WAYS OF THE WILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 261, 4 November 1933, Page 1 (Supplement)

WAYS OF THE WILD.

FAUNA AND FLORA. GTTLF ISLANDS. (By A. T. PYCHOFT.) A visit was made during the first week in October by Mr. R. A. Falla and the writer to the Mokohinau Islands, Fanal, Arid and Cuvier Islands. The Marine Department had granted us permission to make the trip in its launch the Nora, a vessel which visits Mokohinau and Cuvier lighthouses monthly, taking out provisions and mail and if necessary transferring members of the staff. Our thanks are due to Captain Wilt :, superintendent of marine, Captain Daniels, and Messrs. I. And-rson and J. O'Connor, of the launch Nora, for valuable assistance during the trip. Exceptionally fine weather prevailed, and we were, therefore, able to land with ease wherever desired. Without calm seas a landing on some of the islets visited would often be extremely difficult, and on occasion impossible. We left Auckland at 7.30 a.m. on October 3. Nearing Tiri Tiri island gannets, blackbacked gulls and white-fronted terns were seen. Associated with them and fairly plentiful were fluttering and flesh-footed shearwaters. Arctic skuas, but recently arrived from the Arctic— they usually arrive in October and leave in April—were seen pursuing whitefronted terns for their fish. Several Buller's snearwaters were also seen. Dolphins were numerous and were photographed vj the movie camera as they broached alongside the launch. We lunched at Challenger islet, off the south-eastern end of Kawau Island, quite near to where. lambs' boat the Teddy was wrecked. After leaving Kawau a course was set for Mokohinau, about sixty miles- from Auckland. Towards evening several kinds of petrel were seen. They were the allied shearwater, white-faced storm petrel, diving petrel and Cook's petrel.

Hump-backed Whale Sighted. A hump-backed whale was also seen. We were in hopes of obtaining a movie photograph, but the cetacean was frightened and was travelling fast. Humpback whales attain a length of about 50ft. Two skeletons of this whale, although the commonest whale round our ehoree, are preserved in our museums. These whales perforin regular migrations. Spending the summer in Antarctic waters, they reach our coasts on their northward journey during June, July and August. They go north at least as far as the Kcrmadecs, and bring forth their young while in subtropical seas. Then the southward movement-begins and (states Oliver) a second season for whalers in the north of New Zealand, at any rate, occurs during October and November. The migrating school must be a long one, as

two or three months are occupied on each visit north and south. It will appear also, hy what has been said, that the greater portion of the year is spent in the cold waters to the south of New Zealand. We reached Mokohinau at 6 p.m., and went ashore for half an hour while stores were being landed. This light is 385 ft above the sea on the eastern edge of the main island, known as Burgess Island. It flashes every ten seconds and is visible for 20 miles. We visited the lighthouse after dinner, and on-the walk up by moonlight saw close to us thousands of mackerel gulls, our common northern red-billed and redlegged gull, which is now nesting. They were very noisy throughout the night, some noisily love-making, some quarrelling and others on their nests scolding intruders. During a ramble ashore before breakfast we visited a blow-hole which penetrates half-way across the island, terminating in an air-vent. Some former lighthouse keeper narrowed the vent with concrete, but the noise during a heavy sea was so disturbing that the concrete was removed. . The greater part of Burgess Island is in grass, and each lighthouse keeper, there are three, has his own cow. There is no bush, hut some pohutukawas, a prostrate ngaio, taupata and koromiko were seen. The -"red-fronted parrakcefc is plentiful at times, and strange avian visitors are sometimes seen. A recent visitor, said to be still there, is a whimbrcl, from Eastern Siberia.

Fanal Island Visited. After an early breakfast we ran across to Fanal Island, about two and a half miles distant, , aud probably 400 acres in extent. There is only one landingplace at which access may be had to the top of the island, and this, owing to the calm weather, proved easily negotiable. We scaled the island and crossed a ridge into one of the two large wooded gullies. The vegetation on the steep southern slope is dense and stunted, and on top of the ridge is matted flax and scrub. We descended through this into a gully where there was running water. Here the trees were principally pohutukawa, kohekohe, purirLand a few whau. Here and there were decayed trunks of ti'ees larger than any at present growing in this gully, suggesting a possible burning off at some time. Remains of native visits were present, bleached marine shells being found, also a few bleached shells of the flax snail Placostylus, which may have been brought from the mainland or the Poor Knights. The most interesting discovery was that of boulders of obsidian or volcanic glass. It is possible that the Maoris may have obtained obsidian from here as well as from Mayor Island. Bird life was not plentiful. Bellbirds and red-fronted parrakects v/Cfrc fairly numerous. Tuis, pigeons, kingfishers, fantails and whiteeyes were also seen, in addition to blackbirds and starlings. Burrows of the North Island mutton bird, P. Macroptcra, were found, as also were those of the diving petrel. We were informed by Mr. Anderson that the Great Barrier natives still visit this island for mutton birds, about 200 being obtained in 1931. AVe returned to Mokohinau after lunch, and passed between Burgess Island and some rugged islands lying to the west on our way to Groper islet, distant about a couple of miles. Some of these islets are extremely rugged, and several are pierced by caves and archways. At one place there is an almost land-locked inlet of deep water surrounded by towering cliffs. Groper islet is a small islet covered with taupata on its summit and sides. There are small areas of flat rocks in which fresh water had lodged; here mosquito larvae were present in myriads. Elsewhere the islet is covered with soft earth, which is riddled with burrows of the diving petrel and of a larger petrel, the burrows of the latter bird being unoccupied. (To be continued.;