21 Dec 2024

History and wildlife at the Auckland Islands

Adventure was in the air as we arrived at Erebus Cove on the north coast of the main Auckland Island, where we took our first steps ashore. This was the site of Hardwicke, a short-lived whaling settlement established in 1849 by London whaling company Samuel Enderby & Sons. It was a sobering moment as we observed the remains of this settlement, and the hardship endured in these challenging Subantarctic conditions.

The afternoon saw us at Carnley Harbour at the southern end of Auckland Island. Our hardy hikers set off to scale the giddying heights of South West Cape with its clifftop colony of White-capped Albatross, while others opted for a Zodiac cruise along the pristine shores of predator-free Adams Island.

Images © E. Bell, Heritage Expeditions