December 2025

We flew to Queenstown direct from Melbourne a day early and checked into the hotel where we were to meet the Heritage Cruise staff. We were able to use the spare time in Queenstown to have a good look around, and ride the gondola up the mountain to check out the view of the lake. We walked about 11 km around the town and parks.

A bird sanctuary near the bottom of the gondola had many of the common NZ birds on display and we managed a walk around the botanic gardens admiring the massive roses and ancient pine trees.

Queenstown is in a beautiful lakeside and mountain location, but it is very much a young person’s town with many activities not for the faint hearted; Bungy jumping, jet boats, luge riding, bmx trails, etc.

The next morning we were still had time to walk around town until lunch at the hotel, then about 120 of us were herded into several buses for the 4 hour trip south to Bluff on the coast. The drive stayed on the lake shore for much of the trip, then farmland, so not an inspiring drive.  Loaded onto our ship, the Heritage Adventurer, and headed off around 6pm. Spacious cabins with open balcony.

That was the end of our sunny days, with rough seas and rainy overcast skies for the trip down the western side of Stewart Island to the Snares Island group for our first stop. The seas were too rough for us to be loaded into the zodiacs, so the Captain brought the ship in scarily close to the cliffs, where penguins were using a steep granite ramp as a slide.  Thousands of other birds milling around the ship and the cliffs;  Prions, Petrels, Albatross.

Cocktails in the main bar to meet the Captain and crew and get briefed on tomorrow’s activities.

Day 5, December 21^st.

Another rough night at sea, moving further south to Auckland Island and an early call for breakfast to get ready for a walk ashore. The ship anchored in Ross Bay, sheltered enough for us to be loaded into Zodiacs.

This involved having all the clothing that we would be wearing and daypacks cleaned, then inspected for any organic material. My daypack failed the inspection as the Velcro and webbing could not be cleaned, so it could not be taken ashore.  Sharon had a spare vinyl one that was fine if a bit colourful for me. Then into rain jackets and over-pants with heavy gumboots and a buoyancy vest, all kept in a locker  in a mud room by the exit way. Everything had to be washed with a sterilizing solution, only then we were allowed off the ship into the zodiac. Even then we were handed down off the landing platform using a hand to wrist double grip. The crew sometimes golng waist deep in the swell before beckoning us down.    The zodiacs landed at a small beach where we could dismount over the bow, again hand to wrist with two crewmen to assist.

Auckland Island was once the home for up to 300 people trying to run sheep and pigs. They were largely Moriori refugees from Chatham Island who had survived the Maori massacre. Now little remains of their Hardwicke settlement except for the graveyard.

Digby went with a small group to climb to the South West cape to a colony of White Capped Albatross. A hard climb of 300m over 1 km, up through tussock grass and pushing through dense shrub, unable to see the holes in the ground. Lots of stumbling and falling before getting level with the colony on nests on a cliff across a small valley. Pigs are still on the island, so the birds are unable to breed successfully on the flat land.

Meanwhile Sharon went with the Zodiacs on a cruise of Ross bay and a circuit of Adams island. 

Getting back onto the ship was again handled well by the crew, with careful timing and following instructions needed to match the wave action. Monkey grip essential, and go only when told.

Day 6, 22^nd December.  All day and 2 nights sailing to Macquarie Island in heavy seas with rain and fog. We had to hang on the handrails to walk the corridors. The staff arranged several lectures to fill in the time:

Settlement history of Hardwicke.

Sealing history of Macquarie Island

Strong influence of Douglas Mawson in protecting the Island fauna in the 1920’s.

Isolated islands causing new bird species to form

Day 7. 23^rd December on Macquarie Island.

Woke up to arrive offshore of the Isthmus Base of Macquarie Island. Had to go through the cleaning and sterilizing routine again, as for every landing, then handed down into the zodiacs in a heavy swell.  It was a little more sheltered on a rocky beach to off load, with two crewman assisting, but very slippery underfoot on loose rocks.

We were allowed to walk on a roadway across the isthmus and up a staircase to a lookout point, but not allowed into the base itself.  Some rangers came out for a chat. They stay for up to 12 months and often sign up to come back. There are 24 rangers and researchers on the base most of the time.

The walk took us past the base through a Gentoo penguin colony, with some fat and fluffy chicks still growing, then through lots of Elephant seals scattered on the road and in the grass by the track. We were instructed not to move any closer than 5m from a seal, but that often proved impossible with them on the road that we were also not permitted to leave.

From the lookout overlooking the base we could see thousands of King Penguins as well as many other seabirds.  Back to the ship for a cruise around the island to Lusitania Bay.  Royal Penguins in their breeding colonies in many thousands with petrel and albatross. Penguins dolphining through the water to fish. Two orcas swam past.

The island has been formed by very old basalt, squeezed up from the earth’s crust like toothpaste, with few flat areas and steep walls dropping to the sea.

Day 8. 24^th December on Macquarie Island.

Heavy fog in the morning, but loaded into Zodiacs and were set ashore at Sandy Bay on the eastern side for a walk along the beach.  Uncountable numbers of Royal, King, Southern Rockhopper Penguins mixed through with Elephant seals. Just jaw dropping stuff. Remnants of rusty steam extractors were in many places on the shoreline, these were used to get the oil from seals, and penguins.

Day 9. Merry Christmas travelling from Sandy Bay to Campbell Island.

Today was mostly about food, starting with Christmas brunch then a 5 course dinner starting at 4:30. Staff put on a skit pretending to be Elephant seals, a good laugh to finish off the day. 

Day 10. 26^th December on Campbell Island.

Early start again with the zodiacs taking us on a cruise around the harbour, past breeding areas for the Elephant seals on a mud point with pups all black with mud.

Had a packed lunch for a walk up to the island crest on a boardwalk winding its way through a wetland, then pine trees and herb field with some Wild Cabbage. We were not permitted off the timber walkway, “feet are not to touch the ground”. This was a long climb up to a Royal Albatross nesting area, with the huge birds simply sitting on the ground or up in courting pairs.  A Sooty Albatross was also spotted resting in a shady nook on the cliff. Lunch sitting cross legged on the boardwalk, with the Ranger watching.

Day 11. 27^th December to Enderby Island.

Woke up back in the Auckland Island group for a landing on Enderby Island. We had been unable to do this on the way south, but the crew had decided that the weather was now good enough to go back and try again rather than go straight back to Bluff.

The day started with a 2 hour zodiac cruise around Rose and Enderby Island, spotting many of the local endemic flightless Teal hunting in the kelp and Shags perched on rocks with their wings hung out to dry. Had a couple of special sightings of the NZ Falcon and a Parakeet.

A 2 hour easy boardwalk up to Enderby island crest then down again to a sandy beach covered in Sealions with birthing and mating in full swing.  The mating follows shortly after birth, the most hazardous time for the new pups as they are often crushed by the 800kg males.

Day 12.  28^th December to the Snares group.

Cruised all night back north to the Snares to take advantage of the finer weather. It was still very rough for the zodiacs, so we both declined. Digby was also rather nauseous, vomiting during the night, although we still argue about whether he was seasick or food poisoning, as it was very short lived!

Day 13. 29^th December to Invercargill.

Cruised all night to be in Bluff by morning. Disembarked and were loaded onto the Heritage buses. We had booked an Ibis Hotel in Invercargill for a couple of nights, giving us time to explore the southern end of NZ, especially the Caitlin coast on a bus tour, before a bus back to Queenstown and our flight home.