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The great south road

Every year tourists follow the wet road south to visit the extraordinary wildlife preserves of the subantarctic islands—the raucous penguin colonies, the perennial bloom of megaherbs and the austere and hostile beauty of the ice-laden Southern Ocean. Brett Phibbs travelled the great south road with Heritage Expeditions as part of his prize as the 2011 New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year.

With their bright yellow plumage, jet black heads and distinctive shape, king penguins are similar in appearance to the closely related emperor penguin of Happy Feet fame. But unlike their Antarctic cousin, king penguins live on isolated islands in the Southern Ocean, are smaller in stature and breed during the summer months rather than brave the polar winter. On Macquarie Island, king penguins were nearly wiped out in the early 20th century by a commercial operation headed by the notorious entrepreneur—and former Invercargill mayor and member of Parliament—Joseph Hatch, whose team of ‘oilers’ clubbed to death three million penguins over the course of three decades and rendered them into oil. The enterprise drew criticism from British zoologist and politician Sir Walter Rothschild and later from polar explorer and scientist Sir Douglas Mawson, resulting in one of the earliest public conservation concerns for the greater Antarctic region. As a result, the oiling industry was halted before the total destruction of the colony, and today the penguin population on Macquarie Island numbers in the hundreds of thousands, many nesting in the shelter of rusting ‘digesters’ which boiled their forebears. The colonies are noisy and acrid, with chicks trumpeting for their parents and adults fiercely protecting their patch. Though ungainly on land, king penguins are swift at sea, travelling hundreds of kilometres on a single foraging trip and diving to depths of 200 metres.
With their bright yellow plumage, jet black heads and distinctive shape, king penguins are similar in appearance to the closely related emperor penguin of Happy Feet fame. But unlike their Antarctic cousin, king penguins live on isolated islands in the Southern Ocean, are smaller in stature and breed during the summer months rather than brave the polar winter. On Macquarie Island, king penguins were nearly wiped out in the early 20th century by a commercial operation headed by the notorious entrepreneur—and former Invercargill mayor and member of Parliament—Joseph Hatch, whose team of ‘oilers’ clubbed to death three million penguins over the course of three decades and rendered them into oil. The enterprise drew criticism from British zoologist and politician Sir Walter Rothschild and later from polar explorer and scientist Sir Douglas Mawson, resulting in one of the earliest public conservation concerns for the greater Antarctic region. As a result, the oiling industry was halted before the total destruction of the colony, and today the penguin population on Macquarie Island numbers in the hundreds of thousands, many nesting in the shelter of rusting ‘digesters’ which boiled their forebears. The colonies are noisy and acrid, with chicks trumpeting for their parents and adults fiercely protecting their patch. Though ungainly on land, king penguins are swift at sea, travelling hundreds of kilometres on a single foraging trip and diving to depths of 200 metres.
New Zealand and its surrounding islands are regarded as the albatross hotspot of the world, with eight species that occur nowhere else. One of these is the white-capped albatross, which is found in colonies only on the New Zealand subantarctic islands. The largest colony is on Disappointment Island, a rocky islet off the coast of Auckland Island, where an estimated 80,000 pairs breed in a tightly packed chaos of nests. In crowded colonies such as these, material for nest construction is at a premium, and the distance between nests is governed by the reach of the closest neighbours. The colony on Disappointment Island, which contains 90 per cent of the global breeding population, has been surveyed for the past five years. To minimise disturbance and gain a birds’ eye view, scientists fly around the island in helicopters, taking thousands of pictures which then have to be painstakingly joined together so that nests can be identified and counted each year. Early indications from this extensive study suggest the population is in decline, but the reasons are not yet known. To shed some light on what these birds do at sea, scientists track individual birds using satellite transmitters attached to the feathers on their back. The transmitters have shown that some birds are attracted to the cast-offs from fishing vessels, and noticeably change their behaviour around them, but how this impacts on the species, or even how it might benefit from the interaction, is still not well understood.
New Zealand and its surrounding islands are regarded as the albatross hotspot of the world, with eight species that occur nowhere else. One of these is the white-capped albatross, which is found in colonies only on the New Zealand subantarctic islands. The largest colony is on Disappointment Island, a rocky islet off the coast of Auckland Island, where an estimated 80,000 pairs breed in a tightly packed chaos of nests. In crowded colonies such as these, material for nest construction is at a premium, and the distance between nests is governed by the reach of the closest neighbours.
The colony on Disappointment Island, which contains 90 per cent of the global breeding population, has been surveyed for the past five years. To minimise disturbance and gain a birds’ eye view, scientists fly around the island in helicopters, taking thousands of pictures which then have to be painstakingly joined together so that nests can be identified and counted each year. Early indications from this extensive study suggest the population is in decline, but the reasons are not yet known. To shed some light on what these birds do at sea, scientists track individual birds using satellite transmitters attached to the feathers on their back. The transmitters have shown that some birds are attracted to the cast-offs from fishing vessels, and noticeably change their behaviour around them, but how this impacts on the species, or even how it might benefit from the interaction, is still not well understood.
There are few phenomena in the animal kingdom that assault the senses like the royal penguin colonies of Macquarie Island. The largest host up to a million birds at any one time, and the smell, noise and odour of so many in one space create a correspondingly alarming sensory experience. To watch these birds squabbling, fiercely defending their rocky nest, might suggest to the casual observer that aggression is a normal way of life. However, they have a gentler side, illustrated by this pair preening their hatchling. Chicks are easy prey and a dietary staple for fierce, predatory skuas. Adults guard their progeny constantly in the first few days of life and take turns to feed in the Southern Ocean while the other parent shelters the chick from the elements and predators under a small flap of skin called the brood patch, which is also used to incubate the egg.
There are few phenomena in the animal kingdom that assault the senses like the royal penguin colonies of Macquarie Island. The largest host up to a million birds at any one time, and the smell, noise and odour of so many in one space create a correspondingly alarming sensory experience. To watch these birds squabbling, fiercely defending their rocky nest, might suggest to the casual observer that aggression is a normal way of life.
However, they have a gentler side, illustrated by this pair preening their hatchling. Chicks are easy prey and a dietary staple for fierce, predatory skuas. Adults guard their progeny constantly in the first few days of life and take turns to feed in the Southern Ocean while the other parent shelters the chick from the elements and predators under a small flap of skin called the brood patch, which is also used to incubate the egg.
Penguin species nest in colonies, with the exception of hoiho. On Enderby Island hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguins, come ashore in ones and twos and make their way to cryptic burrows in the rata forest, usually in the shelter of fallen logs or on the banks of small streams. Why does this penguin behave so differently from other species? The answer may lie in its evolutionary origins. Some scientists believe that the yellow-eyed penguin (or a close relative) originated in the ancient coastal forests of the supercontinent of Gondwana, where it had to contend with a plethora of different land-based predators. The yellow-eyed penguin evolved its secretive habits to survive in such an environment, and has retained them today, even though its former predators are long gone, dispersed by the cooling of the Antarctic landmass as it moved south. (Other penguin species also moved into warmer waters, finally reaching the Galapagos Islands four million years ago but never crossing the thermal barrier of the equator.) Royal penguins are thought to be one of the most primitive of all the penguins, and their appearance suggests they were closely related to the ancestor of all the crested penguins. Today, they have the dubious distinction of being the world’s rarest penguin and places like Enderby Island form important refuges for the species, under threat from habitat degradation and introduced predators at breeding sites on the mainland.
Penguin species nest in colonies, with the exception of hoiho. On Enderby Island hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguins, come ashore in ones and twos and make their way to cryptic burrows in the rata forest, usually in the shelter of fallen logs or on the banks of small streams. Why does this penguin behave so differently from other species? The answer may lie in its evolutionary origins. Some scientists believe that the yellow-eyed penguin (or a close relative) originated in the ancient coastal forests of the supercontinent of Gondwana, where it had to contend with a plethora of different land-based predators. The yellow-eyed penguin evolved its secretive habits to survive in such an environment, and has retained them today, even though its former predators are long gone, dispersed by the cooling of the Antarctic landmass as it moved south. (Other penguin species also moved into warmer waters, finally reaching the Galapagos Islands four million years ago but never crossing the thermal barrier of the equator.)
Royal penguins are thought to be one of the most primitive of all the penguins, and their appearance suggests they were closely related to the ancestor of all the crested penguins. Today, they have the dubious distinction of being the world’s rarest penguin and places like Enderby Island form important refuges for the species, under threat from habitat degradation and introduced predators at breeding sites on the mainland.
The long tendrils of Antarctic bull kelp twist and ripple according to the swell of the tumultuous Southern Ocean. Despite the relentless pounding, this kelp, the largest of all the brown algae, is one of the most common species in the intertidal zone of most southern continental coastlines and the subantarctic islands. One of the secrets of its success are the kelp equivalent of roots, holdfasts. These structures, which may measure up to a metre across, anchor the kelp so strongly that it is not uncommon for a piece of the rock to break off before the kelp is torn free. Another reason for the widespread distribution of the species is its ability to stay alive at sea in masses of tangled fronds known as rafts. Free-floating kelp can remain alive and still reproduce for several months, and it is estimated that there are tens of millions of these rafts in the Southern Ocean at any one time. They not only assist in the dispersal of the kelp itself, but can also support mini-ecosystems of travelling marine invertebrates and other micro-organisms that otherwise would have no chance of crossing vast swathes of ocean. Like forests on land, kelp forests are also important in maintaining biodiversity in the ocean, particularly near the coast. The dense stalks and fronds provide not only a haven from inclement weather but also shelter from the sun and protection from predators.
The long tendrils of Antarctic bull kelp twist and ripple according to the swell of the tumultuous Southern Ocean. Despite the relentless pounding, this kelp, the largest of all the brown algae, is one of the most common species in the intertidal zone of most southern continental coastlines and the subantarctic islands. One of the secrets of its success are the kelp equivalent of roots, holdfasts. These structures, which may measure up to a metre across, anchor the kelp so strongly that it is not uncommon for a piece of the rock to break off before the kelp is torn free.
Another reason for the widespread distribution of the species is its ability to stay alive at sea in masses of tangled fronds known as rafts. Free-floating kelp can remain alive and still reproduce for several months, and it is estimated that there are tens of millions of these rafts in the Southern Ocean at any one time. They not only assist in the dispersal of the kelp itself, but can also support mini-ecosystems of travelling marine invertebrates and other micro-organisms that otherwise would have no chance of crossing vast swathes of ocean.
Like forests on land, kelp forests are also important in maintaining biodiversity in the ocean, particularly near the coast. The dense stalks and fronds provide not only a haven from inclement weather but also shelter from the sun and protection from predators.
Not so long ago, the mosaic carpet of yellow formed by the flowering megaherbs on Enderby Island was almost nonexistent. Introduced cattle and rabbits grazed on the lush foliage, almost eating them to extinction. DOC intervened just in time, and in the early 1990s, the cattle and rabbits were eradicated by shooting and poisonous baits. (In 1993, the last heifer was taken off the island and genetically cloned to preserve the breed, which had adapted to subantarctic conditions and could survive by eating kelp.) The baiting operation was also successful in eradicating mice, leaving the island free of all introduced animals. As a result, megaherbs such as the Bulbinella rossii (pictured), Anisotome latifolia (a member of the carrot family) and the subantarctic cabbage (eaten by early sealers to ward off scurvy) are once more prolific. The small birds that inhabit the island also benefited from the return of the megaherbs and other flowering plants. Among them is the Auckland Island tom-tit (pictured), which occurs nowhere else in the world and can be seen flitting around the low coastal vegetation or in rata forest. While it is mainly insectivorous, it also takes advantage of the megaherb seeds that are abundant in spring and summer.
Not so long ago, the mosaic carpet of yellow formed by the flowering megaherbs on Enderby Island was almost nonexistent. Introduced cattle and rabbits grazed on the lush foliage, almost eating them to extinction. DOC intervened just in time, and in the early 1990s, the cattle and rabbits were eradicated by shooting and poisonous baits. (In 1993, the last heifer was taken off the island and genetically cloned to preserve the breed, which had adapted to subantarctic conditions and could survive by eating kelp.) The baiting operation was also successful in eradicating mice, leaving the island free of all introduced animals.
As a result, megaherbs such as the Bulbinella rossii (pictured), Anisotome latifolia (a member of the carrot family) and the subantarctic cabbage (eaten by early sealers to ward off scurvy) are once more prolific. The small birds that inhabit the island also benefited from the return of the megaherbs and other flowering plants. Among them is the Auckland Island tom-tit (pictured), which occurs nowhere else in the world and can be seen flitting around the low coastal vegetation or in rata forest. While it is mainly insectivorous, it also takes advantage of the megaherb seeds that are abundant in spring and summer.

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