December 28, 2024April 6, 2025

A Surprise Second Shot at the Snares

This post is part of our December 2024 - January 2025 adventure to the South Island of New Zealand (and the SubAntarctic Islands). Click to expand this section and view the table of contents if you don't want to read sequentially, or if you are looking for a specific part of the trip.

Our expedition was nearing its end, and rather than the planned quiet day at sea, our crew made the decision to revisit the Snares—an opportunity we’d missed earlier due to adverse weather conditions. We were thrilled to learn we may have an opportunity to get better photos of the endemic Snares crested penguin. And in case you are wondering how they differ from the other crested penguins…they have a vibrant yellow crest that starts above the eyes and sweeps back, but is fuller and less spikey than the rockhopper. Basically, a tidier version of a rockhopper.

Macaroni, royal, rockhopper, and Snares penguins

As we approached the famed Penguin Slide, the outlook was initially grim; the swell was high, and it looked doubtful we’d be able to deploy the zodiacs. Yet, after repositioning the ship, the captain approved a zodiac excursion, but we were warned of the potentially rough 2-hour ride ahead and the likelihood of it getting cut short.

Zodiac boat approaching jagged sea stacks

I was in the second zodiac to launch and it was rough and raining. I heard the expedition lead, who was in the first zodiac, radio the other guides warning of a choppy passage around the point and reducing the excursion one hour. But as soon as we rounded the point, conditions improved significantly so we were able to explore as planned. There were numerous inlets and caves which turned into tunnels allowing us to pass straight through given the low tide.

Inflatable boats viewed from sea cave entrance

We first saw the Snares penguins up close in the inlets, waddling along the rocky shore adorned with thick bull kelp, which reminded me of pappardelle pasta. It was raining, but I could have stayed for hours.

Penguins climbing rocky shoreline

Group of penguins in crashing surf

Close-up of penguins huddled together

Penguins swimming through seaweed

Lone penguin standing on wet rocks

Watching them in the water was like a game of whack-a-mole. When I was looking in one direction, they would pop-up in the other. When the were porpoising, they would dive deep as soon as I found them with my camera. By far the coolest thing was to see a raft of hundreds exit the water and head up the penguin slide. Being at water-level provided a different perspective from our visit the previous week.

Group of penguins swimming in cold ocean