Cockayne. — Botanical Visit to the Poor Knights. 351 



Art. XLV. — Notes on a Brief Botanical Visit to the Poor 



Knights Islands. 



By L. Cockayne, Ph.D., Cor.F.B.S.Ed. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 5th July, 1905.] 



1. General Remarks. 



During a recent excursion in the Government steamer " Hine- 

 moa " I had the good fortune, thanks to special facilities afforded 

 by Captain J. Bollons, of botanizing on the Poor Knights Is- 

 lands, a group which no naturalist had previously visited. Nor 

 is this at all remarkable, for these islands lie out of the track 

 of vessels, while it is only under the most exceptional circum- 

 stances that a landing can be effected. 



The Poor Knights, or " Tawhiti Rahi," as the Maoris call 

 them, lie isolated in the open ocean at about latitude 35° 30' S., 

 and distant some eleven miles from the east coast of northern 

 Auckland. They consist of two precipitous islands lying in 

 close proximity, and extending in a north and south direction 

 for two miles and a half. They are of volcanic origin, and 

 about 182 meters in height. As seen from the east the southern 

 island is somewhat conical in form, but with a very broad 

 base, while the northern island, although rugged enough, is 

 much flatter in its upper p>art. Three miles to the south are 

 the islets known as the High Peak Rocks, which rise to a height 

 of 60 meters, and these must be included in the group. 



Unfortunately the time at the captain's disposal was limited, 

 so he was only able to allow me some two hours and a half for 

 my work, a considerable portion of which was occupied by sail- 

 ing round much of the two main islands in search of a landing- 

 place. This, however, gave an opportunity of noting the dis- 

 tribution of certain conspicuous plant-formations. 



We landed at two places on the southern island, one below 

 the precipices on its west coast, not far from the very narrow 

 strait which divides the two islands ; and the other, where some 

 rocks stretch out into the sea on the north-east side. This 

 latter is the most favourable place from whence to explore the 

 island, since a comparatively gentle slope up a wide, shallow 

 gully, full of scrub or low forest, leads right to the summit of the 

 island. Elsewhere, so far as I could judge, the coast is ex- 

 tremely precipitous. 



I did not land on the northern island, but Captain Bollons 

 and some of the sailors climbed up to the meadow above the 

 cliffs on the west side, near the remarkable tunnel which there 

 forms a narrow passage right through the island. 



