NZ parlance is a "young thug", This was the beginning of the breeding season, and the young males, those who have no hope of attracting a harem from the older, stronger males, march around in the bush making nuisances of themselves and seducing any young female that they can find. Hey - here were two females - one young, one old ... We had wonderful days at Hardwicke, and found everything (well almost) everything we were looking for. Found the site of the governor's house - which was one of my main goals. We had a wonderful day on Enderby Island - nesting Albatross, beautiful budding yellow bubinella (of the hyacinth family and endemic to the Auckland Islands), newly hatched dotterel chick, yellow-eyed penguins, flights of red-polled parakeets. It has been very interesting to see the change in the vegetation and bird life in the past 9 years. When we first went down the rabbits and cattle had just ben eradicated - now the natural vegetation is regenerating with expected results. It was a long day - about a 10k hike. I was pleased to see that there was a plaque to the people who were lost on the Derry Castle back in 1906. Now if I can just persuade DOC to put a plaque up on the fence of the sad, tiny little cemetery of 6 graves at the Hardwicke site to the over 200 other people who died on these islands, On leaving, I realize how moved I am steaming by Rose Island, where my great-grandfather, Robert Holding was picked up after over a year as a castaway on these islands. If he hadn't had the courage and knowledge of survival .. I wouldn't be relishing the rugged beauty of these islands. Hope I haven't bored you all to tears. Just wanted to share the experience. All good things must come to an end, and on the 26th we tied up in Bluff and said our good-byes. I spent a few days with good friends in Riverton, zipped over to Stewart Island where I finally met Sam Sampson (billy the bus) who gave me a wonderful tour and introduced me to all sorts of interesting people. Then westward to Manapouri for a few days with Ruth (Lance's partner) ... it really is a second home. Had a lovely evening by the river at Queen's Reach with my fly rod (didn't catch anything, but that didn't matter). Too soon it was time to say good-bye to Southland and fly north to Wellington, where I stayed with dear friends, Keith and Helen Griffith while I spent my days in the National Library and the Archives. Then back to Auckland with Ken and Beth Smith - and home on Dec. 6th People have asked me if I wasn't afraid of flying after the sad events of Sept 11. My answer, no - I feel we are safer than we have ever been. I was astounded at the atmosphere in Los Angeles airport - yes, there was tight security, yes, there were armed soldiers, yes, there were lineups - but the atmosphere was one of friendliness --- "excuse me sir/madam, afraid you are the 15th person and we need to search you/your baggage." People actually smiled at each other, made small talk. Unbelievable. And now I am home again - making great strides in writing - one of the chapters of the book is going to become a book in itself. So to that end I am going to have to go back to New Zealand, likely this winter to do more research. A chapter is one thing, but more work is necessary for the details of a book! Fortunately, this trip has given me enough air points to cash in for a round trip ticket!!!!! Let's hear it for air miles. So there it is folks ... one of these days I will get the Auckland website updated. Cheers
on 1/12/2002, 11:33 pm
The next day the wind dropped and the sea was calmer than I have ever seen it in those waters - "we are now 100 km or 18 hours from the Aucklands. Long gentle rollers no more than a meter high. Blue sky - puffy clouds, sea a deep brilliant blue." I am totally fascinated by the constant changing sea. The voyage to and from the islands is as much of a thrill as actually being there. "Cape pigeons swinging alongside to check us out, soaring, adjusting trim, weaving among the wave tops. The albatross have joined us - magnificent Royals rising and soaring."
"Sudden wind shift - very choppy - swirls, cross waves, double waves - by supper (of course) every few waves would have us all grabbing for everything, including the cooking pots. Safest place now in my bunk!"
RUUUUUUUUFFFFROAR! Flop, flip , flip, flop - he came closer - all 200 kg of him. At this point I won't quote exactly what I said in my diary - but I turned to Bronwyn and said "Can you move back?" Her reply was basically that she couldn't go anywhere! He keeps coming! Before I know it he is above us (did I mention we were in a depression), and then, despite the fact that we are doing all the right things, whispering, keeping low, no eye contact - HE IS LEANING AGAINST MY PACK AND ROARING IN MY FACE! (Sorry, Bronwyn ... I never meant it to end like this!) We both try to fade into the oleria and pretend we aren't there. After a couple of tense moments he feels that he has given us the message and retreats. Needless to say we get out of there as soon as we can and for the next week make sure that we have an escape from wherever we are working!
Ferg
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