Charles Enderby’s dream of establishing a
major whaling base and thriving agricultural settlement in the Auckland Islands
was dramatic and short-lived. The Enderby
Settlement: Britain’s whaling venture on the subantarctic Auckland Islands
1849–52 is the first fully researched account of the Enderby Settlement and
those who lived there.
Isolation, a stormswept climate,
unproductive soil, inexperienced crews, drunkenness and above all an unexpected
shortage of whales meant the raw colony ran into trouble and the parent company
found itself facing disaster.
‘It took time to disentangle the numerous
letters and reports,’ writes Conon Fraser in his author’s note, ‘to marshal
events as they unfolded, from the initial optimism with which plans were laid,
to the hopeful and challenging early days of the settlement. Finally came the
bitter clash of personalities and loyalties involving the colony and the
company which led to Enderby’s departure and the settlement’s collapse.’
The few Maori settlers on the islands, who
had preceded and benefited from the colonists’ presence, left soon after.
The
Enderby Settlement brings to life the difficult
problems faced by an isolated community dependent on its vulnerable contacts
with New Zealand, Australia and far-off England. It is a story of challenge and
survival in a tempestuous, uncompromising environment in the mid-19th
century when equipment and resources for managing in such conditions were
extremely limited.
The book includes historical paintings and
sketches and is a biography of the islands themselves. Coloured photographs taken
by the author in the 1980s capture the unique topography, from shoreline forest
to shrubland and open tussock country, and the abundant array of wildlife.
Inhospitable, bleak, inclement and yet one of the most beautiful places on
earth – the Auckland Islands gained World Heritage status in 1998.
The
Enderby Settlement: Britain’s whaling venture on the subantarctic Auckland
Islands 1849–52 will be the authoritative account
for years to come.
About the author:
Conon Fraser’s earlier books
include Beyond the Roaring Forties: New
Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands (1986) and the edited volume Enderby Settlement Diaries (1999). He
was also a much-published freelance journalist and
short-story writer, and a director/producer/ writer of numerous television
and film documentaries including the award-winning Coal Valley, Children of the Mist, The Kauri and Beyond the Roaring Forties.
Conon passed away as this book was
going to press.
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