Snares Islands
Snares Islands
Geographical Information: |
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48º 02’S, 166º 35’E, in the South Pacific Ocean, 200 km south-west of New Zealand
Area:
328 ha
Maximum Altitude:
152m
Physical Features:
Snares Islands comprise two groups of Islands: North East Island, with Broughton Island, Alert Stack and several small islands and rocks, and the Western Chain, of five islets with rocks and stacks.
The main island is North East Island, with an area of 280 ha. There are steep cliffs on the western side, with gentle gullies sloping to the east.
The Islands are composed of jointed granite, and are probably part of a large batholith including areas of Stewart Island, formed about 120MYr ago and subsequently eroded. Peat soils are widespread.
Flora and Vegetation:
Vegetation is dominated by forests of Olearia lyallii and Brachyglottis stewartiae. Ferns (Polystichum vestitum, Blechnum durum, Asplenium obtusatum) occur in the sub-canopy and in gullies. In open areas in the forest, the herb Stilbocarpa robusta occurs. Dense scrub of Hebe elliptica is present on the forest margins. Grassland of Poa tennantiana and Poa astonii with the herb Colobanthus muscoides, predominates in the coastal areas of North East Island between the cliffs and the forest, as well as over much of Broughton Island. Islets of the Western Chain are largely devoid of vegetation.
Birding Highlights:
Snares Crested Penguins ©
No landings are permitted on the Snares but zodiac cruising gives great views of the three of endemics. There are the Snares Crested Penguin, the Snares Tomtit and the Fernbird.
Click here for a detailed Birdcheck list
Historical Features:
The islands were discovered by Vancouver in 1791. Vancouver in command of two ships had visited Dusky Sound with an expedition destined for the exploration of the northwest coastline of North America. After leaving Dusky Sound, a fierce storm was encountered and the two vessels were separated. On the 23rd November, Vancouver in the Discovery discovered a group of Islands which he named the Snares. Broughton in the Chatham sighted them later in the same day and named them the Knights Islands (Broughton went on to discover a large inhabited Island which he named Chathams).
Just over one year later, December, 1772, the crew of the Britannia sighted the Snares and named them the Sunday Islands. The names Knights and Sunday gave way to that given by the first discoverer – the Snares.
Historical records of these Islands are sketchy. Little is known of the activities of sealers which obviously worked these Islands. It appears a gang of four, who were escaped convicts from Norfolk Island, were marooned on the Snares between 1810-1817 from the ship Adventure, the reason given was that the ship was running short of provisions and the captain gave the men the choice of going ashore or of starving afloat. The men were given a few potatoes which they planted. During their long exile one of the four became deranged – this alarmed the others so much that they pushed him over a cliff. The remaining three were rescued by an American ship the Enterprise which reached Philadelphia on 11 May 1818.
There are no recorded shipwrecks from the Island despite their position almost directly in the path of vessels sailing from Australia towards Cape Horn. It was intended at one stage to erect a lighthouse on the Island but with the opening of the Panama Canal the need for a lighthouse largely disappeared.
The Islands are free of introduced predators and for this reason they have a number of visiting scientific parties. The University of Canterbury biologists have a field station built on the site and incorporating the old castaways depot on the Main Island and since the early 1970’s it has been maintained and used by occasional parties.
Map:
Further Reading:
- Chilton, C (Ed) The Sub Antarctic Islands of New Zealand Vol 1& 2 Philisophical Insitute of Canterbury, Wellington, 1909.
- Fraser, C Beyond the Roaring Forties, Woolmore Printing Ltd, Auckland 1986.
- Higham, T (Ed) Sub Antarctic Islands - A Guide Book, Craig Printing Co Ltd, Invercargill 1991.
- Thomas, M C Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific - the Story of New Zealand=s Sub Antarctic Islands by Rosaline Redwood. A H and A W Reed, Wellington.
- Shirihai Hadoram A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife. Alula Press Oy, Finland 2002.
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Dept of Conservation: Subantarctic Islands Heritage. (Nomination of the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands by the Government of New Zealand for inclusion in the World Heritage List. Wellington. 1997.
Kaye, Australia
