Who would have guessed that
at the this, the most exposed area of the whole group
of islands, there could lie a place that could boast a
name such as Fairchild's Garden 
.It
was a botanists delight, a fairy tale world ofplants unequalled anywhere in the
world. Whole hill sides of undisturbed
subantarctic megaherbshad me shaking my head in amazement.
Great thick leaves covering the ground in an
undulating patternof rich green curves and swirls
on a grand scale across the hill side as far as
the eye can see. Growth, luxuriant as one could
only imagine in a tropical paradise, an Amazon
valley.
But no, here they are at the south
west end of these islandsright on the most exposed tip of
Adams Island, bearing the full force of every ravaging storm
that had passed this way, drenched with the salt spray that swirls in the
air from thegigantic waves that crash headlong
into the cliffs and then explode in a boisterous mass of
foam and mist that drifts with the wind far across the island.
Salt air, combining with the incessant rain and hail that
often drives with such force that it almost angles parallel with the land as a constant elixir of moisture upon these extraordinary
plants. It is a combination of many elements that combine to
make the special state that allows these plants to thrive and
even the howling wind is part of this, as is the lack of bright
sunlight and the thick and constantly damp peaty nature of
the soil interspersed with the rock scree in which they thrive
and grow. A more unlikely association could hardly be
imagined, but it is perfect for these distinctive
plants to flourish.
A friend had taken some small plant samples, complete with
roots, back to New Zealand on one of the previous expeditions
in an attempt to establish them as an experimental garden for subantarctic plants, but they grow in such a specialised
climate that after a few years they had all failed and he
could only conclude that "They took three miserable years
to die". A Canterbury summer is nothing like the ecology
and climate of these islands. These wonderful mega herbs
have evolved perfectly to exploit this extreme climate
and the temperate nature of the main land he had brought
them to was just too mild as an opposite extreme
for them to survive.
It was captain Fairchild of the Government steamer 'Hinemoa' that made the locality of this area known and the location is his name sake. Rickwood had told us of the history of the"garden" and that the name had been in common usage since
1890 but had not been officially recognised. He was applying
to the New Zealand Geographic Board to have many of the common names of these islands accepted and among these
was this magnificent Fairchild's Garden. It seemed so apt as the name suggested fair children playing in an untouched and
natural garden, a sort of lost imaginary paradise. Was it luck
or fate that the Captain's name was Fairchild and not something
that may have been unsympathetic?
Rickwood seemed doubtful that they would accept the word
garden as a geographical term and that they may require it
changed to bay or something less sensitive and perhaps more common. After we had experienced this place there
seemed no name that could describe the geography and we
could all bear witness to the claim of garden as a "proper" geographic term. Strange, how some burks in Wellington
can make decisions about such a wonderful place with
out ever having been here, still that's Wellington for you.
If garden isn't in their vocabulary, then it should be if only to accommodate this one place.
Adam's Island is a jewel in the top of the crown that is these
islands. It is the largest island in the world with no introduced
plants or terrestrial mammals and the endemic flora and fauna
enjoy a freedom that few other places in the world can offer. A place committed scientists can complete their work in
unmodified natural surroundings. Apart from a short time
of grazing by a limited number of sheep on the island,
which were eventually shot out, it has not had even a mouse
a shore to disrupt the sensitive ecosystem. It is here that one
can see and study by comparison the true effects of the
changes that introduction can bring to an island. It is here
that one can see and study by comparison the true effects
of the changes that introduction can bring to an island. It is
here that one can see the way some of the other islands might
have been before people arrived and disrupted the balance. The present difference in the nature of each island is quite obvious
and where the main Auckland island has goats, pigs, mice
and wild cats the effect of these can be directly seen on the
endemic eco system and in particular the flora.
While some of the same plants that grow so prolifically here in Fairchild's garden do grow on these other islands, they are
sadly now reduced to a few stubborn survivors well out of
the reach of the munching mouths of
these introduced animals. Perched on bluffs or down cliff sides, they cling to a tenuous survival. I believe there are now plans a foot through the Department to try and remove these pests at some point in the future, and the sooner the better. Though ironically it was the Government in the past that had animals deliberately introduced
to provide food for castaway sailors who had struggled to
survive. Now those wild and woolly days are gone as there
is little chance of a shipwreck and the islands are managed as a natural reserve, there seems little need to have these animals
here destroying the remaining plants that could form the only
means of recovery. The goats seem the easiest to remove, and a count on their approximate numbers is under way at present.
How the world can change and a boon can become a
curse in less than a hundred years!
But, here, before us on Adams Island, one can see the
striking endemic plants of the subantarctic islands in an
original situation. Prolific, vigorous and vibrant they really
are quite astounding. The peculiar conditions of extreme
exposure and rock have allow Fairchild's Garden to develop
into an extraordinary natural garden where large coastal herbs such as Stilbocarpa polaris 
and Anisotome latifolia are more
than abundant. Together with the bright yellow flower of
Bulbinella rossii 
and large grey silken leaves of Pleurophyllum speciosum with its tall upright daisy like flowers they
form a thick cover that has to be seen to be believed.
While there is some presence of the coastal shrub Hebe elliptica
the fell field is benefited by the absence of Rata that could have formed a large canopy, allowing this wide unforested area to flourish. So striking and abundant are these plants that it seems criminal walking over them but no path can be found through
or around the denseness of this grand garden. It seems no
footpath was in the gardeners plan.
We could have spent an eternity in that wonderful place, and in some ways we did, for it will always stay with me in my mind
and heart as a special place. But we had taken our soil samples
and collected the plant specimens for John and now it was
time to proceed to the next task at hand so off we trudged down through the spreading thickness of this wondrous site. The
weather, though a drab grey mist that merged the sea and
sky as one, had held off any real threat of wind and rain
and this had been welcome as we all knew the stories about
this end of the islands.
At the lower section of Fairchild's Garden, we had erected a
large two foot by three foot sign in clear view of anyone landing. This was supported by two poles driven deep into the soil and
it had taken some time to secure a firm footing before we
could nail home the marine ply sign itself.The wording clearly indicated that this region is a flora and
fauna reserve, the name of the island and that landing is by
permit only. There has been some substantial damage from
people landing illegally in the past and while it is almost
impossible to catch them, there are few warnings of the status
of the islands. The hut at Ranui 
was a typical example where
some vandals had caused a large amount of damage smashing
the buildings up and steeling the double glassed windows. At
least a few strategically placed signs might indicate that it was
illegal to come ashore with out authority. It looked completely
out of place in the pureness of the land, but it had to be done
for the better protection of the island. The rest of the party had been at work down at Boat Shed
Bay which was little more than a short walk down towards
Carnley Harbour from the garden. The name sake of the bay,
the boat shed built for the castaways, was in utter disrepair and inside was the remaining recognisable castaway boat of these islands. It had been decided that a team effort could perhaps
recover the boat for return to New Zealand and possible
restoration. It is important that we attempt to save what
historic remains that we can from these places, for once
they are gone no force on earth can bring them back.
The shed itself was almost useless and any timber that may
have been of some use was to be taken back to Ranui Cove
and stored for future use. The coast watchers hut there had been wrecked some years before by some fool vandals that had
caused all sorts of damage. No one in the department could understand it as there seemed no purpose at all to their
vandalism.
Fairchild's Garden extends from the rough strait at the
north- west end of Adams Island along the perilous shore to
the first piece of bush, and then up and over the top of the
ridge summit in all about 400 acres. As we descended down
the slope towards the boat shed with some regret at leaving
this place, we could see them below at work on the
dilapidated remains of the building. We had landed here
earlier with the boat and passed the boat shed on the way
up to the "Garden". The shed itself was now little more
than a few sheets of rough corrugated iron, clinging on in
places to a twisting wooden frame work. Most of the sheets
were missing down one side and a few from the roof,
while the other side and end were still quite intact.
The wooden boat itself sat slumped over on one side, with a
few small clumps of Carex grass 
beginning to grow within
and one remaining crate, that had contained the castaway stores, now empty and tipped on its side, inside the hull also. The
boat showed few signs of sea worthiness and its purpose here
was indisputably finished. Though it had been a fine
strong boat in her day, if it had been left here it would
soon have deteriorated further and then been well beyond
repair. Of the missing sheets of iron, little was found
except a few pieces here and there among the bushes and
we could only deduce that they had come loose and the
blown away with the strong gales. Although we cleaned
up the site as much we could there were still fragments
of rubbish, and the hole scraped in the ground where
the shed had sat, but I suspect these will soon be
grown over in less than a few years and this episode
of the islands history will be no more
than a few lines in a
forgotten book.
