1164: Kermadec Islands 07 Apr 2011
Kermadec Islands - Land of Dreams
7th to 17th April ‘11
Expedition Log - Voyage # 1164
April 7, 2011: Departing Tauranga
The group of 49 travellers gathered on the Tauranga wharf and boarded the Spirit of Enderby. Loading of gear and finishing preparations took a little longer than anticipated but we were soon on our way with a strong wind blowing. The tug assisted us with a push and we set out towards the open ocean, passing under Mount Maunganui. After a delicious lunch we were out on the open ocean and setting a northeast course for Esperance Rock. Strong winds created a gentle swell and tested out our sea legs. We gathered in the lecture hall for an introduction to the ship and staff and then spent the rest of the afternoon on deck in the beautiful sunshine. The ‘birders’ among us ticked off many species, including Campbell, Wandering, and Buller’s Albatross; Black and Grey-faced Petrel; Flesh-footed Shearwater and the Australasian Gannet. In the evening the bar opened and we gathered for the first of many excellent dinners prepared by Brad and Nicki. Most of us settled in for the night as the ship gently rolled its way northwards.
April 8, 2011: En route to the Kermadecs
Our first full day at sea and in beautiful sunshine. A following wind allowed us to make great time towards the Kermadecs; many people were out on decks for much of the day reading a book, soaking up the sun and watching the wildlife. A group of three Cuvier’s Beaked Whale caused a bit of commotion as they passed southwards and a variety of Gadfly Petrels were observed in this deep, open water: Black-winged, Cook’s, Grey-faced, and White-necked. Campbell and Wandering Albatross followed the ship for much of the day while tiny Wilson’s Storm-petrels fluttered past on a few occasions. A couple of South Polar Skuas migrating north from their Antarctic breeding ground were a welcome sight but the avian surprise of the day was a White-faced Heron that appeared from out of nowhere early in the morning. He promptly landed on the ship’s mast and then spent the rest of the day hitching a ride north.
Indoors we had a full slate of lectures to keep us busy. Karen gave us an introduction to the many seabirds of the Kermadec Isles. This was followed up by a Wild South documentary on Macauley Island. In the afternoon, Aaron gave a briefing on zodiac use and then Pete gave us an introduction to the marine life of the Kermadecs, followed by a briefing for the divers. The day ended with a stunning sunset and everyone gathered in the bar for a drink and dinner. Land beckoned in the morning.
April 9, 2011: L’Esperance, Curtis, and Cheeseman
Many people were awake for the 6am sunrise and land was sighted just before breakfast – L’Esperance Rock. We circumnavigated this tiny volcanic speck and set a course northwards and were soon joined by a playful group of Bottlenose Dolphins which rode the bow for several minutes, allowing fantastic observations from the front deck. Bird sightings began to pick up as we saw many Black-winged, White-necked and Grey-faced Petrels and some large flocks of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Adam spotted Providence and Gould’s Petrels, both rather unexpected here. Karen then gave an informative introduction to the Kermadecs down in the lecture hall and it was soon time for lunch.
Weather and birding conditions were excellent after lunch as we made our way to the flat-topped Curtis and its sister island, Cheeseman. Numerous schools of flying fish were spotted and even a few flying squid - to the disbelieving eyes of those who saw them! Birdlife increased appreciably as we neared the island and there were many Black-winged Petrels and a few Little Shearwaters. The first Tasman Boobies of the trip came out to greet us. We had high hopes of getting off the ship for an exploration but it was pretty obvious that conditions on the exposed south side would be prohibitive. Alas, conditions on the north side were also too rough so we had to content ourselves with fantastic views from the ship and seabirds milling all around. After a leisurely cruise past the two islands we continued on our way northwards and by sunset we had Macauley Island clearly in view. A recap in the bar was followed by dinner and we all set off to bed for a good night’s rest with a 6.15am wakeup call looming.
April 10, 2011: Fishing Rock and the Meyer Islets
We awoke to overcast conditions and a brisk southeast breeze as hundreds of Kermadec Petrels flew overhead. After a quick exploratory trip to shore, the staff picked up Jess (the head ranger) at Fishing Rock. Not long after, a party was heading ashore in a sizeable swell for a rather exciting landing at Fishing Rock. Some boats were even accompanied by Bottlenose Dolphins. Everyone got onshore all right and made the 3km walk to the station. The devastation of the island due to a recent cyclone was very evident, but there was more than enough to keep the botanists and birders busy. The botanists recorded 54 of the native plants while the birders enjoyed the endemic Kermadec Island Parakeet and the Tui. We all reconvened at the station for a quick tour around the hostel and some scrumptious tea and scones. This was followed by further explorations around the base and then we were accompanied by Department of Conservation (DoC) staff on some pleasant walks in the vicinity. One group toured the Orange Grove walk which featured some of the island’s historic orange trees (sadly out of season, so not much fruit!), along with the Nikau palms, tree ferns and pohutakawa trees. A highlight was spotting a big, fluffy Black-winged Petrel chick in his burrow and a couple of elusive Spotless Crakes darting past, while the Pukekos were much more bold. Many of our party went down to Oneraki Beach and enjoyed a beautiful walk along the boulders; alas the hot springs were inaccessible due to the high tide. This walk also featured the open expanses of Low Flat, and the Maori post or whenua-po; and in the eroded cliffs we found evidence of early Polynesian settlement in the form of a Maori earth oven. The blackened rocks and earth in a bowl shape could be seen jutting out from the cliff face. Other evidence of Polynesians being here are some of the plants, including candlenut and ti. This lower horizon of occupation has been dated around the 14th century. Eventually it was time for us to wander back. As we walked, we looked inside Land Crab holes in the track banks and spotted the occasional crab, a species also recovering from the ravages of rats. We reconvened at Fishing Rock where tide pools held corals, anemones, lobster and various fish including Chestnut Blenny, Yellow-banded Perch and the endemic Caramel Drummer. While we waited for the zodiacs to return and pick us up a Green Turtle graced us with its presence.
Meanwhile, the diving group spent the day doing two dives at the Meyer Islets. This group had a fantastic introduction to diving this region with many curious Galapagos Sharks, some playful Black Grouper and a good range of other fish that included Toadstool Grouper and Long-finned Boarfish. After a choppy ride back, everyone was quite content with their diving experiences. Once all the walkers were also back onboard most people could be found in the bar enjoying a well-earned beer. A delicious dinner was followed by an early evening after a rather long day. We went to sleep at anchor in Denham Bay.
April 11, 2011: Diving at Denham Bay
The day greeted us with reasonably calm conditions so a pre-breakfast dive was offered at Denham Bay. All the divers opted to go and they had a good look around underwater. A few Galapagos Sharks and as many as four Green Turtles highlighted the dive. Following breakfast, a snorkelling excursion was offered where participants enjoyed watching Lionfish, Galapagos Sharks and others.
April 12, 2011: High seas at Nugent, Napier and Fishing Rock
We had remained at anchor overnight in Denham Bay, when a vicious wind kicked up and we dragged anchor. We tried steaming towards Fishing Rock but found conditions there even worse and so returned to the relative shelter of Denham Bay. Despite winds of 35-40 knots our anchor was still holding. Aaron and Adam headed ashore with the view of making a landing but conditions were just too difficult to get off the ship. Karen gave another lecture on the Kermadecs that put them in global perspective and we watched a documentary on the concept of marine reserves. Around lunch time we steamed around the east side of the island past Boat Cove and the Chanter and Meyer Islets. The seas thronged with birds racing around in the shrieking winds – Red-tailed Tropicbirds, Tasman Boobies (many following the ship!), and of course huge numbers of Black-winged and Kermadec Petrels. After passing Nugent and Napier Rocks - the most northerly outposts of New Zealand – we came back to anchor off Fishing Rock where conditions were significantly better than in the morning. It was still too rough to attempt an excursion, but we were at least able to land the Kermadec rangers and volunteers, and pick up Jenny who had been visiting with her daughter ashore for the past two days. In the evening, the underwater photographers shared some images with us. We remained at anchor for the night.
April 13, 2011: Raoul Island and the Meyer Islets
The wind continued to blow but the swell eased somewhat so we made a determined effort to get ashore. Conditions were very difficult at Fishing Rock, but everyone eventually got ashore - alas, Peter took an inadvertent swim in the process. Everyone had the full day to explore Raoul Island. The walkers headed to the station where Peter was given the honour of launching the Met balloon with Sian, one of the DoC rangers. Some people then headed off up to the summit of the island, getting fantastic views into the Raoul Island caldera with its three lakes: Blue, Green and Tui. The effects of the previous eruption in 2006 were still very much in evidence with trees in the blast zone lying around on Devastation Ridge. The recent cyclone meant that the DoC staff had to work very hard to get the track cleared for us to walk up to the summit, and this was very much appreciated by everyone. The botanists in the party were especially delighted to get up into the ‘cloud forest’ and investigate some of the unique flora found on the island - in particular the two endemic species of tree fern. The rest of the party walked along the northern terraces to Ravine 8, stopping to look at the old woolshed which is a relic from the farming days. There is a grave also situated here – it is that of a farm manager who died of tetanus in the early part of last century. Huge Norfolk Pines planted by the Bell family (early settlers) are a significant feature here. Out at the beach at Ravine 8 we found large branches of black coral which must have been wrenched up by the recent cyclone. One even still had its symbiotic snake star wrapped around it.
Meanwhile, the divers all got in two dives. Conditions were difficult for getting all the gear and divers loaded, but more than worth the effort for the two hours that they got to spend under the water off the Meyer Islets. Most divers considered these their two best dives of the trip. The area had many Galapagos Sharks and curious Spotted Black Groupers along with schools of Kermadec Kahawai, Blue Maomao, Kingfish and many others. It was a very content lot of divers who returned to the ship in the evening as the masses of Kermadec Petrels came in to their breeding island.
With everyone safely back aboard, we set a course for Tauranga, turned on two engines and set full speed ahead for New Zealand.
April 14, 2011: At Sea
The ship rolled through the night as we made good speed southwards. Daybreak saw us well to the west of Esperance Rock where a pod of Risso’s Dolphins was seen by a lucky few before breakfast; otherwise it was a very quiet morning. Only the occasional Black-winged, Grey-faced and White-naped Petrels flew by, though a Red-tailed Tropicbird also flew a few laps around the ship. Indoors a documentary was aired on Islands of the Pacific and Marie opened up the sea shop. We picked up another stowaway, this time a welcome swallow that landed on board.
Mid-afternoon John spotted a blow which proved to be the first of about 20 or more Sperm Whales. While we watched these, the deepest diving of all the whales, a Sunfish was also spotted and shortly after, a couple more pods of Risso’s Dolphins were observed. Later, Richie gave a talk on his very impressive photography.
April 15, 2011: At Sea
Conditions were beautiful for our final day at sea as we made good speed towards the New Zealand mainland. Birding on decks was relatively slow although both Gould’s and Providence Petrels were again recorded. We aired part of the Blue Planet series and Aaron gave a tantalising talk on other expedition destinations around the world. With such good progress being made, we altered course slightly to sail past the Alderman Islands. The New Zealand coastline came into view around lunch time.
Pete gave a great talk on diving ship wrecks around New Zealand and then everyone was out on deck to enjoy the spectacle of the Alderman Islands. As the sun set, many thousands of Grey-faced Petrels flew around the waters and the rugged rocks showed the last rays of sun for the day. We gathered for a final drink and Brad and Nicki outdid themselves with their farewell dinner. At 11pm our pilot boarded and we were soon alongside the wharf in Tauranga.
April 16, 2011: Disembarking at Tauranga
Rain greeted us this morning alongside the wharf. After breakfast, most people opted to head home though a group of 14 made an excursion to the Rotorua area and returned for one final dinner on board.
