Travellers in search of new and unique adventures need look no further than a cruise to New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands. These archipelagos at the ends of the Earth are now the most isolated on the planet. Free from any human activity, they are home to a diversity of endemic plant and animal species that we cannot see anywhere else in the world.
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The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands comprise five of the seventeen subantarctic islands bordering the Southern Ocean. Located off the coast of New Zealand's South Island, where Antarctic and subtropical influences converge, the Snares Islands, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Islands archipelagos remain completely protected from human activity and are some of the planet's most wild and untamed islands. Together as a group they are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for their incredible biodiversity: a paradise for naturalists!
The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands comprise five of the seventeen subantarctic islands bordering the Southern Ocean. Located off the coast of New Zealand's South Island, where Antarctic and subtropical influences converge, the Snares Islands, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Islands archipelagos remain completely protected from human activity and are some of the planet's most wild and untamed islands. Together as a group they are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for their incredible biodiversity: a paradise for naturalists!
An incredible variety of penguins
Though penguins may be emblematic of the Antarctic, the Subantarctic Islands are certainly not to be outdone in this respect. The islands are home to thousands of breeding pairs and an extraordinary diversity of species, such as the famous Gentoo and King penguins and the southern rockhopper, as well as lesser know endemic species such as the Snares penguin, the erect-crested penguin, the royal penguin and the yellow-eyed penguin, the world's rarest species of penguin.
An important nesting site for albatrosses
Prince of the Austral Ocean, the majestic albatross chooses the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands as a safe refuge on which to breed every two to three years, between two long periods of migration. Once adult, they leave their nests high on the cliffs, which play an invaluable role as runways. Around a dozen different species can be observed on the various islands, including the black-browed albatross, the wandering albatross, the grey-headed albatross, the light-mantled albatross and the southern royal albatross.
Breeding colonies of marine mammals
The large bays along the craggy shores of these remote islands are home to large numbers of basking sea lions and fur seals. Though sea lions can also be seen around the coast of New Zealand's South Island, their main breeding colonies are located on the Subantarctic Islands, especially on the Auckland Islands and Campbell Island.
Lush and abundant endemic flora
To cruise the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands is to offer yourself a voyage deep into the heart of lush, abundant vegetation, in the world's most southerly forests. The islands are covered with a range of endemic flora that has been able to successfully adapt to the climate of these extreme latitudes and grow and develop due to the mildness brought by the warm currents that flow through the region. The scenery formed by the immense leaves and colourful flowers of the megaherbs and the scarlet canopy of the southern rata forests is strikingly stunning.
