The New Zealand Sealing Industry - Department of Conservation

6.3.2 Solander Islands
History
Because of their prominent position at the western entrance to Foveaux Strait
the Solander Islands are mentioned in passing in many voyaging accounts, but
only five or six of these describe sealing activities there. The first, Endeavour in
1803, was clearly conducting ship-based sealing. Pegasus in 1808–09 may also
have done this, as ‘many seals’ is inscribed beside the islands on Bunker’s chart
(Fig. 6). The remaining voyages relate to the setting down and uplifting of
shore-based sealers, at least some of whom were there from 1809 to 1813 (Ross
n.d.: 19, 22, 30). A ship-based gang, separated from their vessel on the West
Coast, also spent several months on the island in 1809–10 (Kerr n.d.: 32–33).
Other activity there is indicated by Edwin Palmer’s recollection that there were
English sealers there in 1826, and that he had been sealing there some time later
while he lived at Codfish Island (Hocken n.d.). In 1914 Antelope was engaged in
ship-based sealing there (Cumpston 1968: 271), as was Kekeno in 1946
(Sorensen 1969: 30–42) before returning to set down a gang which camped for
part of its stay in ‘Sealer’s Cave’ in East Bay on Big Solander Island (Grady 1986:
37–39; Scadden 1996: 85–86, 88).
Archaeology
The Kekeno gang reported that charcoal from earlier occupation of Sealers Cave
could be observed in 1946 (Grady 1986: 39), and on these grounds it is recorded
here as an archaeological site (B47/1). However they also found that the cave
was flooded by heavy seas, which may explain why the only archaeological
survey there (Gillies 1985) was unable to locate any evidence of 19 th century
occupation. This survey also tested two rock-shelters in East Bay (B47/2, 3) and
found charcoal stained soil, although no convincing evidence of the age of
occupation. It is possible that caves and rock-shelters elsewhere on both of the
islands in the group have evidence of occupation. The Southland Museum and
Art Gallery has a small sealskin purse (Fig. 20) from Solander Island, although its
precise origins and associations are not known.
Figure 20. Sealskin purse
with brass button, reputed
to have been found on
Solander Island. Photo
courtesy of Southland
Museum and Art Gallery
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