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A tale of two shipwrecks
Life in the subantarctic is difficult enough for those who arrive prepared. In 1864, castaways from two storm-wrecked ships, the Grafton and the Invercauld, landed on opposite ends of Auckland Island.
Survival became a daily challenge. Each group tackled it differently: one fell to violence and cannibalism, while the other became a close-knit brotherhood.
Were the wildly different fates of men of the Grafton and the Invercauld down to luck—or leadership? Keep reading...
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The tragic sinking of the Penguin
When the Penguin’s ropes were cast off from Picton’s wharf at 6.20pm the previous night, nothing was amiss. Once clear of Tory Channel, the steamer met the familiar sou’easterly wind and choppy seas of Cook Strait.
By 9pm, the weather had closed in, with heavy rain cutting visibility. Unable to see the light on Pencarrow Head, Captain Naylor altered course to keep the vessel well clear of land. What he didn’t know was that there was an exceptional tidal flow that evening, which had pushed the vessel off course.
Just after 10pm a sound, likened to the ripping of a gigantic sheet of calico, reverberated through the hull, and Naylor ordered all hands on deck. Keep reading...
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New origin story for seals
The soft mudstone cliffs of south Taranaki hold clues to creatures past. Fossil collectors unearthed seven specimens of an unknown species here, including a complete skull. Close analysis revealed this ancient animal was a monk seal—now extinct, but new to science. Keep reading...
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