Page 21 - 2008 NZ SUB ANTARCTIC ISLANDS - SMARTPHONE

Chapter 10. Campbell Island

Our trip to this southernmost of the Subantarctic Islands took two nights and a day and we were
probably making between 10-15 knots most of the way. We did have some choppy seas and were
advised to “keep one hand for the ship” as a safety measure. Since the daylight hours were spent
in lectures with some breaks for resting in the cabin, we also found it a challenge to remain still
and comfortable in bed reading. However, we were never seasick or anxious about the sea
conditions. As a matter of fact, our ship’s crew and naturalists kept telling us how lucky we have
been with the weather throughout the trip and we believed them, filled with hope that this luck
would continue. Meanwhile, outside on deck the temperatures were in the 50s but the wind chill
did make that feel a bit more biting.

The Campbells are one of the five groups of uninhabited islands known as the New Zealand
Subantarctic Islands. No two of them are the same geologically or biologically. Campbell Island
is the most southerly and 410 miles south of the South Island. The east coast of the island is
deeply indented with fjordlike bays and inlets, the longest one our destination at Perseverance
Harbor. This fjord is like a crooked finger: when the boat enters the passage, it is not possible to
see the harbor itself. The west coast is predominantly formed of high and steep granite cliffs
where many seabirds nest. The island is comprised of 27,844 acres. The island sits atop a shield
volcano, or perhaps is more accurately labeled a shield volcano.

Campbell Island is usually characterized as cool, cloudy, wet and windy. The island basks under
bright sunny skies for only 650 hours a year! For 215 (59%) days of the year, there is less than a
single hour of sunshine! There are 4.76 feet of rain every year and moisture finds the island at
least 325 days a year. The island is often raked with wind gusts of 50 knots, so often those winds
occur at least 100 days out of every year. Variations in daily and annual temperatures are small
and the mean average temps move between 40F to 52F. It was a chilly 46F degrees when we
offloaded onto the Zodiacs; it did warm up a bit as the day went on however.

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