Antipodes Islands
Encyclopedia
The Antipodes Islands are inhospitable volcanic
islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand
. They lie 860 kilometres (534 mi) to the southeast of Stewart Island/Rakiura
.
The island group consists of one main island, Antipodes Island, of 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) area, Bollons Island of 2 km² (0.77220431718507 sq mi) to the north, and numerous small islets and stacks
, including Windward, Leeward and Archway Islands. The highest point is Mount Galloway
(366 m (1,200.8 ft)), which also forms part of the group's most recently active volcano.
Ecologically, the islands are part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra
ecoregion
. The islands are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
, together with other sub-Antarctic New Zealand islands
. The island group is a nature reserve
and there is no general public access.
of London. Over time the name has been shortened to "Antipodes" leaving some to suppose its European discoverers had not realised its global location. This misapprehension persists. In fact, the island's antipodes are situated on the territory of the French village Gatteville-le-Phare
, near Cherbourg.
pottery was discovered roughly 0.75 metres (2.5 ft) below the surface on the main island, indicating visitation prior to European discovery of the islands. The pottery fragment, apparently a piece of a bowl, is now housed in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
in Wellington
.
of the British ship HMS Reliance
. In 1803 Waterhouse's brother-in-law George Bass
applied to Governor King
of New South Wales for a fishing monopoly from a line bisecting southern New Zealand from Dusky Sound
to the Otago Harbour
to cover all the lands and seas to the south, including the Antipodes Islands, probably because he knew the latter were home to large populations of fur seal
s. Bass sailed from Sydney
to the south that year and was never heard of again but his information led to a sealing boom at the islands in 1805 to 1807.
At one time eighty men were present; there was a battle between American and British-led gangs and a single cargo of more than 80,000 skins - one of the greatest ever shipped from Australasia - was on-sold in Canton
for one pound sterling a skin, a multi-million dollar return in modern terms. Prominent Sydney merchants such as Simeon Lord
, Henry Kable
and James Underwood
were engaged in the trade as well as the Americans Daniel Whitney and Owen Folger Smith. William W. Stewart, who claimed to have charted Stewart Island, and probably William Tucker
who started the retail trade in preserved Maori heads
, were present during the boom. After 1807, sealing was occasional and cargoes small, no doubt because the animals had been all but exterminated.
A much later attempt to establish cattle on the islands was short-lived (as were the cattle). When the ship Spirit of the Dawn
(with a crew of 16) foundered off the main island's coast in 1893, the eleven surviving crew spent nearly three months living as castaways on the island, living on raw muttonbirds
, mussels and roots for 87 days before gaining the attention of the government steamer Hinemoa
by a flag made from their sail.
A well-supplied castaway depot
was available on the other end of the island, but the survivors' weak condition and the island's mountainous terrain prevented them from searching for depots. The depot was found and used by the crew of the President Felix Faure wrecked in Anchorage bay in 1908. The last wreck at the Antipodes was the yacht Totorore with the loss of two lives, Gerry Clark
and Roger Sale, in June 1999.
The islands are home to numerous bird species including the endemic Antipodes Snipe
, Antipodes Island Parakeet
and the Antipodean Albatross
. The group is also home to half of the world population of Erect-crested Penguin
. The flora of the islands
has been recorded in detail, and includes megaherb
s.
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. They lie 860 kilometres (534 mi) to the southeast of Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island/Rakiura is the third-largest island of New Zealand. It lies south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Its permanent population is slightly over 400 people, most of whom live in the settlement of Oban.- History and naming :...
.
The island group consists of one main island, Antipodes Island, of 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) area, Bollons Island of 2 km² (0.77220431718507 sq mi) to the north, and numerous small islets and stacks
Stack (geology)
A stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, isolated by erosion. Stacks are formed through processes of coastal geomorphology, which are entirely natural. Time, wind and water are the only factors involved in the...
, including Windward, Leeward and Archway Islands. The highest point is Mount Galloway
Mount Galloway
Mount Galloway is the highest point on Antipodes Island, one of New Zealand's outlying islands. It rises to a height on 402 metres . It is said to be the most recently active volcano, but there is no exact eruption date known [1]. Mount Galloway together with Mount Waterhouse are probably formed...
(366 m (1,200.8 ft)), which also forms part of the group's most recently active volcano.
Ecologically, the islands are part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra
Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra
The Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion, within the Tundra Biome, includes five remote island groups in the Southern Ocean south of New Zealand: the Bounty Islands, Auckland Islands, Antipodes Islands and Campbell Island groups of New Zealand, and Macquarie Island of Australia.-Location...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
. The islands are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, together with other sub-Antarctic New Zealand islands
New Zealand sub-antarctic islands
The five southernmost groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands form the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands. These islands are collectively designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site....
. The island group is a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
and there is no general public access.
Etymology
The island group was originally called the "Penantipodes" meaning "next to the antipodes", because it lies near to the antipodesAntipodes
In geography, the antipodes of any place on Earth is the point on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points that are antipodal to one another are connected by a straight line running through the centre of the Earth....
of London. Over time the name has been shortened to "Antipodes" leaving some to suppose its European discoverers had not realised its global location. This misapprehension persists. In fact, the island's antipodes are situated on the territory of the French village Gatteville-le-Phare
Gatteville-le-Phare
Gatteville-le-Phare is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Manche department*Antipodes Islands, the exact antipodes of Gatteville-le-Phare...
, near Cherbourg.
History
Prehistory
In 1886, a shard of early PolynesianPolynesian culture
Polynesian culture refers to the indigenous peoples' culture of Polynesia who share common traits in language, customs and society. Chronologically, the development of Polynesian culture can be divided into four different historical eras:...
pottery was discovered roughly 0.75 metres (2.5 ft) below the surface on the main island, indicating visitation prior to European discovery of the islands. The pottery fragment, apparently a piece of a bowl, is now housed in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
Sealing
The island group was first charted in 1800 by Captain Henry WaterhouseHenry Waterhouse
Henry Waterhouse was a British officer of the Royal Navy who is strongly associated with the early European settlement of Australia....
of the British ship HMS Reliance
HMS Reliance (1793)
HMS Reliance was a discovery vessel of the Royal Navy. She became famous as one of the ships with the early explorations of the Australian coast and other the southern Pacific islands....
. In 1803 Waterhouse's brother-in-law George Bass
George Bass
George Bass was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia.-Early years:He was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George Bass, and a local beauty named Sarah Nee Newman. His father died in 1777 when Bass was 6...
applied to Governor King
Governor King (ship)
The Governor King was a 38 ton schooner built in Sydney, Australia and wrecked in 1806.On 20 April 1806 the Governor King arrived off Port Jackson from Norfolk Island. Finding the wind direction unfavourable for entering the harbour the ship headed north to Newcastle and dropped anchor in the...
of New South Wales for a fishing monopoly from a line bisecting southern New Zealand from Dusky Sound
Dusky Sound
Dusky Sound is a fiord on the south west corner of New Zealand, in Fiordland National Park.-Geography:One of the most complex of the many fjords on this coast, it is also one of the largest, 40 kilometres in length and eight kilometres wide at its widest point...
to the Otago Harbour
Otago Harbour
Otago Harbour is the natural harbour of Dunedin, New Zealand, consisting of a long, much-indented stretch of generally navigable water separating the Otago Peninsula from the mainland. They join at its southwest end, from the harbour mouth...
to cover all the lands and seas to the south, including the Antipodes Islands, probably because he knew the latter were home to large populations of fur seal
Fur seal
Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. One species, the northern fur seal inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere...
s. Bass sailed from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to the south that year and was never heard of again but his information led to a sealing boom at the islands in 1805 to 1807.
At one time eighty men were present; there was a battle between American and British-led gangs and a single cargo of more than 80,000 skins - one of the greatest ever shipped from Australasia - was on-sold in Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
for one pound sterling a skin, a multi-million dollar return in modern terms. Prominent Sydney merchants such as Simeon Lord
Simeon Lord
Simeon Lord was a pioneer merchant and a magistrate in Australia. He became a prominent trader in Sydney, buying and selling ship cargoes. Despite being an emancipist Lord was made a magistrate by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, and he became a frequent guest at government house. His business...
, Henry Kable
Henry Kable
Henry Kable was born in Laxfield, Suffolk, England. Kable was known for being a businessman, but was convicted of burglary at Thetford, Norfolk, England, on 1 February 1783 and sentenced to death. This was commuted to transportation for fourteen years to America, but the American Revolution meant...
and James Underwood
James Underwood
Professor Sir James Underwood is a British pathologist who was awarded a knighthood for services to medicine in the 2005 New Year honours list.-Early life and education:...
were engaged in the trade as well as the Americans Daniel Whitney and Owen Folger Smith. William W. Stewart, who claimed to have charted Stewart Island, and probably William Tucker
William Tucker (settler)
William Tucker was a British convict, a sealer, a trader in human heads, an Otago settler, and New Zealand’s first art dealer....
who started the retail trade in preserved Maori heads
Mokomokai
Mokomokai are the preserved heads of Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, where the faces have been decorated by tā moko tattooing. They became valuable trade items during the Musket Wars of the early 19th century.-Moko:...
, were present during the boom. After 1807, sealing was occasional and cargoes small, no doubt because the animals had been all but exterminated.
Shipwrecks
Spirit of the Dawn (ship)
The Spirit of the Dawn was an iron barque of 692 tons that was wrecked in the Antipodes Islands in 1893. She was built at Sunderland in 1869 by T.R. Oswald and Co and was owned by the Messrs J...
(with a crew of 16) foundered off the main island's coast in 1893, the eleven surviving crew spent nearly three months living as castaways on the island, living on raw muttonbirds
Shearwater
Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus...
, mussels and roots for 87 days before gaining the attention of the government steamer Hinemoa
NZGSS Hinemoa
NZGSS Hinemoa was a 542 ton New Zealand Government Service Steamer designed specifically for lighthouse support and servicing, and also patrolled New Zealand's coastline and carried out castaway checks and searched for missing ships. It operated in New Zealand's territorial waters from 1876 to...
by a flag made from their sail.
A well-supplied castaway depot
Castaway depot
A castaway depot is a store or hut placed on an isolated island to provide emergency supplies and relief for castaways and victims of shipwrecks...
was available on the other end of the island, but the survivors' weak condition and the island's mountainous terrain prevented them from searching for depots. The depot was found and used by the crew of the President Felix Faure wrecked in Anchorage bay in 1908. The last wreck at the Antipodes was the yacht Totorore with the loss of two lives, Gerry Clark
Gerry Clark
Gerald Stanley Clark MBE was a New Zealand sailor, writer and ornithologist. He is notable for his ornithological research work on subantarctic islands and for his circumnavigation of Antarctica in his self-built yacht Totorore....
and Roger Sale, in June 1999.
Flora and fauna
Antipodes Snipe
The Antipodes Snipe or Antipodes Island Snipe is an isolated subspecies of the Subantarctic Snipe that is endemic to the Antipodes Islands, a subantarctic island group south of New Zealand in the Southern Ocean.-Taxonomy and etymology:The Antipodes Snipe was first collected by Fairchild in 1887,...
, Antipodes Island Parakeet
Antipodes Island Parakeet
The Antipodes Parakeet or Antipodes Island Parakeet is endemic to the Antipodes Islands, one of two parrot species found on the islands. It is the largest species in the genus Cyanoramphus at 30 cm long...
and the Antipodean Albatross
Antipodean Albatross
The Antipodean Albatross, Diomedea antipodensis, is a large seabird, from the albatross family. Antipodean Albatrosses are smaller than Wandering Albatrosses, and breed in predominantly brown plumage, but are otherwise difficult to distinguish from Wanderers.-Etymology:Diomedea antipodensis breaks...
. The group is also home to half of the world population of Erect-crested Penguin
Erect-crested Penguin
The Erect-crested Penguin is a penguin from New Zealand. It breeds on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands.This is a small-to-medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, at and weighing . As in all penguin species, the male is slightly larger than the female and the birds weigh the most...
. The flora of the islands
Flora of the Antipodes Islands
This is a list of taxa comprising the flora of the Antipodes Islands. It includes some species known as megaherbs.-Algae:In 1985, 116 species of marine algae were recorded at the Antipodes Islands...
has been recorded in detail, and includes megaherb
Megaherb
Megaherbs are a group of herbaceous perennial wildflowers growing in the New Zealand sub-antarctic islands. They are characterised by their great size, with huge leaves and very large and often unusually-coloured flowers, which have evolved as an adaptation to the harsh weather conditions on the...
s.
See also
- Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
- List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
- List of sub-Antarctic islands
- List of islands of New Zealand
- New Zealand sub-antarctic islandsNew Zealand sub-antarctic islandsThe five southernmost groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands form the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands. These islands are collectively designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site....
- SCARScientific Committee on Antarctic ResearchThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council for Science . It was established in February 1958 to continue the international coordination of Antarctic scientific activities that had begun during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58...
- Territorial claims in Antarctica
- Water hemisphereWater hemisphereThe water hemisphere, sometimes capitalised as the Water Hemisphere, is the hemisphere on the Earth containing the largest area of water possible for an exact part of the Earth's surface. It is centered on , near New Zealand's Bounty Islands...
Further reading
- Wise's New Zealand Guide (4th ed.) (1969). Dunedin: H. Wise & Co. (N.Z.) Ltd.
- "NGA-IWI-O-AOTEA". No. 59 (June 1967). Te Ao Hou - The Maori Magazine, pp. 43.
- Godley, E.J.Eric John GodleyEric John Godley BSc, MSc , PhD , OBE, FRSNZ, Hon FLS, Hon DSc , AHRNZIH was a New Zealand botanist and academic biographer...
The Botany of Antipodes Island. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1989, Vol. 27: 531-563 - Entwisle, Peter (2005). Taka, A Vignette Life of William Tucker 1784–1817. Dunedin: Port Daniel Press. ISBN 0-473-10098-3.
- Taylor, Rowley, (2006) Straight Through from London, the Antipodes and Bounty Islands, New Zealand. Christchurch: Heritage Expeditions New Zealand Ltd. ISBN 0-473-10650-7. 2000: The beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of the Antipodes Islands, with comments on the impact of mice; and an annotated checklist of the insect and arachnid fauna. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 30: 169-195. ISSN: 0303-6758 PDF; 1975: The University of Canterbury Antipodes Island Expedition 1969. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 5(2): 103-131. ISSN: 0303-6758 Google books