Journey to the Isles of Despair

A presentation and the premiere of a film made by film-maker Robin Kewell about a trip to the sub-Antarctic islands.

In 1996 film-maker Robin and his New Zealand born wife Ruth were invited to sail to a very remote place, the Auckland Islands nearly 700 kilometres south of New Zealand. The Breaksea Girl based in New Zealand's fiorldland is a 65ft steel ketch and takes scientists and a few paying passengers to some of New Zealand's isolated conservation areas, this trip included, a tidal scientist, 2 botanists, an ornithologist, 2 Natural history artists, a nurse from Auckland whose great grandparents had settled on one of the islands briefly. Hooker Sea lions, penguins, parakeets, albatross, bell birds, a black bird !!! twisted wind-torn forests, weird and wonderful plants.

Situated at 50 degrees south, these islands are beyond the ‘Roaring Forties’ and in the ‘Furious Fifties’ . . . the average wind speed per day is over 35 knots, on the west coast cliffs rise sheer to a 1000ft, a land covered in snow and ice for many months but far enough from the Southern Ice cap to have a huge range of flora.

Sandra Morris (Artist and illustrator) produced work from this trip for a major exhibition at Southland Museum and some of her work from this trip to the Auckland Islands will be on display on the night of the film.

Since filming took place the footage has been sitting on the shelf waiting to be edited . . . so this Lopdell House event will be the first time anyone will have seen the film which will be accompanied by some background stories and extracts from Robin’s day to day diary . . . he will also be showing an extract from a finished film produced for the Discovery Channel, “Aotearoa-Land of Fire and Ice” which explores the underwater world of New Zealand . . .

Man's occupation of these islands was brief and desperate . . . many did not survive . . . we did!

Event listed by RKA

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