A Day in the Auckland Islands
- 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)
Our day began with gentler seas as we approached the northern part of the Auckland Islands and anchored off Erebus Cove.
The morning’s agenda included a visit to the historical Hardwicke Settlement, established in 1849 and abandoned just 3 years later.
We disembarked via zodiacs for a short trip to shore, where we were divided into groups for a guided walk to the cemetery and then to the Victoria Tree. Honestly, the experience didn’t quite meet my expectations. The site was crowded, and while the Southern Rātā trees were impressive, the large group made it difficult to appreciate.
Cemetery at Hardwicke: This small site contains the graves of early settlers and shipwreck survivors who attempted to carve out a life on these remote islands.
Victoria Tree: A large Southern Rātā tree, notable for an inscription by a 1865 relief party commemorating the rescue of the General Grant shipwreck survivors. No pictures but here is something from nearby 🙂
Wildlife-wise, we saw a lone New Zealand sea lion, and some Tui and Bellbirds.
In the afternoon, the ship repositioned to Carnley Harbour in the southern part of the islands—a stunning natural harbour formed from the crater of an extinct volcano. We set off for a zodiac cruise near Adams Island, and though initially it lacked excitement, our perspective shifted when we spotted a few yellow-eyed penguins—a new species for us!
Yellow-eyed penguin, also known as hioho, are endemic to New Zealand. There’s no need for a comparison photo because they are the only species in the genus Megadyptes. In comparison, there are 7 penguin species in the genus Eudyptes (brush tailed penguins)
Neither of us mentioned it at the time, but we both felt that the trip hadn’t started as spectacularly as we’d hoped. Perhaps our previous expeditions had set the bar too high?
Next up — Discovering Macquarie Island
