" YOU can help make a difference, get involved... "
PCO Press Room
Sponsors
Past Events
COP15
Link to PCO
Auckland Islands
last update: Feb 05, 2008 12:24 PM
New Zealand
On 18 August 1806 Abraham Bristow became the first person to discover the islands, naming them after Lord Auckland. The Auckland Islands (Auckland, Enderby, Rose and Disappointment Island) are 627 sq km in size, making them the largest of New Zealand's sub-Antarctic islands. Adam's Island is also part of the Aucklands, and in 1910 it was declared a nature reserve. Mount Dick, which rises up to 705 m, is the highest point and is found on Adams Island. The Auckland Islands are volcanic - they are cold, wet and windy, and are unglaciated. The islands are the home of the most Wandering and Shy albatrosses in the world. 95% of the Hooker's sea lion population breeds there. Earlier, shipwrecked sailors brought pigs, rabbits, goats and other food animals to the islands to provide emergency food sources. Today, however, the introduced goats are being killed by poisoning. Cats and mice haven't been fully exterminated yet.
