1970 Three Kings Islands expedition

The Three Kings Islands expedition was a research expedition organised by the entomological section of the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) to research into the fauna and flora of the Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands.^[1][2][3] The expedition took place in November 1970.^[4]

1970 Three Kings Islands expedition
Country	New Zealand
Location	Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands
Country of origin	New Zealand
Start	Devonport Naval Base  4 November 1970
End	Auckland  c. 26 November 1970
Leader	Guillermo Kuschel
Organiser	Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
Vessels	HMAS Kiama
Participants	Guillermo Kuschel John Gordon Rees McBurney Graeme William Ramsay John Charles Watt David Galloway Dennis Huckvale Leigh Frank Climo

Voyage

The expedition party left Devonport Naval Base on 4 November 1970 in HMNZS Kiama and landed the following morning at Great Island. With support from the crew, they established a camp in Castaway Valley and established radio contact.

The camp was made up of two dormitory tents, a laboratory tent, and another for their stores and mess. One of the sleeping tents got the name 'Centipede Lodge' for the number of the insects coming inside at night.

Water was in short supply, with the main freshwater source substantially drying up over the month.

They stayed for most of the month, returning to Auckland on 26 November on the same vessel.^[1]

Participants

• Guillermo Kuschel, leader, entomology
• John Gordon Reeves McBurney, entomology
• Graeme William Ramsay, entomology
• John Charles Watt, DSIR, entomology
• David Galloway, DSIR, botany
• Dennis Huckvale Leigh, Parks and Reserves, Nelson, botany
• Frank Climo, Dominion Museum, malacology^[2]

Noteworthy events

The holotype specimen of Egestula bicolor (Climo, 1973) was collected during this expedition.^[5]

References

1. G. W. Ramsay (January 1971). "THE D.S.I.R. ENTOMOLOGY DIVISION 1970 EXPEDITION TO THE THREE KINGS ISLANDS". New Zealand Entomologist. 5 (1): 13–17. doi:10.1080/00779962.1971.9722946. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q105726736.
2. "Three Kings Expedition". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32446. 5 November 1970. p. 18. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
3. "Island insects studied". The Press. Vol. CX, no. 32474. 7 December 1970. p. 3. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
4. Galloway, D. J.; Hayward, Bruce W. (1987). "Lichens from the Three Kings Islands, Northern New Zealand". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 24: 197–213. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906375. Wikidata Q58677318.
5. Climo, F. M. (December 1973). "The systematics, Biology and Zoogeography of the land snail fauna of Great Island, Three Kings Group, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 3 (4): 565–627. doi:10.1080/03036758.1973.10421858. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q104026163.