52 Degrees South

Looking out towards Northwest Bay, from Col Lyall saddle, Campbell Island. Silvery Pleurophyllum hookeri leaves can be seen lying in rosettes, with the odd Bulbinella rossii with yellow brush-shaped flowers.

Campbell Island is one of the southernmost subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Its climate is constantly cool, often cloudy, and during two weeks in November/December, almost every type of weather was encountered! Horizontal rain, vertical rain, low fog and cloud, high winds and fog, snow and even some sunshine and blue skies.

In 2008, I was a lucky recipient of an Enderby Trust Scholarship - with Heritage Expeditions, I got to spend 8 days onboard the Spirit of Enderby, visiting the "Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific" (the title of our cruise). We visited Campbell Island, Auckland and Enderby Island, and did a boating trip around the Snares Islands.

Campbell Island was the most impressive in my opinion.

Megaherb field in 'Belinda's Garden', on Col Lyall, Campbell Island

 Not simply for being the southernmost, or home to the Southern Royal Albatross (and others!), or because sealions (Phocarctos hookeri) wait hidden in the tussocks far from the coast.
It was because this island, which seems so windswept, isolated and wild, was farmed for many years in the 20th Century. Sheep were the main livestock, and they ran rampant over the island - however since their removal in the late 80's, the megaherb flora, tussock grasses and small forbs have made an impressive comeback!

The last of the sheep were taken to Invercargill for research into back wool (can read more about them here: http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/campbell.html).

Campbell Island is also the worlds largest island to have had rats completely eradicated! Once again, helping the unique flora regenerate simultaneously with insect fauna and birdlife.

As a botanist, once and always the best part of this island are the plants. Megaherbs are large, herbaceous, flowering plants which when compared to mainland relatives are simply HUGE! Imagine your lawn daisy, but its so huge it reaches your kneecaps. That is the awesome scale of our megaherbs.

From Left to Right: Anisotome latifolia, Pleurophyllum speciosum, Stilbocarpa polaris and Bulbinella rossii.