Wildlife, Megaherbs & Wildflowers of the Subantarctic Islands

You will be met at Queenstown Airport and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner this evening, meeting your Botanical Guide and fellow travellers.

Visit two private gardens today, one of which is Jo Wakelin’s private garden in Central Otago. As a horticulturalist, plants woman and designer, Jo has created an environmentally conscious garden able to withstand the harsh climate and dry summers of the Central Otago region. This evening, enjoy dinner at our Queenstown hotel, and meet some of the members of the Expedition Team and our fellow cruise guests.

Enjoy breakfast at our hotel and a leisurely morning. Perhaps take the opportunity to explore Queenstown, before returning to the hotel for lunch. We then depart for the Port of Bluff to meet our expedition ship. Settle into your cabin and familiarise yourself with the ship and its amenities. We are then invited to join the Expedition Team in the Observation Lounge and up on the Observation Deck, as the captain sets a course for the remote southern islands known as The Snares.

The closest Subantarctic Islands to New Zealand are The Snares, whose dry, peaty soil is widespread. North East Island is the largest of these seven uninhabited islands, including those making up what is known as the Western Chain. Nesting seabirds are prevalent here and the terrain is dotted with petrel burrows. With landings not permitted, however, we make our approach aboard the ship’s Zodiacs. Even from this vantage point, though, we are able to appreciate the proliferation of Poa foliosa meadows, punctuated by tussock grasses, framed by the rocky foreshore. Within the sheltered bays tracing the island’s contours, we await the appearance of the endemic Snares crested penguin, Snares Island tomtit, Antarctic terns, and sooty shearwaters.

Our vessel charts a course due south to arrive at the Auckland Islands group. Here, Enderby Island boasts numerous wildlife species, such as the New Zealand sea lion, the yellow-eyed penguin and the southern royal albatross. Despite the harsh weather conditions, a range of distinct vegetation, not found elsewhere, also thrives here. We discover this diversity of flora during our explorations ashore. Set off on one of various optional walks that will grant you rare insights of this rugged island.

At the southern point of the archipelago lies a large harbour, where various treasure hunters, coast watchers, and scientific expeditioners conducted their operations over the centuries. Entering the harbour flanked by dramatic cliffs, we soon set foot upon the shore. A number of weather-dependent activities allow us to explore different aspects of the area. Climb to the Southwest Cape to glimpse a colony of shy mollymawks. You will also enjoy magnificent views over the western entrance to Carnley Harbour, Adams Island and Western Harbour. Alternatively, head to the Tagua Bay Coastwatcher’s hut and lookout, where young men kept watch for German ships during World War II. At Epigwaitt, see the Grafton shipwreck, as well as the remains of a fireplace used by its five survivors who landed here in 1864. Visit the Erlangen clearing, where a German merchant ship cut firewood to fire its boilers after slipping its moorings in Dunedin on the eve of World War II. Finally, Camp Cove harbours remains of castaway depots established and maintained by the New Zealand government from the 1860s to early 1900s. Later this afternoon, we depart for Macquarie Island.

Today, we make our way south through the Furious Fifties, also known as the Albatross latitudes. Enjoy a series of lectures on the natural history of the Subantarctic Islands, as we prepare for our visit to Macquarie Island. During our voyage, we may spy several species of albatross, including the wandering, royal, black-browed, and Salvin’s. Northern and southern giant petrels, as well as sooty and little shearwaters, are also known to grace the skies here. Some of the many varieties of prion and petrel may also be sighted.

Sir Douglas Mawson referred to Macquarie Island as “one of the wonder spots of the world.” While several species of seabird and seal occupy the island, and its surrounds, it is overwhelmingly known for its abundance of royal penguins – king, gentoo and rockhopper penguins can also be seen here. Home to an assortment of vegetation – influenced in part by its soil quality, as well as animal species, past and present – this distant land was once the site of the world’s largest pest eradication program. Grasslands, herb fields, mires, and feldmark vegetation also feature extensively across the island’s plateau uplands. While here, a visit to the Australian Antarctic Research Base gives us the opportunity to meet with scientists and base staff to learn about their findings.

As we continue our voyage across the Southern Ocean, there are more opportunities to attend briefings and lectures. Learn about Campbell Island from the ship’s crew on board in preparation for our visit there. There will also be the chance to hear a special botanical lecture from our Botanical Guide. You may otherwise relax or cast your gaze out to sea, in search of the birds and sea life that inhabit the open ocean.

Today, explore Campbell Island, New Zealand’s southernmost Subantarctic territory. The landscape is dominated by tussock grassland, shrubland and herb fields. Surrounded by several islets, Campbell Island makes for an intriguing setting, where we see the results of adaptation in several of its thriving plant species. Once degraded by the introduction of livestock, the island’s vegetation has been revitalised since the removal of the animals in 1990. Distinct plant communities are divided between subalpine, lower alpine, and upper alpine altitudinal zones. Join an optional walk to Northwest Bay, or an easier walk along a boardwalk to the Col Lyall Saddle. Either option should present the opportunity to witness southern royal albatrosses in full flight. The island is also known for its four distinct types of megaherb.

As we sail back toward mainland New Zealand, relax and contemplate all that you have witnessed throughout this special voyage. We recap the highlights of our expedition during a lecture and Q&A session with our Botanical Guide. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner aboard the ship this evening.

Early this morning we arrive back in the Port of Bluff. After a final breakfast and completing our Customs formalities, we bid farewell to our fellow cruise guests and board a coach transfer to either Invercargill or Queenstown airports. Please note: In case of any unexpected delays due to weather and/or port operations, we ask you not to book any onward travel until after midday from Invercargill or after 3.00 pm from Queenstown.