First he explained how he came to go to these little known Islands. During the war the Government became worried lest the enemy seize the Auckland Islands and use them as a base for raiders to attack N.Z. shipping. So it was decided to send a few men to occupy the Islands in order to send word in case of enemy approach. The chance of studying the fauna and flora at the same time was not overlooked, and Mr. Dawbin was chosen because of his scientific qualifications. His duties included a study of the botany and zoology of the islands.

Before discussing this Mr. Dawbin gave a short description of the Islands. They are 350 miles south of New Zealand and are almost directly on the old sailing trade route. There have been at least 10 major wrecks on the Auckland Islands and there have been about 100 sailors lost from wrecks on the Islands. At one time New Zealand was sending regular ships to rescue any castaways from the wrecks. The Auckland Islands are 34 miles long and 22 miles wide with two large and several smaller islands. They are volcanic and there is no soil—just peat with very poor drainage. Usual weather is drizzle with high winds.