Enderby Island, New Zealand

Enderby Island is part of the Auckland Islands archipelago. It is situated just off the northern tip of Auckland Island, the largest island in the archipelago.

History

On March 20, 1887, the Derry Castle, an iron barque registered in Boston, Massachusetts, ran aground off of Enderby Island nine days into its journey. The ship was en route from Geelong, Victoria to Falmouth, Cornwall and was manned by a crew of twenty-three. It carried one passenger and a cargo of wheat. The Derry Castle was owned by P. Richardson & Co. and was under the command of Captain J. Goffe.

The surviving members of the Derry Castle crew found a depot at Sandy Bay on Enderby Island. They proceeded to construct some further crude shelters around this depot. On a clif overlooking the water, they buried the bodies of their fellow crew members that had washed ashore. The grave was marked with the ship's figurehead.

After 192 days the Derry Castle was officially posted as missing by Lloyd's of London. On the September 21, 1887, a 45 ton steamer, the Awarua, arrived in Hobson's Bay, Victoria, returning from an illegal sealing expedition in the Auckland Islands. On board the Awarua were eight survivors from the Derry Castle.

The Derry Castle grave site was maintained for many years by the New Zealand government until it sank into the ground. However, during World War II, the figurehead was resurrected by those stationed on the islands. The figurehead can now be viewed (along with other items from the wreck) at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand. In its place, a tombstone now marks the site of the sailors' graves.

Fauna

Rabbits

A rare variety of rabbit lived on Enderby Island. Rabbits are not indigenous to the island; their ancestors were brought from Australia in October 1865. Following their introduction, the population was isolated for almost 130 years. Enderby Island Rabbits are predominantly silver-grey in colour but a recessive gene ensures that a small percentage is cream or beige.

Cattle

As with rabbits, cattle were introduced to Enderby Island in the late 1800s. Shorthorn cattle were brought to the island by whalers in 1894 where they proceeded to survive on kelp and other island flora, becoming a distinctive wild variety. By the mid-1980s, the Enderby Island Cattle herds had nearly denuded Enderby Island of its growth, a problem that came to the attention of New Zealand's Department of Conservation. In response, efforts were made to eradicate cattle on the island. By the mid-1990s, only one cow, 'Lady', remained. Lady was taken to mainland New Zealand in February 1993. Since then she has been the subject of intense efforts to save the variety, efforts that have included cloning.

Indigenous fauna include the Auckland Shag and the New Zealand Sea Lion.

Geology

Enderby Island is perched on the Campbell Plateau and is composed of eroding volcanic remains from eruptions that occurred between 25 and 10 million years ago.

Links

* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nzbound/derry.htm A description of the Derry Castle shipwreck]
* [http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/enderbyrabbit.html Information about Enderby Island rabbits - a rare breed]
* [http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/endcattlepro.html Information about Enderby Island cattle - a rare breed]
* [http://web1100.anmsci.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/enderbyisland/index.htm More information about the efforts to save Enderby Cattle]

References

* cite book
last = Peat
first = Neville
year = 2003
title = Subantarctic New Zealand: A Rare Heritage
publisher = Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai
location = Invercargill, New Zealand
id = ISBN 0-478-22464-8

* cite book
last = Shirihai
first = Hadoram
year = 2002
title = A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife
publisher = Alula Press
location = Degerby, Finland
id = ISBN 951-98947-0-5

ee also

*Auckland Islands
*List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands