Bishop MuseumExplore

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. 2,592 journeys so far, 1874 to 2026, 493,508 specimens between them.

1,114 collectors and expeditions42,779 days in the field8,765,933 km between stops330,332 photographed specimens

George F. Arnemann

Oʻahu · Nov 1952 – May 1953

George F. Arnemann in Oʻahu, November 1952 – May 1953

555 specimens · 21 stops · 211 days · 1,157 km

C.H. Lamoureux

7 islands of New Zealand · Nov 1965 – May 1966

C.H. Lamoureux across 7 islands of New Zealand, November 1965 – May 1966

485 specimens · 37 stops · 167 days · 26,488 km

Ruth D. Svihla

4 islands of the United States · Dec 1955 – Mar 1956

Ruth D. Svihla across 4 islands of the United States, December 1955 – March 1956

745 specimens · 28 stops · 82 days · 1,225 km

Benjamin C. Stone

20 islands · Sep 1957 – Feb 1958

Benjamin C. Stone across 20 islands, September 1957 – February 1958

507 specimens · 64 stops · 154 days · 21,480 km

Grady L. Webster

10 islands · Jun – Sep 1968

Grady L. Webster across 10 islands, June – September 1968

510 specimens · 60 stops · 111 days · 38,525 km

Gessler

6 islands · Sep – Oct 1934

Gessler across 6 islands, September – October 1934

1,072 specimens · 6 stops · 30 days · 2,403 km

Harold E. Parks

4 islands · May – Jul 1927

Harold E. Parks across 4 islands, May – July 1927

771 specimens · 22 stops · 72 days · 542 km

Erling Christophersen

3 islands · Dec 1930 – May 1931

Erling Christophersen in Oʻahu, Kahoʻolawe and Tutuila, December 1930 – May 1931

529 specimens · 26 stops · 149 days · 9,626 km

St. John Harold

12 islands · May – Oct 1934

St. John Harold across 12 islands, May – October 1934

636 specimens · 13 stops · 142 days · 4,628 km

Zimmerman Jacob

7 islands · Jul – Oct 1938

Zimmerman Jacob across 7 islands, July – October 1938

669 specimens · 13 stops · 88 days · 1,147 km

Maxwell S. Doty

11 islands · Jan – Jul 1958

Maxwell S. Doty across 11 islands, January – July 1958

545 specimens · 28 stops · 184 days · 5,161 km

Peter H. Buck

Mangaia · Oct 1929 – Feb 1930

Peter H. Buck in Mangaia, October 1929 – February 1930

692 specimens · 10 stops · 148 days

Harold St.John

4 islands of the United States · Sep 1931 – Mar 1932

Harold St.John across 4 islands of the United States, September 1931 – March 1932

481 specimens · 30 stops · 167 days · 1,433 km

K.J. Geisler

7 islands of the United States · Sep – Oct 2000

K.J. Geisler across 7 islands of the United States, September – October 2000

786 specimens · 25 stops · 37 days · 5,446 km

F. Raymond Fosberg

6 islands · May – Jul 1982

F. Raymond Fosberg across 6 islands, May – July 1982

691 specimens · 46 stops · 88 days · 10,015 km

Johnson Randall

12 islands · Jun – Sep 1978

Johnson Randall across 12 islands, June – September 1978

840 specimens · 52 stops · 92 days · 8,104 km

Harold St.John

4 islands · Oct 1950 – Feb 1951

Harold St.John across 4 islands, October 1950 – February 1951

459 specimens · 38 stops · 97 days · 7,479 km

F. Raymond Fosberg

28 islands · Jun – Sep 1965

F. Raymond Fosberg across 28 islands, June – September 1965

606 specimens · 53 stops · 87 days · 32,275 km

Johnson Randall

14 islands of Sri Lanka · Jan – Apr 1975

Johnson Randall across 14 islands of Sri Lanka, January – April 1975

811 specimens · 56 stops · 88 days

F.R. Warshauer

Maui and Molokaʻi · May – Aug 1980

F.R. Warshauer in Maui and Molokaʻi, May – August 1980

511 specimens · 33 stops · 119 days · 847 km

C.R. Long

29 islands · Aug – Nov 1964

C.R. Long across 29 islands, August – November 1964

467 specimens · 49 stops · 103 days · 19,051 km

R.L. Stemmermann

28 islands · Nov 1977 – Feb 1978

R.L. Stemmermann across 28 islands, November 1977 – February 1978

620 specimens · 70 stops · 102 days · 20,526 km

Virgilio Villena

12 islands of the Philippines · Feb – Mar 1973

Virgilio Villena across 12 islands of the Philippines, February – March 1973

620 specimens · 18 stops · 47 days · 1,461 km

Derral R. Herbst

Oʻahu and Maui · Aug 1967 – Jan 1968

Derral R. Herbst in Oʻahu and Maui, August 1967 – January 1968

373 specimens · 66 stops · 150 days · 1,963 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.