Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific

Meet at an Invercargill central city hotel where you will be transferred to the Port of Bluff for embarkation. The Captain and expedition team will be waiting for your arrival at the Spirit of Enderby. Familiarise yourself on board and then join the Captain on the Bridge or fellow travellers on deck as we set sail and our adventure begins.

The largest of this group of islands is North East Island, a nature reserve of international importance and home to more nesting seabirds than all of the British Isles put together. A group of islands that have had no introduced mammals they are a pristine haven for wildlife. Snagged with hidden reefs we learn how the islands got their name. We will cruise the jagged coastline by Zodiac allowing us to see some of the features of the island.

From the water we can view the unique large tree daisies Olearia lyallii and Brachyglottis stewartiae which dominate much of the island creating a forest canopy and draping the hills. Our cruise should also allow us to encounter some of the birdlife that inhabits these islands, this includes the endemic Snares Crested Penguin, also unique to these islands we may catch glimpses of the Snares Island Tomtit and Fernbird. On the cliffs we will likely see Buller’s Albatross whose Maori name translates as ‘flying wind’ which could be an apt description of The Snares. This species only nests here and at the Solander Islands.

Enderby Island is a wildlife rich island that has no equal in the Southern Ocean. Offering a varying landscape where the rata forests are regenerating and there is a resurgence of herbaceous plants, it is one of the most beautiful islands in this group. The island is home to the Hooker’s or New Zealand Sea Lion which breeds on Sandy Bay beach which is where we plan to land. The sea lions are a rare member of the seal family. Enjoy close encounters with the Royal Albatross nested amongst a hummocked sward of Oreobolus pectinatus comb sedge and gentians and there is a good chance that we will see the endemic snipe, shag and Auckland Island Flightless Teal as we explore.

We plan to spend some time with the Yellow-eyed Penguin, the world’s rarest penguin and the fourth largest of the world’s penguins. Unique fields of megaherbs, whose languorous names promise the exotic: the Bulbinella rossii, the regenerating patches of Anisotome latifolia and the vivid red and white gentians make an unforgettable sight. Native birds such as the tui, bellbird and parakeets benefit from the presence of rata trees and can be heard in the forest where we plan to hike to a small glacial lake.

Auckland Island is the largest of the islands in the group. The western coastline has been sculpted into formidable cliffs by the prevailing westerly winds, and to the east, a coast carved by glaciers into some of the most picturesque fiords in the world. Our anchorage in Carnley Harbour offers a range of activities, depending on weather and sea conditions go in search of a Shy Mollymawk Albatross colony and perhaps spot the beautiful Wandering Albatross spreading its huge wingspan above the cliffs.

Explore the island by foot and take in the panorama of rocky islets and sea stacks, once the lonely preserve of settlers and seal hunters and now returned to nature. Campbell Island is known for its megaherbs – herbaceous, perennial wild flowers characterised by their great size, with huge leaves and very colourful flowers, which have developed as an adaptation to the harsh weather conditions on the islands. Our visit should coincide with the flowering of the Pleurophyllum speciosum, an endemic daisy carpeting the hills and startling in size with leaves sometimes half a metre wide. Adapting unusually to survive the harsh climate, its nearest relatives can be found in the baking Canary Islands.

There will be a range of walks offered, explore an abandoned Meteorological Station at the head of the harbour or take the Col Lyall Saddle walk which offers an opportunity to view and photograph the Southern Royal Albatross nesting amongst the flowers and tussocks. Alternatively, walk to remote North West Bay across the tussock tops and megaherb fields to a sandy beach that New Zealand Sea Lions and Yellow-eyed Penguins call home. Or the beautifully-named Mt. Honey can be climbed with dramatic views from its summit.

A day at sea provides a great opportunity to reflect on the voyage and the Subantarctic Islands that we have visited. Today spend time on deck and view pelagic species that come close, we may also see cetaceans; it is not unusual to spot dolphins in the distance or up close – sometimes they surf the bow waves of the ship. The day is interspersed with illustrated lectures of the biology and history of the area we have visited and the Southern Ocean

On arrival at the Port of Bluff this morning, we have our final breakfast and say our farewells before disembarking and transferring by complimentary coach to either a central city point in historic Invercargill or to the airport.

Route Map