New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands: Campbell and Enderby

UNESCO World Heritage Site
The first thing I noticed when approaching Campbell and Enderby Islands was the smell of vegetation! After sailing around half of Antarctica for a month, landing on these islands was a sensory explosion: mega-herbs, rata forests, fur seals and soaring albatross. The islands we visited each had their charm and endemic species. A great time if you could avoid those crazy aggressive fur seals that thought they were the kings of the islands!

Sitting in the wild Southern Ocean, between Antarctica and New Zealand, these Sub-Antarctic Islands are a unique eco systen consisting of five island groups (the Snares, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island) They are particularly notable for the large number and diversity of seabirds and penguins that nest there. There are 126 bird species in total, including 40 seabirds of which five breed nowhere else in the world.

The shores of these islands take a beating in the violent weather that often surrounds them. They have been the site of many ship wrecks but our hikes around Campbell and Enderby were in relatively calm conditions.