---
title: "A well-travelled World Albatross Day banner gets to Rosemary Rock, New Zealand's northernmost albatross colony"
---

# A well-travelled World Albatross Day banner gets to Rosemary Rock, New Zealand's northernmost albatross colony

j![WAD banner Three Kings Matt Rayner by Kevin Parker](http://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Posters_Books/WAD_banner_Three_Kings_Matt_Rayner_by_Kevin_Parker.jpg) 

 *Matt Rayner holds up a ‘WAD2020’ banner on Rosemary Rock, Manawatāwhi/Three Kings Islands, with Northern Buller’s Albatross chicks on both sides, photograph by Kevin Parker*

 After photographing a [World Albatross Day banner](https://www.acap.aq/en/world-albatross-day/introduction-to-world-albatross-day) on [Campbell Island](https://www.acap.aq/en/latest-news/3473-new-zealand-s-wad2020-banner-gets-to-campbell-island-but-does-not-come-back?highlight=WyJib3VudHkiXQ==), site of New Zealand’s southernmost albatross colonies, [Kevin Parker](http://www.parkerconservation.co.nz/index.php/staff/curriculum-vitae/) of [Parker Conservation](http://www.parkerconservation.co.nz/) was fortunate enough to take another banner photo on New Zealand’s northernmost albatross colony on the [Manawatāwhi/Three Kings Islands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manawat%C4%81whi_/_Three_Kings_Islands).  Parker Conservation’s other two staff members, Kalinka Rexer-Huber, with whom Kevin travelled to Campbell, and Graham Parker also recently took banner photos on New Zealand’s [Auckland](https://www.acap.aq/en/latest-news/3542-new-zealand-s-well-travelled-world-albatross-day-banner-gets-to-the-sub-antarctic-auckland-islands?highlight=WyJib3VudHkiXQ==) and [Bounty](https://www.acap.aq/en/latest-news/3447-world-albatross-day-on-the-bounty-islands-new-zealand-joins-the-banner-challenge?highlight=WyJrYWxpbmthIiwia2FsaW5rYSdzIiwyMDE5XQ==) Islands.

 [Rosemary Rock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Rock), a small islet (170 x 40 m; 50 m high) in the Princes Chain of the Manawatāwhi/Three Kings Islands is situated 57 km north of New Zealand’s North Island.  It supports a small population of 15-35 pairs of the [globally Near Threatened](http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/bullers-albatross-thalassarche-bulleri/text) and [nationally Naturally Uncommon](http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/bullers-mollymawk) Northern Buller’s Albatross *Thalassarche buller platei* first discovered in 1983.

 Along with Matt Rayner, Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates, Jen Carol, photographer, both from the [Auckland War Memorial Museum](https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/), and Trenton Neho and Thomas Hvid of local iwi Ngāti Kuri (the local Māori tribe), Kevin managed to get ashore in late February.  He writes: “It was a very quick trip and a very difficult landing - we had to swim onto the island and contend with a chunky swell in scrambling up some very slippery rocks - it was all great fun though!”  Seven adult Northern Buller’s Albatrosses and four chicks were seen on the island.  The Manawatāwhi/Three Kings Islands are mana by Ngati Kuri and the New Zealand [Department of Conservation](https://www.doc.govt.nz).

 WAD2020 banner photos have also been taken at the [Antipodes](https://www.acap.aq/en/latest-news/3582-completing-a-world-heritage-site-new-zealand-s-antipodes-island-gets-its-own-world-albatross-banner-despite-covid-19) and [Snares](https://www.acap.aq/en/latest-news/3567-new-zealand-s-world-albatross-day-banner-is-photographed-with-buller-s-albatrosses-on-the-snares-islands) Islands, so in addition to the Three Kings, all five New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic island groups have been covered.

 With thanks to Kevin Parker, Matt Rayner, Trenton Neho, Thomas Hvid and Jen Carol.

 **References:**

 Frost, P. 2017. [Sooty Tern: Three Kings Islands](https://www.birdingnz.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7348).  BirdingNZ.net.

 Wright, A.E. 1984. [ Buller's Mollymawks breeding at the Three Kings Islands](http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_31_3.pdf).  [Notornis 31: 203–207](http://www.acap.aq/Articles%20%20Edit%20-%20Agreement%20on%20the%20Conservation%20of%20Albatrosses%20and%20Petrels%20-%20Administration).

 McCallum, J., Brook, F. & Francis, M. 1985.  Buller's Mollymawks on Rosemary Rock, Three Kings Islands, in 1985. [Notornis 32: 257-259](http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_32_3.pdf).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 25 April 2020*

 ![Bullers Albatross Laurie Johnson Virginia Nicol](http://www.acap.aq/images/WAD/Bullers_Albatross_Laurie_Johnson_Virginia_Nicol.jpg)

 *Buller’s Albatross by [ABUN](https://www.facebook.com/groups/ABUN4Nature/) artist Virginia Nicol, from a photograph by Laurie Smaglick Johnson*