T A N E 27,1981

A U C K L A N D U N I V E R S I T Y F I E L D C L U B S C I E N T I F I C T R I P T O C U V I E R I S L A N D ( R E P A N G A ) , M A Y 1980

Introduction and Acknowledgements

by A . E . Wr ight Auckland Institute and Museum, Private Bag, Auckland 1

The 1980 expedition to Cuvier Island saw the first return by Fie ld Club to an island which had already been the venue for a major scientific tr ip organised by the Club. I n 1968, 10 F ie ld Clubbers had stayed i n the derelict radar station. Whi le on the island they made " a plant species l ist and collection, prepared a vegetation map, set up permanent quadrats and listed birds and algae patterns" (Bollard 1972:34). Thus, in 1980 we were able not only to study aspects of the natural history untouched by the 1968 people, but also to have a second look at the areas they d id cover, and assess changes that had occurred over the 12 year interval .

A f ter three days delay due to poor weather, a party of 13 (Peter Bel l ingham, Roger Grace, G a r y Housley, Peter Matthews , J o h n M c C a l l u m , Peter Mucelo, Sara P i t t , M u r r a y Potter, D a v i d Riddel l , Ian Southey, John West, Glenn White and Anthony Wright) departed Whit ianga early on 21 M a y for a rather rough tr ip to Cuvier Island aboard the M . V . What D u r i n g an abbreviated stay on the island, studies were made i n the fields of archaeology, botany, entomology, geology, herpetology, lichenology, ornithology and freshwater zoology. We returned to Whit ianga in much calmer seas on 26 M a y , 1980.

Cuvier Island (Repanga) is a small is land (175 hectares) ly ing 40 k m east of the northern t ip of the Coromandel Peninsula, near the edge of the continental shelf (Fig. 1). It was named by Dumont D ' U r v i l l e on 20 February, 1827 after the celebrated French naturalist Baron Georges Cuvier (Thompson 1977).

The island was bought from the M a o r i owners i n the 1 HMO's, and except for 26 ha acquired by the Marine Department for a lighthouse installation, remained i n private hands unt i l 1957 when it was acquired by the Crown and declared a reserve for the preservation of flora and fauna (Beever et al. 1969). This section of the island is now administered as a part of the Hauraki Gul f Mar i t ime Park .

The lighthouse was erected on Tower H i l l at the eastern end of the island i n 1888 — 1889. According to a s ign displayed at the lighthouse, i t is " N e w Zealand's most distant off-shore lighthouse (36°26'S 175°47'E). The light was first exhibited i n 1889. The l ight is 390 feet a.s.l. and the tower is 50 feet i n height. The white l ight flashes every 26

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SCALE

Fig. 1. Cuvier Island: place names and location off the North Island of New Zealand.

seconds and can be seen for 26 miles in fair weather. The power source is from 3 diesel generators, one of which is on standby for emergency power." The l ight is cared for by a Pr inc ipal Keeper, an Ass i s tant Keeper and their families, who farm the 26 ha lighthouse reserve. Unfortunately plans for automation of the l ight are well-advanced.

Goats were released on the island i n the second half of the nineteenth century, and together wi th the ravages of fire and roaming domestic stock had seriously opened up and depleted the vegetation by the 1950s. Feral cats were plentiful and had allegedly exterminated the natura l ly occurring N o r t h Is land saddleback (Philesturnus curunculatus).

The Wildl i fe Service of the Department of Internal Af fa irs undertook a major rehabilitation programme on the island i n the late 1950s and early 1960s. The flora and fauna reserve was securely fenced off from the lighthouse reserve, and sheep, cattle, goats and cats removed (the latter two being entirely exterminated). This allowed vigorous regeneration of the vegetation, and the bui ld ing up of a large and varied avifauna, including saddlebacks which were re-introduced from H e n Island (Taranga) i n 1968. The island is also apparently free from ship and Norway rats (Rattus rattus and .ft. norvegicus), although the Maori-introduced kiore (ft. exulans) is present. A very small number of mature tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) are s t i l l found on the island although it is unlikely that any breeding occurs.

D u r i n g Wor ld W a r I I a radar station was erected on the highest point of the island, and road bulldozed to i t from the lighthouse settlement. One of the buildings had been recently renovated for use by scientific parties and this served as our workroom and kitchen, while we slept i n the rather decrepit former bunkroom building.

Cuvier Island was visited by T . F . Cheeseman i n 1896. H i s notes indicate a relatively unspoiled vegetation w i t h several plants now rare or of restricted distr ibution present. The island has been fairly frequently visited by natural historians i n the intervening period, and the following bibliography lists a considerable body of information relating to the island.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

We would like to thank the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Board for permission to land on Cuvier Island and carry out our studies; Mr Mick E l l wood for transporting us to and from the island; Principal Lighthouse Keeper Alan Martin and his assistant for help with landing and off-loading gear, storage facilities at the settlement, and radio contact; and the Departments of Botany, Geology and Zoology, University of Auckland, for the loan of equipment.

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

Anon. 1972: Into rare birds' world. University of Auckland News 2(1): 1,14-16. Anon. 1980a: Conservation working on Cuvier Island. Northland Age Feb. 26th.

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Anon. 1980b: Conservation on Cuvier. Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Newsletter 28:1-2. Anon. 1980c: Cuvier Island still in the news. (Extract from unpublished report by A . E .

Wright to Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Board). Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Newsletter 29:5-6.

Anon. 1980d: Auckland University Field trip to Cuvier Island (continued). (Further extract from unpublished report by A . E . Wright to Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Board). Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Newsletter 30:4-5.

Anon. 1981: Cuvier Island field trip. (Further extract from unpublished report by A . E . Wright to Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Board). Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Newsletter 32:8.

Atkinson, I. A . E . 1960a: Effect of goats on the vegetation at Cuvier Island. Unpublished paper presented to Animal Ecology Division Seminar, Wellington, 28 September 1960. Botany Division file, DSIR, Lower Hutt.

Atkinson, I .A .E. 1960b: Report on soils of Cuvier Island (Repanga). Unpublished report, Soil Bureau, DSIR, Lower Hutt.

Atkinson, I .A .E. 1963: Some methods for studying the effects of goats on forest. New Zealand Journal of Botany 1:405-409.

Atkinson, I .A .E. 1964: Relations between feral goats and vegetation in New Zealand. Proceedings New Zealand Ecological Society 11:39-44.

Beever, R . E . 1968: Cuvier Island - 1968. A report on the vegetation of Cuvier Island in 1968. Unpublished report deposited in the Auckland Institute and Museum Library.

Beever, R . E . & Beever, J . E . 1969: Studies on the vegetation of Cuvier Island. II. Structure of the forest. Tane 15:69-74.

Beever, R .E . ; Harris B.S. & Beever, J . E . 1969: Studies on the vegetation of Cuvier Island. I. The plant communities and a vascular plant list. Tane 15:53-68.

Bell, B.D. 1959: Cuvier Island 18—25 August 1959. Unpublished report, Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington.

Bell, B.D. 1960: Cuvier Island visit 7 June — 4 July 1960. Unpublished report, Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington.

Best, E . 1909: Maori forest lore. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute 41: 231-285 (videp.282).

Best, E . 1925: "Tuhoe: the Children of the Mist " . Volume 1. Board of Maori Ethnological Research, New Plymouth. 1212 p. (v idep. l l l , 248, 712).

Black, P .M. 1967: Petrology of the Cuvier and Paritu plutons and their metamorphic aureoles. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Auckland. 354 p.

Black, P .M. 1971: Tourmalines from Cuvier Island, New Zealand. Mineralogical Magazine 38:374-376.

Blackburn, A . 1967: A brief survey of Cuvier Island. Notornis 14:3-8. Bollard, A . E . 1972: "Fifty Years in the Field 1922-1972." Auckland University Field

Club, Auckland. 66 p. Buller, W.L . 1878: Further notes on the ornithology of New Zealand. Transactions and

Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 10:201-209. Campbell, D . J . 1964: Report on the enclosures erected on Cuvier Island and Hen Island

to determine the effects of kiore {Rattus exulans) on vegetation regeneration. Unpublished report. Ecology Division file 4/14/1, DSIR, Lower Hutt.

Cheeseman, T .F . 1896: Notebook number 15. Unpublished diary, Auckland Institute and. Museum Library.

Connor, H . E . 1971: Cortaderia splendens Connor sp. nov. (Gramineae). New Zealand Journal of Botany ft-519-525.

Crook, I.G. 1970: Tuatara. Wildlife-a Review 2:16-19. Crook, I.G. 1973: The tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, Gray, on islands with and without

populations of the Polynesian rat, Rattus exulans (Peale). Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society 20:115-120.

Davidson, J . M . 1974: Archaeological sites on Cuvier Island. Unpublished report to Commissioner of Crown Lands, Department of. Lands and Survey, Auckland.

Dawbin, W . H . 1957: Cuvier Island. Unpublished report, Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/26, Wellington.

Edgar, R. 1960: Field notes about kiore and goats on Cuvier Island. Unpublished report, Ecology Division DSIR file 4/14/1, Lower Hutt.

Falla, R.A. 1934: Petrels of northern New Zealand. Records of Auckland Institute and Museum 1(5): 245-260.

Fisher, T.P. 1967: Cuvier Island feral cat check 21 April — 3 May 1967. Unpublished report. Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington.

Gurr, L . & Kinsky, F.C. 1965: The distribution of breeding colonies and status of the red-billed gull in New Zealand and its outlying islands. Notornis 12:223-240.

Hounsell, W.K. 1935: Hydrographic observations in Auckland Harbour. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 64(3): 257-271.

Howard, W . E . 1965: Control of introduced mammals in New Zealand. Information Series New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research 45. 96 p.

Hurley, D . E . 1957: Studies on the New Zealand amphipodan fauna no. 14. The genera Hyale and Allorchestes (Family Talitridae). Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 84(4): 903-933.

Jenkins, P.F. 1975: Cultural transmission of patterns of song and origin of dialects in the saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus (Abstract). Emu 74, suppL: 327-328.

Jenkins, P.F. 1976: The social organisation and vocal behaviour of the saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus rufusater (Aves). Unpublished PhD thesis. University of Auckland. 204 p.

Jenkins, P.F. 1978: Cultural transmission of song patterns and dialect development in a free-living bird population. Animal Behaviour26:50-78.

Johnstone, I.M. 1969: Studies on the vegetation of Cuvier Island. IV. A preliminary checklist of the marine algae of Cuvier Island, with some notes on algal zonation of Scott's Monument. Tane 15:87-94.

Lovegrove, T . G . 1980: The saddleback pair bond. Unpublished MSc thesis. University of Auckland. 93 p.

McLean, I.G. 1975: Aspects of the social and feeding ecology of the fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa Unpublished MSc thesis, University of Auckland. 138 p.

McLean, I.G. & Jenkins, P.F. 1980: Breeding and development of the New Zealand fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa. Notornis27:105-113.

Merton, D.V. 1961a: Cuvier Island cat extermination campaign 14—21 February 1961. Unpublished report, Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington.

Merton, D.V. 1961b: Cuvier Island 4 August — 5 September 1961. Unpublished report, Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington.

Merton, D.V. 1962: Sooty tern at Cuvier Island (short note). Notornis 10:40. Merton, D.V. 1963: Cuvier Island fence, 5 June — 7 July 1963. Unpublished report,

Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington. Merton, D.V. 1964: Cuvier Island 12 February — 13 March 1964. Unpublished report,

Department of Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington. Merton, D.V. 1966: Cuvier Island 1 — 29 June 1966. Unpublished report. Department of

Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington. Merton, D.V. 1968: Cuvier Island 25 January 1968. Unpublished report, Department of

Internal Affairs file 46/14/7, Wellington. Merton, D.V. 1970: The rehabilitation of Cuvier Island. Wildlife - a review 2:5-8. Merton, D.V. 1972: Cuvier: an island restored. Forest <S bird 184:7-9. Morgan, P.G. 1927: Minerals and mineral substances of New Zealand. New Zealand

Geological Survey Bulletin 32. 110 p. O'Callaghan, A .P . 1980: Use of space by the North Island saddleback Philesturnus

carunculatus rufusater (Aves). Unpublished MSc thesis, University of Auckland. 96 p. Oliver, W.R.B. 1955: "New Zealand Birds". Second edition. Reed, Wellington. 661 p.

(vide p.513). Parris, B.S. 1969: Studies on the vegetation of Cuvier Island. III. The establishment of

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permanent vegetation quadrats. Tane 15:75-85. Harris, B.S. 1972: The genus Doodia R.Br. (Blechnaceae: Fililcales)in New Zealand. New

Zealand Journal of Botany 10(4): 585-604. Penniket, R. 1976: Cuvier Island. In. "Notes in general". Poirieria8(3): 49. Petit, J . 1964: Cuvier Island crane salvage. Dive 4(3): 27,30. Pullon, S .R.H. 1972: Cuvier Island — December 1972. Unpublished report by Young

Conservator of the Year to Commissioner of Crown Lands, Department of Lands and Survey, Auckland.

Reed, J . J . 1963: Tourmalinised rocks on Cuvier Island. In: "Notes from the N.Z. Geological Survey - 1 " . New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 6(5): 714-715.

Reed, S .M. 1976: Report on Cuvier Island (short note). Notornis 23(3): 259-61. Richards, J.R.; Cooper, J . A . & Black, P .M. 1966: K-Ar age of plutonic intrusives of Cape

Colville Peninsula and Cuvier Island, New Zealand. Nature 211 (5050): 725-726. Rudge, M.R. 1974: Goats. New Zealand Nature Heritage 3(41): 1137-1146. Rudge, M.R. 1976: Feral goats in New Zealand. New Zealand Lands & Survey

Information Series 1:15-21. Salmon, J .T . 1944: New genera, species and records of New Zealand Collembola, and a

discussion of Entomobrya atrocincta schott. Records of the Dominion Museum Wellington 1(2): 123-182.

Stroud, R. 1977: Project saddleback - Cuvier. Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Newsletter 21: 4.

Suter, H . 1908: Results of dredging for Mollusca near Cuvier Island, with descriptions of new species. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 40:344-345.

Tarakawa, T. 1893: The coming of the Arawa and Tainui canoes from Hawaiki to New Zealand (translated by S. Percy Smith). Journal of the Polynesian Society 2: 231-252 (vide p. 235).

Thompson, R.M.C. 1977: A bibliography of offshore islands of New Zealand. New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Miscellaneous Publication 80. 210 p.

Thomson, J . A . 1915: The existing state of the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus. Gray), with some notes on its habits. Annual Report Dominion Museum Wellington.

Towns, D.R. 1972: A n ecological study of the black shore skink Leiolopisma suteri (Boulunger) in north-eastern New Zealand. Unpublished MSc thesis, University of Auckland. 113 p.

Towns, D.R. 1973: Lizard specimens deposited with the Auckland Museum. Tane 19: 101-102.

Towns, D.R. 1975: Ecology of the black shore skink Leiolopisma suteri (Lacertilia: Scinidae) in boulder beach habitats. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 2(4): 389-407.

Veitch, C.R. 1969: M.V. Colville's trip to Little Barrier, Mokohinau and Cuvier Islands. Auckland Botanical Society Newsletter26(3): 1-5.

W hi taker, A . H . 1968: Leiolopisma suteri (Boulenger), an oviparous skink in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Science 11(3): 425-432.

Wright, A . E . 1980: Field Club visits Cuvier Island. University of Auckland News 10(5): 15-17.

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