Fossils rule the rocks on Matiu/Somes Island

By NIGEL COSTLEY

I thought they'd be difficult to see but I soon spot one next to an implement shed, nose in the air, sliding his fat red tongue in and out in what seems like a comical gesture of defiance.

This is a subspecies of tuatara, Sphenodon guntheri, transferred to the 24.8ha island in 1998 from its only other known habitat, Brothers Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Visitors to Matiu/Somes Island have a good chance of seeing one of these magnificent living fossils there, sunning itself on a rock.

The 54 tuatara deposited on this Department of Conservation reserve seem to be thriving, with some adults showing a 50 per cent weight gain.

According to tuatara expert Professor Charles Daugherty, from Victoria University, this is one of the world's rarest populations of reptiles. Notorious for their slow breeding, they will take 20 years to double their number.

By toe clipping at birth, each tuatara can be identified. In addition to the tuatara and native birds there are 600 blue penguins breeding on the rocky shore.

The foundation for this good conservation work was laid in 1989 when DoC undertook the eradication of the island's rat population.

The island's success as a conservation centre is due, stresses DoC's Richard Anderson, to a coalition of several dynamic community groups. Over the years the Royal Forest and Bird Society has planted many thousands of native trees and the Eastbourne Forest Rangers help to ensure compliance from the many visitors.

Several layers of history are evident: a daisy-strewn tennis court with collapsed and torn netting lies next to several large buildings once used for animal quarantine, defunct since 1995.

Maori explorer Kupe discovered the island many centuries ago and named it Matiu after a female relative. Fortified pa were built because of its superb strategic position and steep, rocky approaches.

Five-hundred-year-old midden pits have been excavated which reveal the remains of many sea creatures and obsidian, used for implements, from Whale Island, reflecting far-flung trading practices. The harbour teemed with fish life and whales once congregated there in huge numbers to mate.

European occupation of the island began in the mid 1800s with the installation of a south-facing lighthouse, still functioning today.

Around 1870 the island began its grim purpose as a human quarantine station and ships with cases of diseases like typhoid, smallpox and scarlet fever were compelled to stop there. Near the jetty on the eastern side of the island lies the remains of a fumigation shed where those suspected of infection were cleansed with noxious gases.

During both world wars Matiu/Somes was used to intern people regarded as enemy aliens, mostly Germans and Italians.

Today thousands of visitors are drawn to the island. DoC plans further development: a deck for tuatara viewing, interpretation panels and guided tours are all under consideration. They're even on the lookout for anti-aircraft guns to enliven the four concrete gun emplacements on the summit.

* The ferry service running from Queens Wharf and Days Bay stops at the island several times a day. For bookings ph (04) 499 1282, timetable information ph (04) 499 1273.