Description
Join Heritage Expeditions, the Christchurch-based pioneers in authentic small ship expedition cruising, as we explore the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Sites of New Zealand’s wild and remote Subantarctic Snares and Auckland Islands on this 7-day wilderness safari.
Discover the extraordinary Auckland Islands, a land where very few have been before and endangered wildlife flourishes among oversized alien blooms all wrapped in a rich human history, and Zodiac cruise the rocky, inhospitable coast of The Snares – one of the world’s most important nature reserves – on this unforgettable adventure.
Despite their low profile, these furthest reaches of New Zealand are among the most remarkable wildlife reserves in the Southern Ocean, designated UNESCO World Heritage sites and afforded the highest protection. Departing the Port of Bluff, Invercargill, the first of these islands we visit are The Snares. No landings are permitted because the islands are honey-combed with seabird burrows. Rarely visited and one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets, The Snares are internationally renowned as a wildlife haven where we should see the Snares Crested Penguin, Snares Island Tomtit and Fernbird, New Zealand Fur Seals and tree daisy forest as we Zodiac cruise it sjagged coastline.
We will have three days to explore the Auckland Islands, the largest of New Zealand’s Subantarctic Island groups where albatross wheel in the sky above, tiny endemic birds peer out among fields of flowering megaherbs and Hooker’s/New Zealand Sea Lion politics play out on white sand beaches. A full day is planned on Enderby Island, arguably the most amazing Subantarctic Island, where you can hike through windswept Rata forests and along exposed coastal cliffs. Abundant wildlife is never far, and its lack of fear makes for excellent photography and observation opportunities.
In Carnley Harbour, in the south of the Auckland Islands, there are a number of fascinating sites including a Shy Albatross colony, abandoned Coastwatcher’s huts, a shipwreck and castaway depots that we can visit as we explore New Zealand’s Subantarctic wonderland. Join us on an epic adventure to some of the planet’s most extraordinary destinations close to home, yet world’s away as we redefine natural history travel.