Motu Ihupuku is the indigenous Maori name for the island more commonly known as Campbell Island. It is an uninhabited subantarctic island of New Zealand. In 1863 a small schooner named Grafton was hired by a group of traders from Sydney, Australia. Their goal was sail to Campbell Island to prospect for tin and attempt some sealing. Frustrated and disappointed by the lack of both, they decided to head home, stopping by the Auckland Islands on the way in hopes of better luck. Their story is brilliantly told by Joan Druett in her 2019 book, The Island of the Lost. Her book does not contain a map of the Grafton’s first stop, so I decided to make one myself. A companion map of Auckland Island is next.
This map shows the sailors’ route, as well as some of the native flora and fauna they encountered. I included the location of “The World’s Lonliest Tree”, aka the Ranfurly Tree — it is a Sitka spruce, reportedly over 170 mi away from any other tree, making it the most isolated and remote tree in the world.