Journeys
The expeditions, reassembled
Every dated label is a diary entry. Read a collector’s labels in order and the voyage comes back: the islands in sequence, the days at each, the specimens from every stop. 39 journeys so far, 1924 to 2006, 9,414 specimens between them.
25 collectors and expeditions934 days in the field177,563 km between stops4,649 photographed specimens
39 journeys match

Laurence H. MacDaniels
12 islands · Oct 1926 – Jul 1927
Laurence H. MacDaniels across 12 islands, October 1926 – July 19272,144 specimens · 105 stops · 274 days · 40,135 km
Truman George Yuncker
11 islands of Tonga · Feb – Jun 1953
Truman George Yuncker across 11 islands of Tonga, February – June 19531,148 specimens · 59 stops · 103 days
Albert C. Smith
10 islands · Mar – Aug 1953
Albert C. Smith across 10 islands, March – August 1953869 specimens · 33 stops · 154 days · 15,233 km
G.P. Buelow
5 islands of Tonga · Jun – Aug 1982
G.P. Buelow across 5 islands of Tonga, June – August 1982540 specimens · 49 stops · 82 days
Betsy H. Gagne
11 islands · Jun – Sep 1977
Betsy H. Gagne across 11 islands, June – September 1977480 specimens · 22 stops · 84 days · 12,628 km
W.A. Whistler
11 islands · May 1976 – Jan 1977
W.A. Whistler across 11 islands, May 1976 – January 1977301 specimens · 62 stops · 237 days · 2,182 km


Gerrit Parmele Wilder
18 islands · Nov 1924 – May 1925
Gerrit Parmele Wilder across 18 islands, November 1924 – May 1925244 specimens · 43 stops · 188 days · 15,411 km
A.D. Tribollet
3 islands · Mar – Apr 2006
A.D. Tribollet in Kingman Reef, Jarvis Island and Rose Atoll, March – April 2006546 specimens · 4 stops · 31 days · 5,032 km
E. Soakai
16 islands of Tonga · Jan – Aug 1959
E. Soakai across 16 islands of Tonga, January – August 1959133 specimens · 38 stops · 206 days · 603 km
Harold E. Parks
5 islands · May – Jun 1926
Harold E. Parks across 5 islands, May – June 1926333 specimens · 7 stops · 32 days · 1,859 km
Kenneth R. Wood
9 islands · Jun – Nov 1997
Kenneth R. Wood across 9 islands, June – November 1997164 specimens · 33 stops · 139 days · 49,817 km
W.A. Whistler
'Eua Island · Jun – Jul 1990
W.A. Whistler in 'Eua Island, June – July 1990171 specimens · 24 stops · 30 days
M. Hotta
9 islands · Jul – Oct 1960
M. Hotta across 9 islands, July – October 1960126 specimens · 38 stops · 113 days · 3,718 km

Patrick V. Kirch
Niuatoputapu Island · Aug – Nov 1976
Patrick V. Kirch in Niuatoputapu Island, August – November 1976154 specimens · 20 stops · 100 days
W.R. Sykes
3 islands of Tonga · 8–27 Nov 1997
W.R. Sykes in Tongatapu Island, 'Eua Island and 'Euaiki Island, 8–27 November 1997220 specimens · 20 stops · 20 days
Steven Perlman
7 islands · Jun – Oct 1997
Steven Perlman across 7 islands, June – October 1997111 specimens · 23 stops · 117 days · 9,650 km
Patrick V. Kirch
3 islands · Jun – Jul 1974
Patrick V. Kirch in Futuna Island, Niuatoputapu Island and Nuku Hiva, June – July 1974162 specimens · 15 stops · 44 days
G.P. Buelow
8 islands of Tonga · Apr – Aug 1978
G.P. Buelow across 8 islands of Tonga, April – August 197870 specimens · 38 stops · 148 days
G.P. Buelow
5 islands of Tonga · Jan – May 1979
G.P. Buelow across 5 islands of Tonga, January – May 197973 specimens · 28 stops · 121 days
M.A. Weiner
4 islands · Sep – Oct 1969
M.A. Weiner across 4 islands, September – October 1969108 specimens · 12 stops · 28 days


T.A. Jaggar Jr
Niuafo'Ou Island · Aug – Oct 1930
T.A. Jaggar Jr in Niuafo'Ou Island, August – October 1930100 specimens · 8 stops · 34 days
William A. Setchell
4 islands · May – Jun 1926
William A. Setchell across 4 islands, May – June 1926124 specimens · 6 stops · 32 days
A.S. Foster
New Caledonia · May – Jun 1956
A.S. Foster in New Caledonia, May – June 195676 specimens · 14 stops · 42 days

Gerrit Parmele Wilder
7 islands · Jun – Aug 1925
Gerrit Parmele Wilder across 7 islands, June – August 192552 specimens · 22 stops · 65 days · 10,586 km
How a journey is found
Every specimen with a full date and a known collector is a diary entry. The days are read in order; a gap of more than three weeks ends one journey and starts the next. Days spent where a collector lived most of their life are home, not travel, and are left out.
A journey needs at least five days, forty specimens and two places. Within it, a run of days spent within about ten kilometres is one stop; the stop’s point is the middle of the labels that carry coordinates, or the island’s centre when none do.
Companions are the people whose own labels put them in the same place on the same days. Staff can name a journey, write about it and feature it; everything else here is read straight off the specimens, and is rebuilt as the records improve.
