Sub Antarctic Islands

Overview

Often described as the “Galapagos of the Southern Ocean”, the Sub-Antarctic Islands of Australia and New Zealand are among some of the best preserved and protected environments on the planet. This is where you will experience scenery and wildlife like nowhere else on earth. Return home via Hobart and its interesting mix of elegant heritage sandstone buildings and modern architecture.

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island’s second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest. Its manageable size makes it easy to explore on foot—with the possible exception of Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest residential street and home to the annual “gutbuster” race, in which people run up it, and the “Jaffa” race, in which people roll the namesake spherical chocolate candy down it.Dunedin, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, was founded in 1848 by settlers of the Free Church of Scotland, a breakaway group from the Presbyterian Church. In the afternoon, transfer to the Otago Harbour where you will board the Silver Explorer for your Sub Antarctic adventure.

Located within Paterson Inlet, Ulva Island remains a predator-free sanctuary for wildlife and is covered in pristine forest. The island, which covers approximately 660 acres is full of rare and endangered birds including the South Island Saddleback, Yellowhead, Rifleman, Steward Island Robin and Stewart Island Brown Kiwi. Well maintained tracks on the island allow you the opportunity to enjoy the local birds, lovely beaches and unparalleled views.

Here on the northernmost of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands is some of the countries most untouched and pristine areas on offer. Land mammals have never been introduced on the Snares Islands, making it a busy breeding ground for local birds, marine mammals and invertebrates. Shearwaters, petrels and the endemic Snares Crested Penguins are abundant on the islands along with four albatross species listed as breeding here. New Zealand fur seals breed on the shore and the New Zealand sea lions have been known to pop in for a visit on the islands. There are also several invertebrate species which can only be found on the island including a species of weevil which can only be found on one species of plant in the whole world- on Broughton Island. Unique plants are in abundance on these islands, which take up an approximate 840 acres.

There is little human presence on Enderby, which is at the northern tip of the Auckland Islands but there is no shortage of wildlife present on the Island to put on a show for you. A colony of New Zealand sea lions, the rarest in the world, are set to greet you along with yellow-eyed penguins, royal albatrosses, red-crowned kakariki, pippets, tomtits, bellbirds tuis and silvereyes. The uniqueness of the island doesn’t stop with it’s residents- it spreads to the flora and fauna scattered across the island- filled with colourful flowers, Macquarie Island cabbage, tussock and liverworts. Towering cliffs mark the sight of Enderby Island, one which is simply breathtaking. Journey from here to explore more of the isolated kingdom of the Auckland Islands.

Well known as the home of the albatross, Campbell Island has a long and fascinating history. Six species of albatross, including the largest- the southern royal call the island home along with the Campbell Island teal and the Campbell Island snipe. Farming started on the island in 1895 but was later abandoned in 1931 due to unreliable transport systems, accidents and the world-wide recession. As a result of farming, there are approximately 50 introduced species of plants on the inland, but an impressive 128 native vascular plants have been recorded on Campbell Island. English botanist, Joseph Hooker described the island as having a “flora display second to none outside the tropics.” This windswept, remote and rugged island remains an important part of the New Zealand sub-antarctic group.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply reading a book, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Macquarie Island is a unique and unforgettable spectacle of wild, natural beauty with a huge concentration of wildlife. Situated almost 1,500 kilometres South East of Tasmania, it lies almost half way between Australia and Antarctica. The Island is an important place for research, as it is the only place in the world that it is formed entirely of oceanic crust formations. Large congregations of wildlife such as penguins and elephant seals put on a show for their visitors, and the windswept landscape full of lakes and dramatic changes in vegetation are bound to excite it’s visitors. The island is home to Royal Penguins, a species endemic to the island where an estimated 850,000 pairs reside- one of the greatest gatherings of seabirds in the world. King Penguins also call Macquarie Island home. Explore this magnificent place for two days.

Straddling the Derwent River at the foot of Mt. Wellington’s forested slopes, Hobart was founded as a penal settlement in 1803. It’s the second-oldest city in the country after Sydney, and it certainly rivals its mainland counterpart as Australia’s most beautiful state capital. Close-set colonial brick-and-sandstone shops and homes line the narrow, quiet streets, creating a genteel setting for this historic city of 215,000. Life revolves around the broad Derwent River port, one of the deepest harbors in the world. Here warehouses that once stored Hobart’s major exports of fruit, wool, and corn and products from the city’s former whaling fleet still stand alongside the wharf today. Hobart sparkles between Christmas and New Year’s—summer Down Under—during the annual Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race.

Located off the eastern coast of Tasmania, Maria Island is both a natural wildlife sanctuary and an important historical site with the best preserved convict probation station at Darlington, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 1960s the island was chosen to be a haven for plants and animals and a number of threatened species have been introduced, including Forester kangaroos, Bennett’s wallabies and Tasmanian devils. Eleven Tasmania endemics, including one of Australia’s smallest birds, the threatened Forty-spotted Pardaloten can often be seen in the park along with wombats. A geological attraction is the Triassic sandstone of the Painted Cliffs.

Flinders Island is one of 52 islands in the Bass Strait’s Furneaux Group, north-east of Tasmania. With a pleasant climate throughout the year, Flinders Island has sparkling beaches, rugged ranges, abundant wildlife, flora and clear waters. The Strzelecki National Park, which covers roughly 7,414 hectares, has a trail going to the top of the highest peak from where one has amazing views of the Bass Strait and its islands. Some 200 bird species have been recorded, including thousands of Short-tailed Shearwater and the Tasmania endemics Tasmanian Thornbill and Forty-spotted Pardalote. There are an abundance of native wallabies jumping around.

Your first sight of Phillip Island’s prize asset – its parade of adorable penguins skipping across the sand – will be just one of many unforgettable experiences from your time on this stunning island. Located just to the south of cultured Melbourne, the southern ocean’s rollers have hewn a rugged, dramatic shoreline here, and you’ll be itching to explore as soon as you lay eyes upon it.

Farewell your fellow travellers after breakfast as you disembark the Silver Explorer in the historic Dunedin, where you began this wonderful journey.