Page 15 - 2008 NZ SUB ANTARCTIC ISLANDS - SMARTPHONE

precariously placed nests. Other species of birds also struggle for purchase among the gannets—
oystercatchers, King Shags, Pied Shags, and silver gulls. The scene was beautiful and rugged and
a spectacular sunset just added to the beauty as we watched the birds begin to flock in for the
night, dark patterns against the sky’s brilliant tropical colors. As we zoomed about in Zodiacs
under the amazing sunset, we also passed the roosting place of the rare and endemic King Shag.

Chapter 6. Ship’s Cove

This site connected with Captain James Cook’s expeditions to New Zealand is an example of
DOC’s administration of NZ cultural and historical heritage. Ship’s Cove is a sheltered bay
where Captain Cook found everything he needed to refurbish his men and his ship and its stores.
The site included excellent sources of fresh water, lots of sturdy trees for timber, plentiful greens
to prevent scurvy among the sailors, good anchorage for his ships and comfortable terrain for the
men to pitch tents and rest from the rolling sea and constant motion of the good ship Endeavor.
He visited and revisited this area from 1770 to 1773 and spent a total of 168 days there. For
good or ill, Captain Cook is a seminal figure in NZ history because he was the first European to
have close contacts with the Maori, some friendly and some not. But after Capt. Cook came the
European invasion and then the country was never the same.
We hikers approached the site from the other side of the land spit and walked through a lovely
forest over some medium hills to reach Ship’s Cove from the land side rather than seaside as the
good captain did. We enjoyed the well-maintained trail and admired the lovely views towards the
cove from the heights we reached. Our hike took about 2 hours to complete. There is a wonderful
DOC pier that reaches far out into the Cove and that’s where the Zodiacs unloaded the passengers
who did not wish to hike with us that morning. There is a monument honoring Capt. Cook that
had been placed in 1913. There is a small green lawn area running down to the sea and we saw
several wekas foraging like chickens in the grass and among the pebbles closer to the water.
DOC also maintains a trail that takes about 45 minutes roundtrip up to the double waterfall that is
the source of the water Capt. Cook was so pleased to find. The falls and their setting are really
quite beautiful. Ship’s Cove is maintained now by DOC and it is doing an excellent job
considering this is a very much visited site.

Chapter 7. Kaikoura

In truth, this small former whaling station town should not be covered in this journal because of
the antithetical standards of ecotravel here. Because the Maoris have had the concession to
operate tourist facilities here for many years, many of the regulations promulgated by DOC do
not obtain here. In particular, the ban against chumming to attract birds is totally ignored.
Nonetheless, the Maoris have shown great interest in preserving the wonderful landscape and
wildlife here.

The town is backed against a snow-covered range of low mountains that provide drama to the
scene. Beneath the water is an even more astounding wilderness, the Abyssal Plain that begins
dropping away just feet from the harbor. The Plain drops even further into the Hikurangi Trench
and thence into the Kermadec Trench, at least 1000 ft. below the sea surface. There, the Pacific
and Australian plates collide and create volcanic eruptions and mudslides and enormous surges in
the sea bottom. Because the sea is warm in the deep area and it mixes with the colder waters
higher in the column, there is a constant upwelling of plankton and deep sea creatures such as
squid and tiny invertebrates that create great banquets for the whales and other sea mammals.

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