ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Malden and Starbuck Islands are the northernmost islands of the southern part of the Line Islands in the Republic of Kiribati. Both Malden and Starbuck are coral atolls and were mined extensively from the late 1800s until the early 1900s for phosphates. Phosphate deposits are guano deposited by seabirds over the countless years that the islands have stood above the surface of the sea. Used for fertilizers and during WWII for explosives, guano contains about 11 to 16 percent nitrogen, 8 to 12 percent phosphoric acid, and 2 to 3 percent potash. In 1957 Malden, together with Kiritimati, was used as a site for the development of nuclear weapons as part of Britain’s Operation Grapple.

Malden is the second largest member of the Line Islands. At the center of the island, the highest point of which is 25 feet above sea level, is a low shallow lagoon which contains numerous small islets and ridges composed of coral rubble. The lagoon is not connected to the open ocean; instead water exchange takes place through subterranean fissures. It is beneath the lagoon waters that an estimated 25-30-million tons of unconsolidated articulate gypsum is believed to lie. The Kiribati government has undertaken feasibility studies to assess the extraction of the island’s gypsum deposits. However, as with the other uninhabited islands of the southern group, Malden is protected as a Wildlife Sanctuary and Closed Area. It is an important breeding island for gray-backed terns (sterna lunata), red-tailed tropicbirds (phaethon rubricauda melanorhynchos), and lesser frigatebirds (fregata ariel). Nine other species are also known to breed on the island including sooty terns (sterna fuscata.) It is also an important winter-stop for the bristle-thighed curlew (numenius tahitiensis), a migrant from Alaska. This latter species is now threatened due to habitat destruction.

When we landed on Malden we saw scattered throughout the island the remains of the guano industry – lava-stone remnants of buildings, rusting hulks of machinery, and decaying debris, some 50 years old or more. One would hardly expect to find this mess on a Wildlife Sanctuary island, but hey, the birds take what they can get. With conservation funding and will on the part of Kiribati government, the “trashed” areas of the island could be cleaned up and restored to a more pristine state. To mine the gypsum would be inexcusable and would destroy this precious habitat. We were dismayed to find a pathetic-looking black cat on the island beneath the red-footed booby nests. There were several bird bones at the base of the shrubs and the cat looked to be the guilty culprit. We attempted to catch the cat but it proved too wily for us ill-equipped cat-catchers. The unfortunate aspect of the presence of a cat on such a remote island is that it is unlikely that this is a 50-year-old cat. There are most likely more feral cats on the island with which it breeds. Cats can quickly decimate an entire species of bird. Read more

There are many wonderful features as regards our Zegrahm Expeditions journey upon the Clipper Odyssey from Hawaii to Papeete. Not only are we visiting countries that members of the Century Club Travelers want for their “I’ve been there” list but the information that we are learning from our onboard lecturers is exceptional.

One of our lecturers is John Earl, a research associate in ichthyology at Honolulu’s Bishop Museum. John has compiled a checklist of fish species from the areas we are visiting and has generously shared his wealth of knowledge both in his lectures and out in the water while we are snorkeling. John has visited the Line Islands several times in the past – the following are some of his impressions.

Fanning Island, Septmeber 3, 2008: “As the sun rose, a thin green line materialized on the horizon. Gradually, from the deck of the Clipper Odyssey, I could make out a few buildings amid the groves of palm trees that lined the shore. So far, Fanning Island appeared unchanged from when I last visited in 1979, but change is inevitable and I knew that once I was ashore, it would be apparent. We landed at English Harbor in our Zodiacs and it was as though I had entered a time warp. Nothing had changed! The same buildings… the people looked the same… and not a single Starbucks in sight. This was the little island that time forgot. After lunch, I led a snorkel group exploring coral gardens just offshore from the village. There were many colorful reef fish, but a reduced number of edible fish, as one might expect outside a native village. The highlight of the snorkel venture was later in the afternoon when we made two drift snorkels and dives, riding the incoming tide into the lagoon, swept at high speed over a coral reef teeming with tropical fishes. To my surprise and delight, we all saw one of the glories of Line Island fish fauna: the goldspotted angelfish, Apolemichthys xanthopunctatus. I could not have imagined that we would see this exotic beauty at snorkel depths.” John Earl

Christmas Island, September 4, 2008: “It felt strange to be arriving at Christmas Island by ship, for all of my numerous trips here over the past 30 years had been by air. Of course, flying to Christmas Island was a bit like roulette because of the unreliability of air service. One of my friends was stranded here for two months when air service was unexpectedly suspended. We landed in London and were greeted by native singers and dancers and a group of very cute children in grass skirts, trying to dance but obviously distracted by the antics of these strangers from abroad. We boarded “Christmas Island buses,” large flat-bed trucks with U-shaped benches running along both sides and the back of the cab, topped with brightly-colored cushions and a canopy to shield from the equatorial sun, and began our tour of London and its environs. We returned to the ship for lunch, then split up for various group activities.

While my wife went with a group to see the seabirds on Cook Island, I was with a group of snorkelers just offshore. The reef is what is known as a “tongue and groove” formation, the grooves being channels for returning in-rushing water in periods of high surf. Fish life was rich, possibly aided by the rain of fertilizer from the clouds of seabirds above. While my count of butterflyfish on Fanning Island was a respectable 14 of the 21 species I have recorded from the Line Islands, in this one spot off Christmas Island I recorded 20 of the 21 species, including Chaetodon semeion, the dotted butterflyfish, which I had only seen twice before in all my trips here. I was amazed to find so many butterflyfish species in one spot, indicating that this is a very prolific reef indeed. I returned to the ship with a very happy group of snorkelers.” John Earl

We are looking forward to the next Line Island on our itinerary—Malden Island and then to Starbuck…Island, that is! We doubt that we’ll find any caffeine refreshments on an uninhabited atoll, but one never knows what you’ll find out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!

“Fair Winds,”
Shirley Metz

As we make our way southwards down the Line Island chain in the central Pacific Ocean, we spend time out on the deck of the Clipper Odyssey looking out beyond the horizon, surrounded only by deep blue sea. Occasionally seabirds cross our path or flying fish sail through the air as if pretending to be birds on wings.

And what of the mysterious necklace that Edmundo Edwards (pictured left), tried so desperately to find on Tabuaeran (Fanning) Island? (Please see my previous blog post) Edmundo, the renowned Pacific Islands archaeologist who resides on Easter Island, first visited Tabuaeran in 1995. It was on this visit to the isolated atoll in the Line Island chain that Edmundo made a remarkable discovery that he felt might provide a missing link to the ancient migrations throughout the Pacific.

A schoolteacher on the island had dug an outhouse for the new school on the island. He was surprised when his shovel uncovered a gravesite containing bones complete with skull and artifacts which included an intricately-carved whale-tooth necklace. The teacher had stored the items in a cardboard box. Upon learning that an archaeologist had arrived on Fanning Island the teacher asked Edmundo to look at the items. When Edmundo saw the unusual necklace he was thrilled because carvings of such quality would only have belonged to an individual of high rank. Similar necklaces have been found in Tonga so this necklace might help prove the theory that the earliest settlers on Tabuaeran came from there.

Now, several years after that first visit, Edmundo hoped to photograph the necklace once again. The teacher was no longer here but he was told that the necklace was still at the school. Armed with that hope, Edmundo assembled a volunteer team to make the one-hour journey across the island only to be told upon arrival that no one knew of its whereabouts. (Phones and communication on these islands are basically non-existent.)

The Clipper Odyssey was soon underway for our next destination—Christmas Island. We were no more than a few of miles off the coast of Tabuaeran when the Kiribati agent onboard said that just as we were leaving someone had told him that the necklace was hanging on the wall of one of the rooms of the small school…which meant that Edmundo had been no more than a few feet from his quest.

Many of the islands throughout the Pacific, no matter how isolated, have had inhabitants throughout its history. Because there is little, if any, research done on these islands who knows how many necklaces…or skulls…there are yet to be uncovered.

“Fair Winds,”
Shirley Metz

As we cruised out of Istanbul and through the Bosporus, we stood on deck photographing the dozens of minarets that pierce the blue sky and the different angles of Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, and Aya Sofia. Hundreds of fishermen lined every bridge and beach.

The next day we visited the quaint and picturesque fishing village of Amasra. It was a wonderful day for walking and we explored the Genoese Fort and the Archaeological Museum. Our athletic hikers climbed to the highest point for great views of the Black Sea and the colorful village below. It was clear and warm enough for swimming—two adventurous swimmers actually said the water was warmer than the air!

We continued along the northern Turkish coast to Amasya where the highlights included the Archaeological Museum with its fascinating mummy exhibits and the Ethnographic Museum, which features traditional Turkish houses. Once again our avid hikers made it to the top, and while they were enjoying the magnificent views of the River Valley, our birders and naturalists were searching for the holy grail of the day, the lammergeier! Three people spotted it! We had a delicious traditional lunch high atop the mountain overlooking the river and city. The mezze platter—with red ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, baba ganoush, and roasted red peppers—was just delicious! Our main course of shish kebabs and couscous was accompanied by some of the best fresh bread many of us claimed we had ever had. Next, we sail to Trabzon and the Byzantine Sumela Monastery…

Aloha from Kiribati,

One of our well-traveled clients just shared with me that he loves traveling with Zegrahm Expeditions because we go to places that he’s never heard of. I must admit that although I have always wanted to visit the Line Islands I really had no idea that I actually wished to go to the Republic of Kiribati. I might be forgiven my naiveté because this vast area was only granted complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati (pronounced KEER-a-bas).

So where exactly are we!? The Clipper Odyssey, as we “blog,” is sailing the central Pacific Ocean en route from Hilo, Hawaii, to Kiribati. Kiribati encompasses the 16 Gilbert Islands, Banaba (formerly Ocean Island), the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands group. Of Kiribati’s 33 islands, only 20 are inhabited.

For the most part, the islands are atolls, some of which were used for U.S. and British nuclear testing in the 1960s. Today coconut palms dominate the landscape. Fishing licenses, fish farms, as well as products of the reef and the ocean are the mainstay income for the estimated 95,000 islanders. The Kiribati ethnic composition is mainly Micronesian with some Polynesian.

By the end of 2008, Kiribati will set aside a California-sized ocean wilderness by declaring the world’s largest marine protected area. This will dramatically expand the already established PIPA (Phoenix Islands Protected Area,) the world’s third largest marine protected area. Status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has been applied for as the reserve will conserve one of the Earth’s last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems, one that teems with pristine reefs, fish, and bird life. However, this will not come at a small cost for the impoverished nation. The government stands to lose an estimated 33 million U.S. dollars since commercial fishing will be restricted. The Boston-based New England Aquarium, with technical aid from Conservation International, are involved in the funding efforts. It is hoped that with the new UNESCO status tourism will give a boost to the Kiribati economy. Read more