This is without doubt one of the most inspirational and informative journeys or expeditions into the Southern Ocean ecosystem that one can make anywhere in the world. Long recognised for their rich biodiversity, the Subantarctic Islands lying to the south of New Zealand are UNESCO World Heritage sites. This places them in a select group of only 180 natural sites that have been designated as ‘the most important and significant natural habitats' on the planet. They are also afforded the highest conservation status and protection by the Australian and New Zealand governments and access to these islands is by permit only. On this expedition we offer you the unique chance to explore, photograph and understand these wonderful places in the company of some of the most knowledgeable and passionate guides.
As a young biologist, Heritage Expeditions founder Rodney Russ first visited these islands in 1972 with the New Zealand Wildlife Service. He organised New Zealand's first commercial expedition there in 1989, and many years and over 100 expeditions later, he is still as passionate about the islands as he was in 1972. It was only natural that his family should travel with him, what wasn't predictable was that they would join him in the business and be as passionate about the conservation of this region as he is. As the original concessionaire we enjoy good relationships with the conservation departments and some of the access permits we hold are unique to these expeditions.
The name we have given to this voyage ‘Galapagos of the Southern Ocean' reflects the astounding natural biodiversity and the importance of these islands as a wildlife refuge. (The book ‘Galapagos of the Antarctic' written by Rodney Russ and Aleks Terauds and published by Heritage Expeditions describes all of these islands in great detail.) The islands all lie in the cool temperate zone with a unique climate and are home to a vast array of wildlife including albatross, penguins, petrels, prions, shearwaters and marine mammals like sea lions, fur seals and elephant seals. The flora is equally fascinating; the majority of it being like the birds and endemic to these islands.
This expedition includes four of the Subantarctic Islands, The Snares, Auckland, Macquarie and Campbell. Each one is different and each one is unique, just like this expedition.
Pre/Post cruise transfers, one night hotel accommodation in a twin share room (incl. dinner/breakfast), all on board ship accommodation, meals and all expedition shore excursions.
All items of a personal nature, laundry, drinks, gratuities. International/domestic flights, visas and travel insurance.
Our ship - The Spirit of Enderby:
The Spirit of Enderby is a fully ice-strengthened expedition vessel, built in 1984 for polar and oceanographic research and is perfect for Expedition Travel.
She carries just 50 passengers and was refurbished in March 2013 to provide comfortable accommodation in twin share cabins approximately half of which have private facilities. All cabins have outside windows or portholes and ample storage space.
On board there is a recently updated combined bar/library lounge area and a dedicated lecture room (March 2018). The cuisine is excellent and is prepared by top NZ and Australian chefs.
The real focus and emphasis of every expedition is getting you ashore as often as possible for as long as possible with maximum safety and comfort. Our Expeditions are accompanied by some of the most experienced naturalists and guides, who have devoted a lifetime to field research in the areas that we visit. The ship is crewed by a very enthusiastic and most experienced Russian Captain and crew.
The name Spirit of Enderby honours the work and the vision of the Enderby Brothers of London. The Enderby Captains were at the forefront of Antarctic exploration for almost 40 years in the early 1800s. It also celebrates Enderby Island, arguably the greatest Subantarctic Island in the world.
Technical description:
Classification: Russian register KM ice class
Year built: 1984
Accommodation: 50 berths expedition
Shipyard: Finland
Main engines: power 2x1560 bhp (2x 1147 Kw)
Register: Russia
Maximum speed: 12 knots (2 engines),
Cruising speed: 10 knots(one engine)
Bunker capacity: 320 tons
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Day 1: 23rd December
Invercargill
This evening we gathered at the Kelvin Hotel for our first meal together and to meet with our Expedition Leader, we were briefed on plans for the next day and the expedition we were about to set out on.
Day 2: 24th December
Bluff
Position 0800 hrs: 46º37.8’S 168º21.2’E Bluff
Weather: SSW wind 16 knots, air temperature 14ºC
Sea conditions: 2 metre swell, sea temperature 13ºC
Nature highlights: Southern Royal, Auckland White-capped and Salvin’s Albatross; Cape, Mottled, Cook’s & diving petrels; Sooty Shearwater, Spotted and Bronze (Stewart Island) Shags, Red-billed and Kelp Gulls, White-fronted tern, Little Blue & Fiordland Crested Penguins, Antarctic & Fairy Prions.
We met in the lobby of the Kelvin Hotel in Bluff at 0900, tell-tale signs betraying fellow passengers; rugged day packs; strong walking shoes; outdoor jackets and outsized camera bags.
“Hi, I’m Chris, one of your guides. Welcome to Heritage Expeditions! Please bring your bags over here. Max and I will label them and Alex will have them waiting in your cabins when you get on board. Once that’s done we’ll head down to the museum to look at the Subantarctic display, come back to the Kelvin for lunch, then at 1.30 we’ll take a coach to Bluff and the Spirit of Enderby.”
Once aboard we enjoyed tea and fresh scones in the bar-library, cleared Australian customs for Macquarie Island, settled into our cabins, then headed down to the lecture room for our first briefing at 4pm. Rodney Russ, our Expedition Leader and founder of Heritage Expeditions introduced the team,
….“ I bring you greetings from Captain Dmitri and the crew. This is Jessie Prebble our Cruise Director: She’ll be keeping the show on the road. Here are 2 of the most important people on the ship - our chefs Alain Hauswirth and Ed Roberts. This is Dave Chamley, ship’s doctor, and these are your guides, lecturers and Zodiac drivers; Lisle Gwynn, Steph Borrelle and Chris Todd. OK team, come on up and introduce yourselves…” “And now for the Zodiac briefing… safety around the ship… lifeboat drill…..”
We set sail for The Snares at 6pm, feeling the roll of the ocean as soon as we left port. After a superb dinner (choice of seared salmon or rack of lamb) served by cheerful Russian wait staff Natalia and Olga, we left the lee of bush-clad Ruapuke and Rakiura / Stewart Islands and experienced the full influence of the Southern Ocean swell.
We climbed up to the bridge and upper decks to enjoy the landscapes, seascapes and the see-sawing flight of seabirds long into the evening. Thus began our 13 day voyage to one of the most remote and wild places on earth.
Day 3: 25th December – Christmas Day
The Snares and at Sea
Position 0800 hrs: 48º01.8’S 166º37.7’E
Weather: SSW wind 12 knots, air temperature 14ºC
Sea conditions: 2 metre swell, sea temperature 13ºC
Nature highlights: Snares Crested Penguin, Snares Island Tomtit, Southern Buller’s Albatross, Southern Giant Petrel, Fulmar Prion, Black-bellied Storm-Petrel, Antarctic Tern, New Zealand Fur Seal, New Zealand Sea Lion, Fern Bird.
The perfect Christmas present: fine weather for a Zodiac cruise at The Snares! We arrived here at 0730hrs. All five Zodiacs were craned off the back deck and driven to the gangway, where Russian sailors helped passengers into the Zodiacs, which rose and fell with the swell.
The granite buttresses of The Snares rose abruptly from indigo depths, strikingly blanketed by white lichen and fringed by tan-coloured bull kelp. Higher plants took hold some 20-30 metres further up, above the line of storm-driven waves. The island is covered in a mixture of forest (tree daisy Olearia lyalii with some Brachiglottis stewartii ), open tussock (Poa spp), shrublands on the seaward margins (the coastal hebe Veronica elliptica) and lichen-covered granite.
As we approached the island, endemic Snares Crested Penguins rafted past 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 clean out of the sea onto the rocks, before hopping and walking up long, sloping rock-ramps to their nests high in the forest. They seemed very definite about leaving the sea, but eternally undecided about getting back in.
After following the shoreline some way, we motored into a cavernous tunnel, the seabed 5-10 metres down clearly visible through crystal clear water, before exiting into a perfectly calm cove surrounded by forest. Someone sang a verse of Silent Night in the tunnel to check out the acoustics and mark the season.
Buller’s Albatross nested high above us, their beautiful grey heads phasing into dark eye patches, with striking yellow bills. They were all around the island; at sea, soaring over clifftops, sitting on the water, nesting amongst tussocks and shrubs, or sitting on high rocky promontories.
Young sea lions followed the Zodiacs curiously, twisting and turning under water to get a better look at the boats. On the rocky foreshore a large male with furious red eyes defended 2 females against challenges from 2 other males, one from each side. Fern Birds and Black Tomtits fed down to the rocky sea margins. The abundance of wildlife action made it hard to decide what to look at or photograph next: a truly memorable Christmas Day.
Photo credit: C. Todd
Photo credit: L. Gwynn
Kayak Log:
What a Christmas present!
Kayaking on a flat sea surrounded by a raft of curious Snares Crested Penguins, with Hooker's Sea Lions ignoring us as they challenged each other on a wave platform, Mike and I could have been the only humans on the planet.
With the Spirit of Enderby and the cruising Zodiacs out of sight, we paddled quietly through the clear waters, marvelling as the wild inhabitants of The Snares went about their day. Penguins approached to about one metre on the surface, braver under water they came right up to our hull. Sea lions were more curious, frequently swimming right up to our paddles.
We had launched from a Zodiac alongside the Spirit of Enderby, and paddled along the coast of the island, stopping to drift past groups of penguins and posturing sea lions. The benign conditions allowed for exploration deep into a sea cave, with the waves gurgling over rocks in the darkness. Paddling quietly through a long archway which opened into a mirror-calm bay, we were joined by the Zodiacs as we went around to the famed Penguin Slide.
Sitting off to the side as penguins timed their leap ashore, we craned our necks as they made the long trudge up the smooth rock to their colonies high in the vegetation.
With the conditions so good, Rodney called over the radio to push back our pick-up time, and Mike and I paddled back south along the island before heading back to the ship. We pulled alongside a Zodiac to be transferred aboard, having paddled 5 kilometres of the most pristine coastline in New Zealand.
Photo credit: J. Kirk-Anderson
Day 4: 26th December – Boxing Day
Enderby Island
Position 0800 hrs: 50º30.4’S 166º16.5’E
Weather: NW wind 20 knots, air temperature 13ºC
Sea conditions: 1 metre swell (inside harbour), sea temperature 15ºC
Nature highlights: New Zealand Sea Lion breeding colony, endemic Auckland Island Pipit, tomtit, Flightless Teal, snipe, shag and anded dotterel; Red-crowned and Yellow-crowned Parakeet; NZ Falcon, Yellow-eyed Penguin, Light-mantled Sooty Albatross synchronised-flying, nesting Southern Royal Albatross.
The ship stopped rolling at 0300hrs as we entered the sheltered waters Port Ross, known affectionately by early sailors as ‘Sarah’s Bosom’ and anchored off our landing point at Sandy Bay. Enderby Island is low-lying, rising gently from a sandy beach in the south to coastal cliffs along the exposed north coast. After launching the Zodiacs, we landed stern first in order to keep the bow pointing into the small surf. After swinging our legs over the side, we crossed the sea-lion strewn beach to Department of Conservation field huts. A few young male sea lions made half-hearted lunges at us to remind us who owned the beach. Once we had stowed the life-jackets and changed into walking shoes, we headed up a grassy bank above the beach, through low shrubs and onto the boardwalk under a canopy of an enchanting, low-growing, red-flowering rata (Metrosideros umbellata), Myrsine and Dracophyllum trees, the forest floor punctuated by mosses, ferns and the rhubarb-like megaherb Azorella polaris. As we climbed further towards the wind-exposed north coast, the vegetation quickly transitioned down to a dense carpet of cushion plants, gentians, and the megaherbs Bulbinella (yellow flowers and strap-like leaves) and Anisotome (huge mauve globes of florets).
Endemic Auckland Island Dotterels, pipits and tomtits fed on invertebrates (Astelia) close to the boardwalk, the dotterels seemingly oblivious to our presence. At the end of the boardwalk Auckland Island Shags flapped rapidly up and down the line of cliff-tops and a pair of Light-mantled Sooty Albatross soared past in a beautiful display of synchronised flying. Deep peat above the cliffs had been scoured by the wind, revealing old layers where trees had once grown.
Thirty-five people carried on around the island, clockwise and eastward above the cliffs, around the eastern coastline and back to Sandy Bay. They reported seeing endemic snipe amongst the tussocks, Red-crowned Parakeets feeding on grass seeds and Gentianella, Yellow-eyed Penguins nesting and sea lions hauled out around the shoreline, a colony of Auckland Islands Shags, Southern Royal Albatross nesting and flying over the tussocks, a pair of falcons chasing parakeets, and walking inside the ‘enchanted’ rata forest, the canopy twisted over by the prevailing winds and floor carpeted with Azorella, moss and ferns.
Photo credit: J Kirk-Anderson
The remainder of us remained at the cliffs for a time to look at the flowering plants and watch the Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses before returning to the beach to watch sea-lions: huge testosterone-driven dominant males desperately defended their harems, erupting periodically into furious fights. Females with pups snapped at the fighting males or scrambled out of the way to prevent their pups being crushed. Females and pups lay together in small groups, pups bleating like lambs and being nursed attentively. At the top of the beach slightly older pups were being held in crèches while their mothers were at sea. We watched a sea lion give birth to a pup straight onto the sandy beach, skuas dashing in to snatch pieces of the placenta.
We enjoyed a magnificent buffet roast Christmas dinner, delayed until Boxing Day to ensure calm conditions at table.
Photo credit: L. Gwynn
Day 5: 27th December
Carnley Harbour, Auckland Island
Position 0800 hrs: 50º50.6’S 166º05.8’E
Weather: SW wind 20 knots, air temperature 11ºC
Sea conditions: 4 metre swell, sea temperature 14ºC
Nature highlights: Watching seabirds from the bridge leaving the Auckland Islands. Gibson's Wandering Albatross, Grey-backed and Black-bellied Storm-Petrel.
We arrived at Carnley Harbour at 0630 in thick fog and high winds which made it unsuitable to anchor. As a result we headed back out to North Arm in the lee of the island.
Day 6: 28th December
At sea en route to Macquarie Island
Position 0800 hrs: 51º56.2’S 164º06.4’E
Weather: SW wind 24 knots, air temperature 11ºC
Sea conditions: 3 metre swell, sea temperature 12ºC
Nature highlights: Experiencing the power of the Southern Ocean
We spent the entire day punching directly into a SW swell, a day best spent reading or lying in bed.
Rodney asked us to spare thought for those in the sailing ship era who had sometimes taken weeks to beat their way down to Macquarie Island, only to have to stand off for days until it was calm enough to land a boat.
Photo credit: J Kirk-Anderson
Day 7: 29th December
Sandy Bay, Macquarie Island
Position 0800 hrs: 54º24.8’S 159º11.9’E
Weather: Westerly wind 20 knots, air temperature 9ºC
Sea conditions: 1 metre swell, sea temperature 11ºC
Nature highlights: Sandy Bay landings: King and Royal Penguins; elephant seal weaners and young adults; orca; skuas and giant petrels hunting penguin chicks; dramatic landscapes and seascapes.
Macquarie Island, an Australian territory 34 km long x 5 km wide, is apparently the exposed crest of the undersea Macquarie Ridge and the only place on earth where rocks from the earth’s mantle (6 km below the ocean floor) are being actively exposed above sea-level.
We arrived at 0900 and ferried 2 Australian Antarctic Division staff and Alex Fergus (NZ Department of Conservation botanist) by Zodiac to the Australian base at Buckles Bay. The Zodiacs returned with the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service rangers accompanying us to our landings.
We landed stern-first at Sandy Bay between sets of big waves, scrambling onto the beach as fast as possible so the Zodiacs could get off before the next set arrived. The beach and rocky headland was alive with wriggling elephant seal weaners, wrestling and barking sub-adults and groups of elephant seals simply lying sardine-style on the beach. Groups of Royal Penguins marched or stood on the beach, backs to the wind. Royal Penguins with rakish gold crests porpoised back and forth on fishing trips to feed their young in colonies high above the beach. The colony we visited via a boardwalk was alive with little groups of creched chicks, adults marching to and fro to feed them, and desperate attempts to drive off marauding skuas and giant petrels, ever alert for an unguarded chick, which they would snatch and disembowel in minutes. As we departed for the ship from our second (afternoon) landing, a pod of orca swam by and out past the ship.
What an extraordinary place and what a privilege to be here! It made the previous 36 hours beating into sou’west swells to get here seem trivial and irrelevant. The ship remained anchored off Sandy Bay overnight.
Photo credit: L. Gwynn
Kayak Log:
Margaret and Vijay were surprised spectators when a group of Giant Petrel killed and ate a penguin beside their kayak, off Sandy Bay, Macquarie Island.
The couple had just been launched from a Zodiac and were heading towards the beach when the raw act of nature played out beside them. As Mike and I paddled over, the unfortunate penguin was quickly devoured by the group of large seabirds, who ignored us and our double kayaks.
Rafts of penguins formed around us, as if there was safety in numbers and our presence. They left us to head inshore as we continued paddling along the coast, staying outside the surf zone, which was dumping on the shingle beach.
Ashore, Royal and King Penguins formed ranks of white, broken by large grey elephant seals shuffling along the beach. Penguins swam in pools on the rock platforms at the north-eastern end of the bay, and stopped to watch us. Mindful of the swell rolling in, we were cautious in our approach to the shore, back-paddling away from the breakers.
As the time approached for the passengers ashore to return to the Spirit of Enderby, we took advantage of the tail wind and paddled quickly out to board her via a moored Zodiac.
Marvelling at our witness to nature's rawness, we prepared for lunch and our visit to the beach via Zodiac.
Day 8: 30 December
Lusitania Bay cruise-by (south-east coast of Macquarie Island) and Zodiac landings at Buckles Bay (site of Australian base). Afternoon at sea.
Position 0800 hrs: 54º42.1’S 158º32.5’E
Weather: SSW wind 12 knots, air temperature 9ºC
Sea conditions: 2 metre swell, sea temperature 13ºC
Nature highlights: Huge King Penguin colonies at South-east Reef and Lusitania Bay; a pod of orca patrolling the penguin colonies.
At 0630 the Spirt of Enderby cruised to Heard Point and South-east Reef at the southern end of Macquarie Island, site of an estimated 500,000-pair strong King Penguin colony. A pod of orca patrolled the beaches nearby, their massive dorsal fins breaking the surface every few minutes. We headed north to Lusitania Bay, once the scene of mass slaughter as penguins were thrown wholesale into giant pressure cookers (‘digesters’) and their fat rendered into barrels of oil. The digesters were rusting on the beach, surrounded entirely by breeding penguins.
After breakfast we dropped the rangers back to Buckles Bay, landing on the bouldery beach by Zodiac between sets of large waves and scrambling out while Rodney, Lisle and John stood in the water with dry-suits to hold the boats steady and push them off.
The sea’s gorgeous milky blue colour was reminiscent of a glacial lake, apparently caused by penguin guano washing into the sea from the massive colonies. On shore, rangers and scientists gave us a guided tour of the base and its surrounds. In the mess we were given tea and scones with jam and cream. Some of us had our passports stamped, bought souvenirs or sent postcards from the Macquarie Island post office, which will apparently reach their recipients some time in April. Once again the wildlife was spectacular: A Macquarie Island Shag colony; scores of huge elephant seals slumbering amongst the tussocks; a Gentoo Penguin colony, with gentoos fishing amongst the seaweed or feeding their young; white-morph Southern Giant Petrels; King Penguins resting on the beach. We picked up 6 more staff from the base to transport to New Zealand, as we departed swinging by in the Zodiacs for a quick look at the Rockhopper Penguin colony near the base.
We set sail for Campbell Island at 1430 hrs.
Photo credit: Lisle Gwynn
Day 9: 31st December - New Years Eve
At sea en route from Macquarie Island to Campbell Island
Position 0800 hrs: 53º33.4’S 164º12.9’E
Weather: Easterly wind 16 knots, air temperature 13ºC
Sea conditions: 2 metre swell, sea temperature 14ºC
Nature highlights: Quarantine procedures pre-landing at Campbell Island.
Sea Shop open
New Year’s Eve celebrations deferred until Perseverance Harbour and calm waters.
Photo credit: L. Gwynn
Day 10: 1st January 2017
Col Lyall, Campbell Island
Position 0800 hrs: 53º33.1’S 169º10.0’E (Anchored Perseverance Harbour)
Weather: Easterly wind 20 knots, air temperature 12ºC
Sea conditions: 1 metre swell, sea temperature 14ºC
Nature highlights: Southern Royal Albatrosses, megaherbs, ground orchids, Campbell Island Snipe and spectacular coastal landscapes of Col Lyall.
Social highlight: Celebration for New Years Day.
We anchored in Perseverance Harbour under the island’s highest point, Mt Honey. All around us hills rose high and steep from the rocky shoreline, up through Dracophyllum shrubland and tussock clad upper slopes to rocky crags and ridges. Showers of sleet blasted the tops and the high winds made an immediate landing out of the question. The crew had to reposition the ship periodically due the wind. Everyone was dying to get outside!
The wind dropped slightly over lunch, so dressed ‘warmly and waterproofly’ we took the Zodiacs over to the Col Lyall board-walk for the afternoon. Several snipe jumped out in front of us on the way up, including a mother with a small chick. Mauve Pleurophyllum were opening beside the boardwalk and the sharp-eyed spotted 4 species of ground orchid. As we neared the col we began to see Southern Royal Albatross flying above and then around us, their huge wings sweeping across the tussocks-covered slopes and soaring on updrafts. It’s hard to appreciate just how enormous they are until you have familiar objects on land to scale them against. Soon we came to an albatross sitting on its mounded nest among the tussocks. Then we saw dozens of birds, with groups of young adults ‘gamming’, a term for their courtship behaviour, with beak-clacking, wing-stretching, yodeling, head-shaking, neck-arching, co-grooming, and flying low over the tussocks together. One over-flew us so closely we could hear the wind whistling through its wings.
It was sleeting on the col, which somehow added to the splendid sense of wildness; overlooking the rugged cliffs of the west coast, South West Bay, Dent Island and the spectacular volcanic hills and outcrops.
Cold, wet and very happy, we returned to a hot shower and a special 6-course meal and supper to celebrate New Years Day.
Kayak Log:
Our kayaks slipped across the still waters of Perseverance Harbour, calmed after the previous day's strong winds, and we were able to drift along the shoreline of Lookout Bay scanning for birds. The Campbell Island Teal, which we were hoping to see, remained elusive, but we spotted Pipit and were soon joined by sea lions snorting along beside us.
Passing by the abandoned buildings of the MetService, we found the Zodiac cruisers in Tucker Cove with cameras pointed at a Teal standing on a rock at the water's edge. They quietly motored away and we enjoyed the sight of this bird, bought back from the brink of extinction after Rodney Russ discovered one in 1975.
Paddling to the head of Tucker Cove we were escorted by four sea lions, one ahead, one on each flank, and one following in our wake. One inquisitive sea lion took a liking to Mike’s paddle blade.
Heading around into Camp Cove our two double kayaks kept our escort, but they dropped back as we approached the shallows. On the left of the beach an elephant seal shuffled towards us, then turned around and headed back into the bush. Ahead was the “Loneliest Tree in the World”, a Sitka Spruce believed planted in 1907 and the only tree on the island. Wider than it is tall, it has suffered in the past from being the source of Christmas trees for the long-closed meteorological station.
Rounding Duris Point into Garden Cove we passed roaring elephant seals, who stopped their posturing to watch our progress. Soon after another teal was spotted, feeding among the kelp where its plumage was great camouflage.
Passing Venus Bay with the flanks of Mt Honey catching the sun, it was hard to believe we were deep in the Southern Ocean, kayaking at New Zealand's southern-most island. Ahead of us the mixed vegetation on Shoal Point shone in the sunlight, and waves gently broke over Terror Shoal.
Spotting the Zodiacs returning from their cruise towards the entrance to the harbour we turned towards the Spirit of Enderby, sitting below Beeman Hill. Once the Zodiacs had dropped their passengers off at the gangplank, Margaret, Vijay, Mike and I rafted alongside the moored Zodiac and climbed the rope ladder to the deck, where we quietly celebrated a fantastic paddle in an amazing place.
Photo credit: J Kirk-Anderson
Day 11: 2nd January
Northwest Bay and Col Lyall, Campbell Island
Position 0800 hrs: 53º33.0’S 169º09.4’E (Anchored Perseverance Harbour)
Weather: Southerly wind 2 knots, air temperature 8ºC
Sea conditions: 1 metre swell (in harbour), sea temperature 16ºC
Nature highlights: Landings and Zodiac cruises from Perseverance harbour, spectacular departure from Campbell Island via Bull Rock.
Our last day on land was calm and mainly sunny. We had a choice of a long walk; the board walk again, a Zodiac cruise or sea-kayaking around the harbour.
Rodney led the long walk over the range to Northwest Bay, supported by ‘Dr Dave’. Walkers climbed up through Dracophyllum shrubland. Antarctic Terns nesting in the tussocks chided and circled overhead. A large area near the saddle was completely covered in megaherbs at peak flowering; mauve Pleurophyllum and Anisotome, bright green Azorella and yellow Bulbinella. A few large sea elephants lounged at Northwest Bay. After lunch, dozens of Southern Royal Albatross began flying across the slopes of Mt Dumas. Many others were on the ground ‘gamming’. Dozens of snipe scuttled off, their population recovering in spectacular fashion since the eradication of rats in 2001. Prior to that their last refuge had been on tiny Jacquemart Island.
Lisle, Steph & Chris drove Zodiacs for the harbour cruise where we enjoyed close encounters with the flightless endemic Campbell Island Teal (possibly the rarest duck in the world with approximately 130 known individuals); wrestling sea elephants; nesting terns, Red-billed and Kelp gulls. We landed and walked to the ‘lonely’ Sitka Spruce tree at Camp Cove, and at Tucker Cove walked around the site of the former farmhouse (Shacklock stove standing testimony in the grass), where Chris gave us a quick history lesson. Out towards the heads we watched Light-mantled Sooty Albatross with their striking grey heads and white eyes nesting improbably amongst cliff face vegetation. Meanwhile the kayakers made a landing at Venus Cove for lunch before heading back to the ship.
Photo credit: Heritage Expeditions
Jessie led the ‘board-walkers’ back up to Col Lyall, with more great opportunities for macro-photography and albatross observation. There were some challenges negotiating space with resident male sea lions on the way back to the landing.
After a very successful day we weighed anchor at 1500 hrs and set sail for Bluff via Bull Rock and North Cape. As we rolled gently on long, heavy swells in bright afternoon sunshine, Campbell Island revealed itself at its spectacular best: under cliff after massive cliff waves were smashing and being atomised to white mist; above the cliffs face after tussocky face was covered in huge colonies of Campbell and Black-browed Albatross, a gentle valley was truncated abruptly be sea-cliffs, its river becoming a huge waterfall; the dramatically uplifted sandstone cliffs of Courrejolles Point fell sheer to the sea, at one point tunnelled right through by the waves. And all around the ship albatross and petrels wheeled and soared. A perfect finale to a highly successful expedition to the Galapagos of the South Pacific.
Day 12: 3rd January
En route to Bluff
Position 0800 hrs: 49º30.7’S 168º43.7’E
Weather: NE wind 16 knots, air temperature 10ºC
Sea conditions: 2 metre swell, sea temperature 15ºC
Nature highlights: Seabirds
Day 13: 4th January
Bluff
Position 0800 hrs: 46º37.8’S 168º21.2’E Bluff
We arrived in Bluff at 0630, had breakfast and disembarked at 0830. There were fond farewells to new friends, each taking with us indelible memories of encounters with wildlife, wild places and a great adventure shared in the Subantarctic.
Click here for this voyage's species list
Written by Lecturer and Guide, Marcus Richards
Invercargill
Expeditioners arrived at the Kelvin Hotel, Invercargill and met for the first time over dinner. The programme for embarkation day was explained and we all adjourned to make final preparations to board the Spirit of Enderby.
Departing Bluff
Everyone boarded the ship at 1400 today in fine weather at Bluff. After a few formalities we sailed at 1600. Everyone was bristling with excitement and anticipation for the adventures to come as we took part in the lifeboat drill off Stewart Island. Drinks were held in the bar prior to dinner and everyone was in high spirits as we celebrated the end of a year and the promise of a new one. A fine New Year’s Eve buffet dinner was served by chefs Bruce Thomason and Michael Harris, which included a birthday celebration for one of our guests, Robert Ippolito. Today we enjoyed seeing our first Mollymawks of the voyage and sharp eyes kept a lookout for the larger albatrosses, without much success.
Today was made especially exciting when the Ship Doctor, John Moodie, reminded Expedition Leader Rodney Russ of the fact that we may be in the same spot as the Grafton at midnight the 3rd of January, exactly 150 years after she was shipwrecked in 1864 on the southern side of Auckland Island. Hopefully we will get to enjoy this significant occasion without sharing a similar fate!
Snares Islands
Zodiac Cruising at The Snares Photo Credit: ABreniere
On the cusp of a new year we arrived off the Snares Islands. These majestic islands were a fitting start to our journey exploring the Subantarctic. We searched for the most sheltered side of the island group and settled on the eastern side of the main island. There we launched the Zodiacs for a cruise around some sheltered bays. We were delighted to see Snares Crested Penguins porpoising in water as well as hopping around on the granitic shore platforms. Snares Island Fernbird and Tomtit were spotted onshore amongst the beautiful Tree Daisy forest. The Antarctic Terns were especially entertaining as they displayed and interacted with juveniles. New Zealand Fur Seals lounged on rocks enjoying the sunny weather.
Dolphins were seen from the ship later that afternoon as we continued our voyage and Rodney gave a talk on the upcoming Auckland Islands, which is the next port of call.
Auckland Islands
We awoke to find ourselves in Port Ross, which is surrounded on all sides by stunning volcanic hills and islands. The decision was made to land on Enderby Island where we were greeted by numerous Hooker’s Sea Lions and multiple Yellow-eyed Penguins amongst the grassy hillocks above the shoreline. The weather was changeable but when the sun came out the vistas were astounding. We all traversed the island by boardwalk and got our first opportunity on the trip to get up close to a nesting Southern Royal Albatross just by the track. Some walked back by the same route to the beach while the majority went for a hike around the coast, going clockwise around the island until they reached the beach again. Auckland Island Snipe and Teal were seen by many of the people encircling the island. In summary, the birdlife was enchanting: Yellow-eyed Penguins, Pipits, Tomtits and Red-crowned Parakeets. The mega-herb fields and mystical Rata forest were also highlights of the walk. Seed heads were an amusing and frustrating problem on the island, as they readily stuck to clothing and equipment. Grouchy Sea Lions tried to bully some of the walkers, but fortunately these creatures were all bark and no bite. Scars on some of the older males told the story of many battles however that had been fought over female harems on the beach. Sadly Samuel and Katya noted the decrease in Sea Lion pup numbers compared with previous years. We dined that evening in the tranquil waters of Port Ross, which was affectionately known as ‘Sarah’s Bosom’ by early explorers of the region due to its sheltered waters in the Furious Fifties of the Southern Ocean. Photo Credit: ABreniere
Auckland Islands
We departed from Port Ross overnight and had entered Carnley Harbour by the early morning. Fortunately for us we enjoyed beautifully calm waters, so it was very different to the howling NW winds that wrecked the Grafton 150 years earlier to the day. We visited the wreck of the Grafton at Epigwatt, which consisted of a few remains of the ship’s timber on the pebbled beach. Snooping around in the bush adjacent to the wreck revealed the remains of the living quarters constructed by Captain Musgrave and his four crewmen for habitation for an eighteen-month period! Today the hut simply resembles a boulder pile that is being progressively overgrown by stinging nettles.
We Zodiac cruised around the North Arm of Carnley Harbour, passing a pointer sign from the castaway depot era of the late 19th and early 20th century. The hillsides rising up on the either side had distinct ridges of exposed walls of rock. We were seeing cross-sections of lava flows that progressively built up the shield volcano that was active in the late Miocene, centered on the middle of Carnley Harbour. Most of the islands in the region are volcanic in origin.
The site cleared by the crew of steamer Erlangen in 1939 for fuel was also visited. While some people stayed on the beach for the scenery and bird watching, the majority went into the regenerated Rata forest to look for old stumps of the ‘iron wood’ that tell of the impressive feat carried out by a desperate crew in their attempt to cross the Pacific and reach neutral waters in South America. Marcus was on the beach fossicking around for geologically interesting rock samples for his planned future research on the Subantarctic’s volcanic islands. One passenger, George Gornacz, gallantly stayed behind at this site to fill the role of Coastwatcher. That is, he got a bit sidetracked in the bush and didn’t realize that the Zodiacs were leaving. However he was promptly relieved of his duties once Agnes realized he was missing and sent Rodney back to pick him up!
Auckland Island Shags and eloquent Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses flew around the harbour almost continuously while we were there and provided a truly marvelous sight. We finished the Zodiac trip with a brief cruise around Figure Eight Island to see the small resident Sea Lion colony and sailed away from the Auckland Islands in early afternoon. Later in the day Marcus gave a lecture on the geology and biogeography of the Subantarctic Islands.
At Sea
Today was a very pleasant day at sea as we crossed the Emerald Basin, heading for Australian waters. The calm seas made it a perfect day for whale watching and there were multiple sightings in the afternoon. Some small groups of Fin Whales were seen at a distance and three Strap-toothed Beaked Whales were seen in quick succession as well, much to the delight of those who were lucky enough to see them.
Lectures were given during the day by Samuel, Katya and Rodney on the topics of pelagic seabirds, cetaceans and Macquarie Island respectively.
Macquarie Island
We sighted an Orca in the morning as we arrived at Macquarie Island in calm weather conditions. After collecting the Australian rangers from the ANARE base we headed for Sandy Bay.
Sandy Bay contains King and Royal Penguin breeding colonies. To the delight of everyone, these birds were often fearless, coming up to us full of curiosity and sometimes just keen to get past us as they made for their preferred sites along the beach. Some King Penguins would approach the equipment we kept in a pile on the beach, having a cheeky peck to aid their investigations. The gigantic Southern Elephant Seals strewn across the beach were amusing to watch. They squabbled amongst themselves, lay side by side and on top of each other in large piles and also made loud comical noises as they blew through their nostrils. They also had the uncanny ability to scratch their heads with their flippers in a remarkably anthropomorphic manner. The youngest weaned juveniles were also incredibly cute, with expressive faces and big round eyes.
We returned to ship for lunch and those keen for more headed back to the beach for the afternoon, which proved to be just as good. We met some hunters who search the island for signs of any pests that may have survived the eradication operation of the three previous years, including Leona from Marlborough with two specially trained rodent dogs.
The rangers spent the night on the ship and we were also joined for dinner on board by a group of ‘Macca’ staff who were on a survival training course in the area. No doubt they found our cuisine far more appealing than their survival rations!
Macquarie Island
The weather was mild for Macquarie Island once again today. We took a Zodiac cruise at Lusitania Bay, location of the island’s largest King Penguin colony of over 100,000 birds. The rusting, decrepit digesters amongst the penguins on the beach served as echo of an older time when penguins were killed and processed for their oil. Fortunately the island is now a World Heritage Site and the wildlife is doing much better. Multiple white morph Southern Giant Petrels were hanging around to the delight of the passengers. Before heading to the ANARE station for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon we had a quick briefing from Rodney and rangers Chris and Keith. Onshore the weather was sunny at times and generally pleasant for this part of the world. We saw many Elephant Seals and Gentoo Penguins on the beach and witnessed the daily launching of a weather balloon from the metrological station. Visiting the mess of the ANARE base we met and were able to talk to more staff members on the island and had some delicious scones courtesy of their chefs. Our return to the ship detoured past the Rockhopper Penguin colony, noting the presence of a seal amongst the birds.
A documentary on the Macquarie Island pest eradication from the past few years narrated by Keith (one of the rangers we had met) was screened onboard and copies of the DVD were distributed. At dinner we celebrated Bob Parda’s birthday. Our stay at Macquarie had been an eventful one, which all onboard agreed they had been privileged to experience.
At Sea
It was a fairly uneventful day at sea with the vessel only rolling moderately at times. Many of us spent time on deck watching the seabirds which gracefully and continuously circled the ship as we voyaged through open waters. Lectures were given by Samuel, Doctor John Moodie, Katya and Rodney on the topics of penguins, shipwrecks, pinnipeds and Campbell Island, respectively.
Campbell Island
Photo Credit: ABreniere
We awoke to find ourselves in the calm waters of Perseverance Harbour. After a briefing by Rodney we split into two groups, one to go for a full day walk to Northwest Bay and back with him and the other to go firstly exploring the coves in the upper harbor by Zodiac and then on a walk to the Southern Royal Albatross colony on the Col Lyall saddle. The highlights of the Zodiac cruise included the old farming homestead site at Tucker Cove, the world’s loneliest tree (a Sitka Spruce) at Camp Cove and a cruise past Venus Cove, where the French expedition of 1874 attempted to see the transit of Venus.
The Northwest Bay crew saw Teal and Snipe, whilst the other group saw a beautiful Teal in the harbour whilst in the Zodiacs. (We could tell it was a male by the distinct green of the feathers on his head). Everyone of course saw the abundant Campbell Island Pipit. Campbell Island Shags and Hooker’s Sea Lions were seen hanging about the shores of the harbour. Some of the young male Sea Lions approached the Zodiacs and people on the beaches, being very inquisitive and bold creatures.
After the Zodiac cruise the group went back to the Spirit of Enderby for lunch, then was landed at the Metservice and Department of Conservation (DOC) huts below Beeman Hill for the walk up the boardwalk to the Col Lyall Saddle. We were blown away by the beautiful fields of mega-herbs which were in full flower. The view over the sheer cliff on the western side of the island showed us the effects of the prevailing weather conditions that slam the west coast of Campbell Island. The weather was good enough for us to be able to clearly see Dent Island, the last refuge for the Teal when rats used to plague the main island. However at the top of the boardwalk the biggest attraction by far was the Southern Royal Albatross colony. Some of the birds were minding their nest and others displayed with one another, which is called ‘gamming’. It resembles a courtship display between a bird pair, however the albatrosses display in groups of multiple birds. They call, spread their large wings and clack their bills in an impressive show, which was a delight to witness.
Marcus got some practice driving a Zodiac whilst transporting everyone back to the ship at the end of the day, where we enjoyed another delicious dinner prepared by Mike and Bruce, and served by our wonderful waitresses Natalia and Zoya.
Campbell Island
Early in the morning some enthusiastic expeditioners set off for the summit of Mount Honey with Agnes and Katya. The hike was a success from a botanical perspective, however not the best in terms of sightseeing due to overhanging cloud at the summit. The remainder of the group enjoyed a Zodiac ride with Samuel and another opportunity to climb Col Lyall Saddle with Marcus. Those who went on the Col Lyall boardwalk had an amusing encounter with a stubborn Sea Lion that flatly refused to move off ‘his’ track and did his best to delay our passing around him on a big half circle detour through shrubs and mega-herbs. We all returned to the ship for lunch.
We hauled anchor and departed Campbell Island in the early afternoon in windy and patchy cloud conditions. As we exited the harbour we saw the enormous Campbell Mollymawk colony at North Cape by Bull Rock. There the sky was full of seabirds as we set a course for Bluff, on the New Zealand mainland. The seas by then were distinctively rougher than we had previously encountered on the expedition. We had been extremely lucky to enjoy calmer waters during all our island visits on this voyage, the bad weather only catching up with us near the end of our adventures.
At Sea
This was a day of tying up loose ends and trying to remain unscathed as the ship rolled violently at times. The rocking and rolling died down somewhat in the afternoon and two short documentaries on Campbell Island rat eradication and the captive rearing programme for the Campbell Island Teal were shown. We celebrated our last night together with bar festivities and a magnificent buffet spread put on by the chefs. Later in the evening Rodney gave a recap of our voyage and we enjoyed a photo presentation of the trip compiled by Katya which included many beautiful photos taken by the expedition team. This was made available to everyone who wanted a copy to take home. Samuel also compiled the last day of our bird list in the bar. We all retired to our rooms and started to back our bags, full of memories from our adventure and thinking ahead of what adventures lay ahead.
Bluff
After an early breakfast and a meeting with New Zealand Customs, we disembarked at the port of Bluff. It was time to say our goodbyes and journey back to our homes in different parts of the world, returning to our individual lives, houses and occupations. We will not forget however the awe-inspiring expedition we had shared and the treasured memories we will carry with us for a long time.
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" The Heritage expedition was truly wonderful, and we had a memorable voyage. The expedition leaders kept telling us that we were very lucky with the weather, and we felt lucky to be there. The journey was smooth, and we were able to do great hikes, and go out on the Zodiacs and reach new places, and see all the wildlife we could ever hope to see. All the leaders were kind, cheerful and keen, and worked very hard to make sure we made the most of every moment.
The highlight for us was Macquarie Island, where we were surrounded by all the seal, penguins and other birds, close up, and they were as inquisitive as we were. Our ranger guide was very informative and enthusiastic, and we were even invited in to the base for a cup of tea, and we could see how the Macca researchers lived and worked.
We had a lot of fun with our fellow passengers and the leaders, and became good friends with a lot of people we will probably never meet again!
We would recommend to journey to anyone, as long as they understood that the weather can play a big part in such a trip. "
" Hi Lorna and Heritage Expedition voyage 1567 Staff
Well, home now and settling back into some sort of routine. What an adventure.... I am not fibbing when I say the trip exceeded my expectations by a million miles. It was fabulous.
Rodney, you said the night of the dinner before we left that we might encounter some discomforts on the trip but they would all be forgotten and well worth it due to all the positives and the great time you will have. Mmmmmm I was thinking....what are we in for!!!
I just loved the challenge, the adventure, the flora, the fauna and the friendships. I was so lucky to have met such a lovely group of ladies. Even the wild weather was part of the experience.
Firstly thank you Lorna for all your help and advice prior to the trip. You were very patient with me (and to many others I heard). I must admit I was rather apprehensive before the trip wondering if I had done the right thing. I could have gone to many other places in the world for that amount of money...did I choose the right place....could I manage by myself....would I meet anyone nice...would I be by myself on the ship etc. etc. I know I certainly did make the right choice. Without your kindness and help, I may not have gone ahead with the trip and chickened out.
Jess....what a gem. Thank you Jess. Always smiling and helpfull and organised. I won't forget those early morning wake up calls..."good morning everyone....it's now 7.30....breakfast will be ready...." I'll employ you anytime Jess.
Thanks Connor our wonderful cook. You always had our delicious meals ready on time. Very caring...... Always friendly and polite. Your Mum would be proud of you.
To Tui thank you for your informative and interesting talks. Two of my highlights on the trip were seeing those two magnificent albatross close up with you on the Campbell Island board walk (I just loved being there in those wet/windy/misty cold conditions....it was like I was the only person on earth and I had time to reflect on who I was and what a wonderful and magical world it can be), and also being on Macquarie Island where the Royal penguins were swimming in the rock pool. You were filming them with your underwater camera. My favourite photo is of you doing so with two royals posing for my photo right in front of me...you in the background.
And Kartya (not sure of spelling...sorry). Your talks so very informative and interesting also. Thanks for your company on the bus on the way to Bluff. Hope you had a fabulous skating adventure.
Alex....boy, do you know your stuff. All those megaherbs. You just rattle the names off your tongue like you were speaking them since you were born. Very much your passion. I didn't think too much about the megaherbs/flora before I left.....just the wildlife to be honest......but you gave me a new insight into just how beautiful they all are. It was like being in the garden of Eden.
And of course, our leader Rodney. No nonsense, organised, informative...one always felt safe. Can still see that poor Sea Lion on Campbell Island, having a lovely roll on the grass and then rolling off the wall and into the water. So funny...hope he didn't hurt himself.
Just so many memories. Where to next???
Thank you all.
Kind regards
"
" I participated in the Galapagos of the Southern Ocean trip, commencing on Dec 9th, 2012. I very much appreciated the opportunity to visit a part of Tasmania that has interested me for a long time, and to step ashore on Macquarie Island was an amazing experience. To be able to experience the vast colonies of breeding King and Royal Penguins and to see Albatrosses close by and megaherbs in full flower was exceptional. Thanks to the staff of Heritage Expeditions for looking after us so well. "