Flies on the wall

Our little island has an impressive and explosive geological history, as Gaye has written elsewhere.

Gaye and Bas using ropes

Bas looks for the sun

One outcome of the multiple "pyroclastic events" is a landscape of extremes with very little easy ground. As Craig observed in disgust, Low Flat Gully is neither low nor by any stretch of the imagination is it flat.

Our weeding task took us through Bell's Ravine last week. This is a steep-sided slot in the hillside that is characterised by multiple waterfalls. Working your way up to the top of the ravine means you have to be happy to do without the sun for a while and also to do some compulsory rock climbing.

Will she go all the way?
Gareth at the next step
The big waterfall at the top, with Gareth posing for scale effect

A night out catching crabs

When we first arrived on the island we all accepted responsibility for a variety of additional tasks. For example, Neil is our fire chief and undertakes monthly inspections of all the hydrants, hoses and extinguishers, Bas collects the CO2 readings and insect samples and I’m in charge of maintaining our evacuation food and water supplies.

Another role that fell to Neil and I is the co-ordinatation of the annual land crab survey. This is a research project initiated by Kala Sivaguru and Alison Botha, which aims to find out more about the recovery rate of land crabs following the eradication of rats here, along with their population density, sex ratio and other bits and pieces.

The nocturnal land crab (Geograpsus grayi) is endemic to Raoul and our island is the only place in New Zealand where they can be found. The crabs live in burrows and are 30-40mm in carapace length.

During daylight hours we went to the designated research areas, marked out our plots and familiarised ourselves with our areas (it always looks very different at night). The search areas usually involve the floor and sides of ravines, which makes for an interesting time in the dark with torches covered in red cellophane so as not to frighten the little creatures.

The Crab Crew

Our work began at 7.00pm and each plot took about 40 minutes to search. We recorded the number of crabs we saw out and about as well as the number in each burrow, along with any other interesting observations. We caught any we could, determined their sex and let them go again. The information is then collated at base and emailed back to NZ.

The nocturnal land crab (Geograpsus grayi)

It sounds like a sad and sorry sort of observation, but this was a great night out on Raoul island.

Harbingers of spring

These signs are always keenly awaited by folks desperate for evidence that winter is on the way out. Back in Christchurch people look for the daffodils or the lambs and they listen for the Shining Cuckoo’s song.

Here on Raoul we have a different set of signals, including the one spotted no fewer than three time in the last couple of weeks – whales. We have seen both Minke and Humpback whales close to the shore in front of our home, sometimes only a hundred metres or so away.

They have migratory paths that track through the Kermadec Islands as they head south to the food in cooler waters. One had a calf with her and seemed to be interested only in lolling around in the sun.

Fantastic to see - such impressive creatures!

Surfing Jargon

We have had a magic weekend of warm, windless weather and the lure of the surf proved irresistible.

Surfers can be an exclusive clique. This is reflected in the distinctive terminology that weaves its way into their conversation – grommet, dropping in, out the back etc etc

In this picture from Saturday afternoon Chauncy gives us a visual illustration of the surfing term ‘Beach break’….

Low level attractions

When out searching for weeds we are either scanning the horizon for passionfruit creeping through surrounding treetops or looking down at the ground for seedlings. While at ground level I have been appreciating the beauty of some of the islands ferns, mosses and fungi. Some of the species found here may be known to North Islanders but are not found in our colder corner of the South Island.
My favourites are the many varieties of Maidenhair fern. In bush clearings and under the cliffs these ferns provide a fabulous display of lush green.

Rosy maidenhair (Adiantum hispidulum)

Another favourite is the rather unusual Fork fern. These plants do not look like ferns, are very primitive and may even predate the dinosaurs. They are unusual as they have no true root system. The sporangia fuse in groups of two or three and as they mature to yellow, so they look quite striking.

Fork fern (Psilotum nudum)

Clambering over logs in the gullies we often stop to admire the mosses and fungi.

TGIF

Friday was a stunner of a day, so the troops celebrated its close with a swim in the pool.

Chop Chop

The permanent staff have now been on the island for eight months and us vollies for three. As you can imagine the neatly-trimmed locks are no more and we’re all starting to look like we did in the sixties (those of us who were alive, then). So it was tidy up time for Craig and Gareth.

Was there kicking and screaming? Not much!The finished product would have delighted any mother and there’s only one of those on the island at the moment.