Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand and Australia

Depth map of New Zealand. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric research, printed in Subantarctic New Zealand: A Rare Heritage, by Neville Peat, 2009, Dept. of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai.

This map in the Invercargill Museum shows nesting locations for the numerous albatross species we saw on our trip. Comparison of this map with the geological map above reveals the formation of each island group. 

During my trip to the South Island in November, I started thinking about how amazing it would be to visit the subantarctic islands of New Zealand, and Macquarie Island in Australia. I bought a book about the islands at the Dept. of Conservation office on Stewart Island, then did some web research when I returned to Auckland and discovered the only way to get there, short of conducting research or being a government employee, is to take a cruise with Heritage Expeditions.

I don’t know how long the trip for only 50 passengers had been full when I added my name to the waiting list in mid-November, but exactly a month later, and one week before departure, I got the word that a spot had opened up! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to me, and there goes that particular Vanguard account... The combination of having the time available and already being here in NZ helped me decide to just go for it. I’m glad I did.