On our first day in Wellington, we also went on a boat ride to Matui/Somes Island in the harbor. Matui is the Maori name for the island. The story goes that Kupe, a Polynesian explorer, named the island after his daughter. The island was renamed in 1839 after Joseph Somes, of the New Zealand Company. In 1997 the Maori name was finally reinstated and now the island's official name is Matui/Somes.
The island has been used for quarantine and an internment camp during World War II. Maori once lived on the island as well. Now it's run by the Department of Conservation (DOC), which is similar to our Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It's now a nature preserve for animals and plants native to New Zealand.
Since New Zealand's only native land mammal is the bat, volunteers and DOC employees work to keep invasive mammals and plants from inhabiting the island. When we arrived on the island, we had to go into a building and check our bags and clothes for any animals or plants. The DOC worker said that a mouse was once brought onto the island by a visitor! The island is home to the endangered Red-crowned parakeet/käkäriki (which we saw!) as well as the world's smallest penguin, the little blue penguin/korora (we didn't see any of these). Since New Zealand's birds have no natural/native predators, their populations have dwindled due to introduced land mammals such as rats, stoats, and possums.
The island wasn't that big, we walked around it and saw a graveyard, lighthouse, and some sheep. (Just a fraction of the hundreds of sheep we would later see in New Zealand!) If you're interested in learning more about the island, this is the DOC website:
The island has been used for quarantine and an internment camp during World War II. Maori once lived on the island as well. Now it's run by the Department of Conservation (DOC), which is similar to our Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It's now a nature preserve for animals and plants native to New Zealand.
Since New Zealand's only native land mammal is the bat, volunteers and DOC employees work to keep invasive mammals and plants from inhabiting the island. When we arrived on the island, we had to go into a building and check our bags and clothes for any animals or plants. The DOC worker said that a mouse was once brought onto the island by a visitor! The island is home to the endangered Red-crowned parakeet/käkäriki (which we saw!) as well as the world's smallest penguin, the little blue penguin/korora (we didn't see any of these). Since New Zealand's birds have no natural/native predators, their populations have dwindled due to introduced land mammals such as rats, stoats, and possums.
The island wasn't that big, we walked around it and saw a graveyard, lighthouse, and some sheep. (Just a fraction of the hundreds of sheep we would later see in New Zealand!) If you're interested in learning more about the island, this is the DOC website:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/wellington/poneke/matiu-somes-island/
Wellington harbor
Wellington harbor
the island
a permanent fixture in New Zealand
a little crab Margaret found
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