Solander Islands
Encyclopedia
The Solander Islands are a small chain of uninhabited volcanic
islets lying at 46°34′S 166°53′E, close to the western end of the Foveaux Strait
in southern New Zealand
. They lie some 38 km (23.6 mi) south of Prices Point on the southern coast of South Island, New Zealand, close where Lake Hakapoua drains through Big River to the Pacific Ocean
due west of Te Waewae Bay
, and 64 km (39.8 mi) WNW of the Putatara (Rugged) Point in the northwest of Stewart Island/Rakiura
, or 56 km (34.8 mi) from Codfish Island
west of Stewart Island/Rakiura. They measure about 0.7 km² (0.270271511014775 sq mi) in area. Administratively, they are part of Southland District
.
The islands are remnants of an isolated extinct Pleistocene
volcano with andesite
rocks one to two million years old. They lie on a bank with depths less than 100 m (328 ft), but are separated from the continental shelf
around Foveaux Strait by a 4 km (2.5 mi) narrow trough with depths in excess of 200 m (656 ft) (at least 237 m (778 ft)). Therefore, the islands are included in the New Zealand Outlying Islands
, despite their proximity to the mainland. The Solander Islands are the only New Zealand volcanic land features related to the subduction of the Australian Plate beneath the Pacific Plate
.
A few thousand pairs of the southern subspecies
of Buller's Albatross
(Thalassarche b. bulleri) are commonly breeding on the islands. This subspecies is only found here and on The Snares
. The flora is dominated by fern
s and orchids. There are 53 vascular plant species, one third of which are very rare.
The main island, Solander Island/Hautere, covers some 65 ha (160.6 acre) in area, rising steeply to a peak 330 metres (1,083 ft) above sea level. It is wooded with the exception of its northeast end, which appears as bare, white rock. There is a deep cave on the east side, Sealers Cave.
Little Solander Island is 1.9 km (1.2 mi) west of the main island. It is 148 m (486 ft) high, with an area of 4 ha (9.9 acre). It has a barren appearance and is guano
-covered.
Pierced Rock is 250 m (273 yd) south of the main island. It rises to 54 m (177 ft) and measures just 2000 m² (21,527.8 sq ft) in area.
The island chain was sighted by Captain James Cook
on 11 March 1770 and named by him for the Swedish naturalist Dr. Daniel Solander
, one of the scientific crew aboard Cook's expedition's ship Endeavour
. The Maori
name Hautere translates into English as "flying wind", an apt description of the island's weather.
The island has only ever been briefly inhabited, and then only due to shipwreck
or other marooning
. Five Europeans were marooned here between 1808 and 1813, the longest continual period of habitation for the island group.
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
islets lying at 46°34′S 166°53′E, close to the western end of the Foveaux Strait
Foveaux Strait
Foveaux Strait separates Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. Three large bays, Te Waewae Bay, Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay, sweep along the strait's northern coast, which also hosts Bluff township and harbour. Across the strait lie the Solander...
in southern New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. They lie some 38 km (23.6 mi) south of Prices Point on the southern coast of South Island, New Zealand, close where Lake Hakapoua drains through Big River to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
due west of Te Waewae Bay
Te Waewae Bay
Te Waewae Bay is the westernmost of three large bays lying on the Foveaux Strait coast of Southland, New Zealand, the others being Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay...
, and 64 km (39.8 mi) WNW of the Putatara (Rugged) Point in the northwest of Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island/Rakiura is the third-largest island of New Zealand. It lies south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. Its permanent population is slightly over 400 people, most of whom live in the settlement of Oban.- History and naming :...
, or 56 km (34.8 mi) from Codfish Island
Codfish Island
Codfish Island or Whenua Hou is a small island located to the west of Stewart Island/Rakiura in southern New Zealand. It reaches a height of close to the south coast. Following the eradication of possums and weka, it is a predator-free bird sanctuary and the focus of Kakapo recovery efforts...
west of Stewart Island/Rakiura. They measure about 0.7 km² (0.270271511014775 sq mi) in area. Administratively, they are part of Southland District
Southland District
Southland District is a territorial authority in the South Island of New Zealand. Southland District covers the majority of the land area of Southland Region, although the region also covers Gore District, Invercargill City and adjacent territorial waters...
.
The islands are remnants of an isolated extinct Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
volcano with andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
rocks one to two million years old. They lie on a bank with depths less than 100 m (328 ft), but are separated from the continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
around Foveaux Strait by a 4 km (2.5 mi) narrow trough with depths in excess of 200 m (656 ft) (at least 237 m (778 ft)). Therefore, the islands are included in the New Zealand Outlying Islands
New Zealand Outlying Islands
The New Zealand outlying islands comprise nine island groups, located in the subtropics and subantarctic, which are part of New Zealand but lie outside of the New Zealand continental shelf. Although considered as integral parts of New Zealand, seven of the nine island groups are not part of any...
, despite their proximity to the mainland. The Solander Islands are the only New Zealand volcanic land features related to the subduction of the Australian Plate beneath the Pacific Plate
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million square kilometres, it is the largest tectonic plate....
.
A few thousand pairs of the southern subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Buller's Albatross
Buller's Albatross
Buller's Albatross or Buller's Mollymawk, Thalassarche bulleri, is a small mollymawk in the albatross family. It breeds on islands around New Zealand, and feeds in the seas off Australia and the South Pacific.-Taxonomy:...
(Thalassarche b. bulleri) are commonly breeding on the islands. This subspecies is only found here and on The Snares
The Snares
Snares Islands/Tini Heke is a small island group situated approximately 200 kilometres south of New Zealand's South Island and to the south-south-west of Stewart Island/Rakiura. The Snares consist of the main island North East Island and the smaller Broughton Island as well as the somewhat...
. The flora is dominated by fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s and orchids. There are 53 vascular plant species, one third of which are very rare.
The main island, Solander Island/Hautere, covers some 65 ha (160.6 acre) in area, rising steeply to a peak 330 metres (1,083 ft) above sea level. It is wooded with the exception of its northeast end, which appears as bare, white rock. There is a deep cave on the east side, Sealers Cave.
Little Solander Island is 1.9 km (1.2 mi) west of the main island. It is 148 m (486 ft) high, with an area of 4 ha (9.9 acre). It has a barren appearance and is guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
-covered.
Pierced Rock is 250 m (273 yd) south of the main island. It rises to 54 m (177 ft) and measures just 2000 m² (21,527.8 sq ft) in area.
The island chain was sighted by Captain James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
on 11 March 1770 and named by him for the Swedish naturalist Dr. Daniel Solander
Daniel Solander
Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil.-Biography:...
, one of the scientific crew aboard Cook's expedition's ship Endeavour
HM Bark Endeavour
HMS Endeavour, also known as HM Bark Endeavour, was a British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771....
. The Maori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
name Hautere translates into English as "flying wind", an apt description of the island's weather.
The island has only ever been briefly inhabited, and then only due to shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
or other marooning
Marooning
Marooning is the intentional leaving of someone in a remote area, such as an uninhabited island. The word appears in writing in approximately 1709, and is derived from the term maroon, a word for a fugitive slave, which could be a corruption of Spanish cimarrón, meaning a household animal who has...
. Five Europeans were marooned here between 1808 and 1813, the longest continual period of habitation for the island group.