On the west coast is Codfish
Island. This
was taken on the ridge slightly to the south of the Island.
Considerable effort was made to trap every introduced species on
it. Every single cat, mouse, and rat was trapped.
It's a
good looking island about 5 km. offshore. It's important that
the
island be at least this far as it prevents any pest species from
swimming to it and re-infesting it.
The first experiments with offshore islands were done in the 1890's in
Fiordlands but they didn't succeed as the island were too close to the
mainland and the pests were swimming. For someone at that
time to
try something like was way, way ahead of their time. While
they
didn't work then, it planted the seed and people kept trying.
Whether the Kakapo makes it or not is uncertain, but it won't be for
lack of trying. If they do make it, the offshore islands will be part
of that success.