Kay Rabarts on Chatham Islands with Swans nest and eggs

Lying just an hour and 45 minutes to the east of the South Island by plane, the Chatham Islands are not intimately known and are rarely visited by most New Zealanders but those who ignore this part of New Zealand are missing a treasure trove of experiences. This collection of low-lying, windswept islands, the home of the resurrected black robin and magenta petrel (taiko) are infrequently included in mainstream news. They get a mention on radio weather forecasts but not television weather presentations and they rarely feature in our daily thinking. We are however, missing a veritable storehouse of interesting stories, diverse flora and fauna and a growing potential for tourism.

A Project Tongariro (Tongariro Natural History Society) group of ten enthusiasts visited the Chatham Islands (including Pitt Island) in October 2009 and collectively we were captivated by the warmth of the hospitality, seduced by the ready availability of sea food and intrigued by the multi-layered levels of interest for curious travellers. Anthropologists, historians, geologists, archaeologists, photographers, conservationists, gardeners, trampers and inquisitive tourists will all benefit from time spent on these islands. We were ably led by Kaye Rabarts who has visited the islands a few times. She organized an interesting and varied programme which included volunteer contributions to three projects.

Michael King brought to the world’s attention the history of the Moriori and numerous other books, including Department of Conservation publications, have increased knowledge of history, bird life, plant species (which differ from mainland New Zealand) and scientific restoration of species.

Life on the islands centres on fishing, farming and increasingly, tourism. Fishing produces an abundant harvest, although the bounteous days of high incomes may be becoming a memory rather than being an existing reality. Blue cod, paua and lobster predominate. The farming is a mixture of sheep and beef cattle which is shipped live to mainland New Zealand for slaughter. Tourism in various forms is exerting a stronger presence in the island’s economy. There are good places to stay and cars to hire and a range of organized tours to select from.

But everything is expensive with petrol at $2-25 per litre and freight charges from the mainland a significant overhead on all items. About 700 people live on the Chathams, importing their goods and food in on the regular planes.

A day was spent planting hundreds of ake ake (Olearia transversii) on Lois and Val Croon’s property (Admiral Gardens) which will increasingly become a garden of great interest to horticuluturists and botanists. Another contribution of volunteer time was to Bruce and Liz Tuanui’s farm when over 500 flax bushes were planted while misty drizzle reminded us that the weather is a dominant part of experience on the islands. A third volunteer day was spent tidying up the grounds of an ancient stone house, originally built by Moravian missionaries in 1866. The building has an A listing from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and we were happy to tidy up the grounds by removing unwanted plants and doing various chores. A great barbecue ended a day full of interest.

A large Moriori meeting house, Te Kopinga marae has been built recently, placed on a hill it overlooks much of the Chatham Islands. Inside, the five sided, central column carries the names of the original people. Moriori received a settlement and have their own fishing quota so there is some optimism about a better economic future.

Large tracts of land have been grazed by stock for decades and many patches of bush have become de-graded and rough looking as a result and gorse and guava have an invasive presence. Several land owners however, are fencing off parts of their properties allowing young plants to flourish and regeneration to occur. Some landowners have placed parts of their land under covenant. The difference between unfenced and fenced areas is a sharp contrast: after about 8 to 10 years abundant re-growth and flourishing bird life is the reward.

What to do with worn out cars and machinery is a major environmental question. Parts of the landscape are littered with rusting cars, worn out tractors and broken machinery. Eventually a policy for handling this matter in an eco-friendly way may emerge, in the meantime, the rust accumulates.

We made a day trip to Pitt Island, the first land to see the light of the new day (the Chathams are 45 minutes ahead of mainland New Zealand in time). We made the 20 minute plane trip landing on an uphill and bumpy landing strip to be met by Brent who took us to Glory Bay, the site of a restored DOC cottage and an ancient shipwreck and on to the school where a presentation of kit-set kaleidoscopes was made. Some of our group climbed the highest point on the island which was the site of millennium celebrations in 2000. Flowerpot, the site of the jetty and landing barges, so named after a once prominent geological feature was also visited. About 30 people live on the island, farming, fishing and gradually, developing tourist enterprises.

In our trusty two wheel drive Toyota van (most cars on the islands are 4WD) we drove on every (gravel) road on the main island, north to south and east to west. We examined the mysterious dendroglyphs carved into kopi (karaka) trees and paid homage at the statue of Tommy Solomon, regarded as the last Moriori. The petroglyphs (rock carvings) at Nanukus Cave were viewed and there are several scenic reserves to explore. Middens abound along coastal stretches: we viewed them, respected them and moved on. The lagoon, a major feature on the island is the size of Lake Taupo.

The weather is an ever present feature of life on the Chathams and the wind sculptured trees bear testimony to the frequent gales. There is a breeze most days and clearly, the breeze sometimes assumes hurricane status. For our visit however, the weather was gentle and mild. Locals assured us it would be like that until April. Is there a Tui billboard in there somewhere?

by Bob Stothart