24 Jan 2017

SHOKALSKIY: Tales from Three Islands

SNARES

On a brilliant morning at the Snares we cruised by zodiac around Hoiho Bay, entered a sea-cave and emerged into a perfectly sheltered cove in the lee of Seal Point. The striking granite buttresses of the Snares rose abruptly from indigo depths, blanketed by white lichen and fringed by tan-coloured bull kelp. We watched the Snares tomtits and fern-birds fossicking around the coastline for insects, and passed fur seals dozing on rock-shelves and amongst the seaweed. Buller’s albatross soared around the clifftops, nested amongst the shrubbery, courted or rested on rocky promontories. But the stars of the show were the Snares crested penguins which rafted past us in big groups, their black and white bodies, bright orange beaks and yellow crests a study in contrast. They preened themselves in the water, porpoised, dived and torpedoed clear out of the sea onto the rocks, before scrambling up rock-ramps to their nests high in the forest.

ENDERBY ISLAND, AUCKLAND ISLANDS

At Enderby the rata forest was cloaked in crimson, with flowers littering the bright green forest-floor. Auckland Island dotterels, pipits and tomtits hunted for invertebrates, almost oblivious to our presence. Auckland Island shags flapped rapidly along the line of cliff-tops, with light-mantled sooty albatross soaring around their nests. We also had good sightings of snipe, red-crowned parakeets and yellow-eyed penguins. At the beach groups of sea lion pups and mothers lay in small groups, most of the males having low left and those remaining keeping a low-profile. The following dawn we visited the failed settlement and little graveyard of Hardwicke, the surrounding rata forest and mountains a picture in the early morning light. After breakfast we took the zodiacs in to the WWII coast-watchers’ hut at Ranui Cove, where most of us walked up to the lookout and enjoyed splendid views back over the main Auckland Island and out towards Ewing Island.

 MACQUARIE ISLAND

We picked up a group of Australian rangers from their base at Buckles Bay on Macquarie Island,  a group of six orca swimming near the ship as they came on board. We immediately headed south to our landing at the mesmerising Sandy Bay: Groups of moulting sub-adult male elephant seals lay together like fat cigars, those on the outside occasionally clambering over the others to get back into the middle of the row. Lines of colourful metre-high king penguins marched along the beach to and from their colony on the point. The royal pen guin chicks were well-grown and standing in fluffy huddles throughout their colony, many of their parents off at sea foraging. After dropping the rangers back and taking a tour of their base we headed poleward, narrowly out-running a deep low-pressure system due to descend on the island and a continuing a remarkable run of good weather and sea conditions so far.