Somes Island

There is a tiny island that is about a 25 minute ferry ride away from the Wellington harbor.  This island is called Somes Island, and it's an area I really wanted to go because it sounded interesting.  It is one of three islands in the Wellington harbor.  Originally, there was a scheduled overnight trip with the Tramping Club, but it was taken off the schedule.  Luckily for me, the Victoria International Exchange Club, which I am also a part of, organized a ferry ride and guided tour on Saturday, April 28th.  I figured it would be a great opportunity to meet new people and see this island that has sparked my curiousity.

Why is it so fascinating you ask?  Originally, the Maori people used the island as a place to retreat to during times of war.  But that's not what fascinated me so much.  This island was used as a quarantine location for both human and animal immigrants.  Sadly, it is the only place many people reached when trying to arrive in New Zealand during the 20th century.  Honestly, it felt quite morbid to be on the island knowing what it was formerly used for.

A few friends of mine decided to go.  My friend Jacquie, who is from Canada wanted to go, and Hillary, a girl from New Hampshire that I met through AustraLearn had planned to go. as well.  It was nice to have people along that I knew.  We had to be at the ferry dock at 9:30 on Satruday.  We were greeted with rain that morning, but luckily it stopped and we had a lovely morning on the island.

The island is used in a different way now.  In fact, when we arrived we had to take extra biosecutiry measures.  There are no predators on the island because the island is also home to some lizards and birds that are dwindling in numbers.  Fortunately, no one had any rodents in any of their belongings so we were good to go!  It was interesting to have to thoroughly clean my hiking boots and check through my bag and pockets for anything that might prove to be a threat to the natural habitat of Somes Island. 

We ended up only spending about three hours on the island.  About an hour and a half was a guided tour and we were able to see a Cook Strait giant weta (see above) and a Tuatara lizard.  We were lucky to see these animals.  There is also a flock of sheep that calls the island home, but they weren't too friendly.  We were also lucky enough to see some seals, but did not spot any penguins that also inhabit that island.  The rest of the time on the island was spent exploring, taking in the sights, and eating lunch.  We headed back early because the weather was looking unpromising.  I enjoyed seeing the island, but it definitely is not something I consider a "must see" while in Wellington or New Zealand.  I just found the history of the island to be particularly interesting, and I could have learned that without actually visitint the island.