The bright stars of New Zealand's growing collective of predator free islands.
Pomona Island Charitable Trust has it all and more, it is both onshore and offshore, with two Department of Conservation islands on tourist-friendly Lake Manapouri the subject of their conservation efforts.
So far the trust has managed to possums, deer, stoats, rats and mice from 262 hectare Pomona and stoats and mice from 60 hectare Rona, though the proximity to the mainland means there have been re-infestations, so monitoring and eradication tasks are constant.
South Island Robins are flourishing here on Rona Island and both islands have hosted Haast tokoeka kiwi, some permanently. And their successes are stacking up, with birds raised on Rona Island released to offshore Islands in 2018, their 13th year of operation. Another rare creature spotted on the islands is the Otago Large Gecko.
Some of the trusts's goals are educational, restoring the islands to a 'place where visitors will be able to imagine Fiordland as it was before introduced predators became established. Visitors are therefore welcomed if they can be certain their craft is completely free of mice and other predators. The main access area is called Hurricane Passage, but it is OK to anchor there on a good day.
Incidentally, the name Pomona, is the name of the Roman goddess of fruit. There is a Pomona Island in Manchester, United Kingdom, which has had a chequered history but is due to be redeveloped into a large residential precinct. If anyone knows what Pomona means in Maori or why these islands are named Rona and Pomona, please Click Here to let us know.
Image Credits: Pseudopanax, Head of Lake Manapouri from Pomona Island, 1889, and Cathedral Peaks, Lake Manapouri from Pomona Island, 1889, Te Papa
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