Antarctic Explorers Train Sled Dogs on Quail Island

This island, known as Ōtamahua by Māori, which means ‘place to gather sea-bird eggs,’ was named Quail Island by Captain William Mein Smith after the now-extinct native quail.

It’s an inner harbor island in the flooded crater of Lyttelton’s extinct volcano, and it offers glimpses into the past. For early European settlers, it was a quarantine station and a small leprosy colony. Lepers were confined to one small bay here.

At the same time, Antarctic explorers like Scott and Shackleton used the island to train their sled dogs and ponies before their voyages. The last polar explorer to quarantine dogs here was American Commander Byrd, whose huskies were kept on the island between 1928 and 1930. You can still find the foundations of the leper colony, a solitary leper grave, and the Antarctic sled dog kennels.

Europeans farmed the island from 1851, but its importance grew after 1874 when it became a quarantine station. This was during a time when New Zealand's European population was rapidly increasing, from 60,000 in 1860 to 470,000 by 1881. Officials would check the health of migrants and ships, and vessels with sick people had to raise a yellow flag and go into quarantine, which was a tough introduction to a new world after months at sea.

From 1934 to 1975, Quail Island was leased for farming. Now, it's a recreational reserve focused on restoring native vegetation, and it's home to native flora and fauna, including fantails, kingfishers, silvereyes, and rare white-flippered little blue penguins.

This 81-hectare island has easy walks suitable for families. There’s also a ships' graveyard with eight vessels and the foundations of the Ward brother's homestead. If you're looking for a historical site, there are only two immigration-related buildings from this period that survive in New Zealand from quarantine stations, and one is right here on Quail Island.