Discovering Macquarie Island
- Rediscovering New Zealand: An Expedition to the Subantarctic and South Island Adventures
- Our Adventure Begins in Queenstown
- A Day Trip to The Remarkables and Glenorchy
- Te Anu and Milford Sound
- An Overnight Cruise in Doubtful Sound with Fiordland Expeditions
- Our "Galapagos of the Southern Ocean" Expedition Officially Begins
- Embarkation Day: Setting Sail for New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands
- Navigating Rough Seas at the Snares
- A Day in the Auckland Islands
- Discovering Macquarie Island
- A Glorious Day at Sandy Bay
- Christmas at Sea and the Wonders of Campbell Island
- Exploring Enderby Island
- A Surprise Second Shot at the Snares
- From Disembarkation to Dunedin
- A Heli-hike on the Tasman Glacier in Aoraki/Mt. Cook
- Lake Tekapo Weather Woes
- Chasing Dusky Dolphins in Kaikoura
- Hiking the Abel Tasman Coast Track (well, part of it)
After a challenging couple of days at sea, and another round of bio-securing our gear, we were greeted with an exciting text message: “Welcome to Macca.”
Macquarie Island, under Australian jurisdiction and part of Tasmania, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its extraordinary biodiversity and geological features. It is the only place on Earth where rocks from the Earth’s mantle are visibly protruding above sea level. The island is also a vital haven for diverse wildlife, including seals and unique penguin species like the king and royal penguins.
For only the third time in Heritage Expeditions history, the captain anchored on the western side of the island’s isthmus to protect us from the swell. Following breakfast and clearance from the Australian Authorities, we got ready to board zodiacs and go ashore.
The process of boarding the zodiacs was almost as intense as we experienced on Elephant Island. The undulating two-meter swells meant you were momentarily submerged waist-deep in the water and then lifted very high above the zodiac. It required a keen focus and strict adherence to the crew’s instructions.
We landed on a sandy beach with penguins and seals in every direction. Our plan was to cross the isthmus to the island’s eastern side to observe the king penguins and take in the views from the Razorback. The path was blocked by elephant seals, but the Tasmanian Parks Rangers from the Australian Antarctic Division calmly guided us around the massive creatures.
Once on the other side of the isthmus, we walked along the beach amongst the king and gentoo penguins, and of course, more elephant seals.
Back on the ship, we hung everything to dry in the shower. I was amazed that our waterproof gear kept us mostly dry despite being up to our waists in water.
With the eastern side of the island inaccessible due to strong winds, we ship-cruised down the western coast in the afternoon.
We cruised past Hurd Point, the largest royal penguin colony with over 100,000 birds. Even though we were far from land, we could see them porpoising in the water around the ship.
We passed Lusitania Bay, named after the SS Lusitania wrecked there in 1911. This area once hosted a grim penguin oil extraction industry, which has since ceased, allowing the penguin populations to thrive once again. The bay now hosts 200,000 king penguins, painting a stark contrast to its historical past.
But the climax of cruise down the west side of Macquarie was seeing orcas! The captain even turned the ship around a few times so we could get the best possible views.
Eventually we rounded the southern part of the island and cruised north and dropped anchor in Sandy Bay. After the nightly recap, we had an outdoor BBQ on the back of deck 6. The cauliflower sheep was my favourite decoration.
Reflecting on the day, we both admitted our initial concerns about the trip after the first few days, but Macquarie Island had spectacularly delivered, reaffirming why we embarked on this adventure. The best part? We had one more day on Macquarie.
Next up — A Glorious Day at Sandy Bay
