The Auckland Islands form a sub-antarctic archipelago of New Zealand. They lie 465 kilometres from the South Island port of Bluff, between the latitudes 50&deg 30' and 50&deg 55' S and longitudes 165&deg 50' and 166&deg 20' E. The islands are uninhabited.

Contents

1 Geography 2 History 3 Ecology 4 References

Geography

The main island (Auckland Island) has an approximate land area of 510 km², and is 42 kilometres long. It is notable for its steep cliffs and rugged terrain, which rises to over 600 metres. Prominent peaks include Cavern Peak (650 M), Mount Raynal (635 m), Mount D'Urville (630 m), Mount Easton (610 m), and the Tower of Babel (550 m).

The southern end of the island broadens to a width of 26 kilometres. Here, a narrow channel known as Carnley Harbour (on some maps the Adams Straits) separates the main island from Adams Island (area approximately 100 km²), which is even more mountainous, reaching a height of 660 m with Mount Dick. The channel is the remains of the crater of an extinct volcano, and Adams Island and the southern part of the main island form the crater rim.

There are numerous other smaller islands in the group, notably Disappointment Island (10 kilometres northwest of the main island) and Enderby Island (1000 metres off the northern tip of the main island), each covering less than 5 km².

Many inlets are sharply incised into the main island, notably Port Ross in the northern end of the island.

History

The islands were discovered by Capt. Abraham Bristow in 1806, and claimed by Great Britain the following year. They were visited by the explorers Dumont D'Urville in 1839, and James Clark Ross the following year.

Now uninhabited, they saw an unsuccessful settlement in the mid-19th century. An attempt to set up a community based on agriculture and whaling was proposed by Charles Enderby in 1846, and a settlement was established at Port Ross in 1850. It was abandoned only two years later.

The Auckland Islands were included in the extended boundaries of New Zealand by the Imperial Parliament in 1863.

The rocky coasts of the island have proven disastrous for several ships. The Grafton was wrecked off the coast of the islands in 1864, and in 1866, one of New Zealand's most famous shipwrecks, that of the General Grant occurred on the western coast. Several unsuccessful attempts have been made to salvage cargo from the General Grant, which is believed to have been carrying bullion. A further maritime tragedy occurred in 1907, with the loss of the Dundonald and twelve crew off Disappointment Island. Because of the high probability of wrecks around the islands, supplies were kept in a depot at Port Ross.

The Auckland Islands were at one time during the 1940s the location of a New Zealand meteorological station, but this was closed down after only a few years.

Ecology

By the 21st century the islands had become the chief breeding place of the New Zealand Sea Lion.

References

Wise's New Zealand Guide (4th ed.) (1969). Dunedin: H. Wise & Co. (N.Z.) Ltd.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand (1863, Session III Oct-Dec) (A5)