ITINERARY

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Day 1 ~ Embark in Invercargill

Meet at an Invercargill central city hotel and transfer to the Port of Bluff for embarkation. The captain and expedition team is awaiting your arrival on the Spirit of Enderby. Familiarize yourself on board and then join the captain on the bridge or fellow travelers on deck as the ship sets sail and your adventure begins. (D)

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Day 2 ~ The Snares | North East Islands

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. Cruise the jagged coastline by Zodiac, which allows you to see some of the features of the island. From the water you can view the unique large tree daisies, Olearia lyallii and Brachyglottis stewartiae, which dominate the island. Your cruise should also allow an encounter with some of the birdlife that inhabit these islands, including the endemic Snares crested penguin. You may also catch glimpses of the Snares Island tomtit and fernbird, which are unique to these islands. On the cliffs you are likely to 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. (B, L, D)

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Day 3 ~ Auckland Islands | Enderby Island

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 where your crew plans to land. This animal is the rarest sea lion in the world. Walk to enjoy close encounters with the royal albatross nested amongst a hummocked sward of Oreobolus pectinatus and regenerating tussock. There is a good chance that you might see the endemic snipe, shag, and Auckland Island flightless teal as you walk around the island. 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. (B,L,D)

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Day 4 ~ Auckland Islands | Camley Harbor

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, the coast has been carved by glaciers into some of the most picturesque fjords in the world. Your anchorage in Carnley Harbor in the south of the group offers a range of activities, depending on weather and sea conditions. You could go in search of a shy mollymawk albatross colony and perhaps spot the beautiful wandering albatross spreading its huge wingspan above the cliffs. Other possibilities include visiting the abandoned World War II coastwatcher’s station or the remains of a ship wrecked in 1864 and made famous by two books written by the survivors. (B,L,D)

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Day 5-6  ~ Campbell Island

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 characterized by their great size, with huge leaves and very colorful flowers, which have developed as an adaptation to the harsh weather conditions on the islands. Your 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 meter wide. Adapting unusually to survive the harsh climate, its nearest relatives can be found in the Canary Islands. A range of walks are offered here so you can explore an abandoned Meteorological Station at the head of the harbor 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.

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Alternatively, walk to remote Northwest Bay across the tussock tops and megaherb fields to an isolated coastline that southern elephant seals haul out on and New Zealand sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins call home. Or you could climb the beautifully-named Mt. Honey which offers dramatic views from its summit. (B,L,D)

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Day 7 ~ At Sea

A day at sea provides a great opportunity to reflect on your voyage to the Subantarctic Islands. Today spend time on deck and view pelagic bird species that come close. You may also see cetaceans such as the dusky dolphins which sometimes surf the bow waves of the ship, and if sea conditions are good, a number of different whale species are a possibility. The day is interspersed with illustrated lectures of the biology and history of the area you have visited and the Southern Ocean. (B,L,D)

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Day 8  ~ Disembark in Invercargill

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

 

End of Trip
(Code: B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner)

 

Land Cost From: $4,600 per person