Day 1: | Arrive in Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand for an overnight stay and pre-voyage dinner and introduction. |
Day 2: | Transfer to the Port of Otago and board the Spirit of Enderby before setting sail through the protected Otago Harbour and past Taiaroa Head heading south towards Snares Island. |
Day 3: | The Snares is the first of the Sub-Antarctic Islands to be visited and boasts a population of nesting seabirds greater than that of the entire British Isles. Arrive in the early morning and though landings are not permitted, it is possible to cruise the sheltered eastern side of the island by Zodiac. Snares crested penguins are plentiful around the coast as are the cape petrel. Bullers albatross nest here later in the season and whilst cruising there is a chance to see the endemic tomtit, and fernbird. Antarctic terns, white-fronted terns and red-billed gulls are also found around the coastline. |
Day 4: | Arriving at Enderby Island, make a landing at Sandy Bay, the main breeding ground for the Hookers Sealion. Here also many species of seabird can be found including southern royal albatross, northern giant petrel, Auckland Island shag, red crowned parakeet and the yellow-eyed penguin. Spend time searching for the Sub-Antarctic snipe as well as more common birds such as goldfinch, song thrush, blackbird, European starling, red-bill gull and redpoll. |
Day 5: | Journey to Carnley Harbour in the south of the main Auckland Islands. If you’re feeling energetic, take a climb to the Southwest Cape to view the mollymawk colony. There are good opportunities to view wandering albatross as they nest in the tussock grass above the colony at this time of year. Those not wishing to make the climb can visit one of a number of historic sites in the area and perhaps catch sight of a New Zealand falcon. |
Day 6: | Spend the day at sea en-route to Macquarie Island. Many species of albatross can often be observed flying around the boat including wandering and royal albatross as well as southern giant petrel, sooty and little shearwater and numerous other seabirds. |
Days 7-8: | Reach Macquarie Island, a remote Australian outpost that supports one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Southern Hemisphere. Hopefully visit an Australian scientific base situated on the northern end of this elongated island and concentrate on the best wildlife areas - the teeming royal penguin rookery at Sandy Bay, the king penguins at Lusitania Bay, the rockhopper penguins scattered around the isthmus and the thousands of elephant seals along the beaches. |
Days 9-12: | Sail across the vast southern ocean looking out for the numerous seabirds and marine mammals that can be found in this area. This is also the perfect time to attend the informal lectures and discussions given by the onboard experts in preparation for the time in Antarctica. |
Days 13-18: | On reaching the remote East Antarctic coastline make the first stop at Cape Denison Commonwealth Bay, known as ‘Home of the Blizzard’ and the windiest place on the planet. The Cape is also the site of the historic hut last used by Sir Douglas Mawson, during his 1911-1914 expedition, which despite the extremes of weather, still stands. During the planned landing, hopefully witness a colony of Adelie penguins, which are known to nest in the area.
Further west at Dumont d’Urville there is a chance of seeing nesting emperor penguins. A special effort is made to land at these sites to enable you to see and photograph the birds. As the ship sails through the dispersing sea ice towards the wandering South Magnetic Pole, which is currently estimated to be 100 miles of the coast, marvel at the ice formations and icebergs that spread along the coastline. |
Days 19-22: | As the vessel turns north towards Campbell Island enjoy some quieter time at sea after the intensity of the long daylight hours that dominate the Antarctic summer. This is also a time when the ship’s lecturers will discuss various aspects of the Southern Ocean as you keep a look out for whales and seabirds. |
Days 23-24: | Sail into Perseverance Harbour near a small meteorological station and follow a boardwalk to the hilltop observatories overlooking the nesting sight of 15,000 royal albatross. On this stunning island it is possible to see megaherbs and witness other wildlife such as Campbell Island shags, light mantled sooty albatross and sea lions. |
Day 25: | Depart Campbell Island and head for Bluff on New Zealand’s south coast. |
Day 26: | Arrive at the Port of Bluff and disembark. |