The Island of Sunken Treasure

Over 150 years ago, when the sailing ship General Grant was wrecked on the rugged coastline of the isolated Auckland Islands, far to the south of New Zealand, the survivors had to pit themselves against nature. Wild animals, fish and birds became their main means of survival. Stranded on a cold, bleak, isolated island deep in the Southern Ocean the castaways knew that they must use all the skills they had to survive. No one in the outside world knew they were there, so chances of rescue were slim.The gold which the General Grant was carrying now lies at the bottom of the sea. Over the years this gold has attracted treasure hunters willing to brave the cold, stormy sub-Antarctic waters. Many attempts have been made to find the wreck, but the mystery of where it lies, and whether the gold will ever be found, remains. This true story brings alive the real hardships endured by castaways. It tells a tale of human ingenuity and endurance.

Gordon Campbell is a New Zealander who has taught history for many years. He has written teaching resources, magazine articles about historic events and a children’s book about an encounter between Captain James Cook and a young Māori boy. When he was young, reading newspaper reports of an expedition to find the wreck of the General Grant, sparked a lifelong interest in this, and other wrecks on the Auckland Islands.