After 44 years reading the weather, and seven years combined time on Campbell Island (the longest combined time on the island) manning New Zealand's most southern meteorological station, it is time for Mark to hang up the thermometer.
Mark was a key support personnel on the Campbell Island expedition - downloading and interpreting weather maps every night so that we knew what kind of weather was in store for us on the following days. Without Marks interpretation we would not...
-SMcM.jpg "Colin welcoming Norm to the island on their arrival with the Maia, resplendent in their Swazi jackets to keep the rain off.")
-SMcM.jpg "Mark Hammond, skipper and owner of the Maia, and his crew (Eddie and Pete) readying the tender to take the history team ashore at Northeast Harbour.")
-SMcM.jpg "Our Watties pantry at base camp – Watties, what else!")
-SMcM.jpg "After a day painting, Steve C is in the kitchen making puff pastry for a mince pie, using Back Country Cuisine freeze-dried mince. Who says you can’t be a painter, plumber, and cook!")
-SMcM.jpg "Steve’s fantastic mince pie is washed down with a Mountford Pinot Noir – fabulous!")
-SMcM.jpg "There are a lot of coffee drinkers on this trip that are just loving the C4 coffee.")
-SMcM.jpg "Nigel Prickett at Southeast Hut (the Valya) making good use of the Survival Kit Company first aid kit supplies.")
-SMcM.jpg "Steve C and Mark C cleaning up the broken window that broke in the new years high winds.")
This is a personal thank you to all the individuals and organisations that have made the archaeological assessment of Campbell Island’s historic sites possible. It is an all time first.
This thank you comes a little early because the expedition is not yet over but I’ve seen and experienced enough to know that the expedition would not have been possible without sponsorship, donations, and technical support and assistance.
From a personal point of view the most...
I first came to Campbell Island in 1989 for a recce, then several more times over the last 20 years. I was then supporting the meteorological programme by maintaining the essential services at the Beeman base (photo). For the Campbell Island Bicentennial Expedition (CIBE) my role has been similar. We are occupying a still very sound building, first established in the 1950s, developed, but abandoned as a full time occupied meteorological office in 1995 when an automatic weather station was...
The island’s Albatross species have been key players in the history of ecology in the region with a banding program established during World War II by Jack Sorensen, a naturalist stationed on the island as a coastwatcher. Over the ensuing years MetService staff, scientists and most recently international volunteers have continued this (and other) ornithological research.
I recently spent 6 days assisting current Albatross research during which time I learnt how to handle...
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