The kickoff half of the trip had given us a total spectrum of Subantarctic current of air, rain, and swell. Thankfully our long steam from Campbell Island to the Antipodes Islands, around 750km, saw the swell and wind easing and staying at-home for the remainder of the voyage.

On the manner we had a short talk on Antipodean albatross conservation by one of the guests on board, Sue Maturin. Sue is a conservation legend, and a wealth of knowledge on marine protection and seabird conservation. She explained to usa how the unabridged Antipodean albatross population is projected to turn down to 500 breeding pairs within xx years at the current rates. Their main threat is bycatch in longline fisheries in international waters, exacerbated by climatic change which is decreasing their historical food supply and increasing the birds interactions with fisheries. Shortly earlier our visit to the island two researchers had arrived to go along with the Antipodean albatross monitoring project, as well as carrying out other seabird monitoring. Some albatross have had GPS trackers fitted to amend understand how the interact with foreign fisheries. You tin can check them out on an interactive map – their range is impressive, merely it too highlights the difficulty of trans-boundary conservation: https://docnewzealand.shinyapps.io/albatrosstracker/

The lack of air current meant we had limited visibility in sea fog during the day in transit betwixt island groups, persisting the adjacent twenty-four hours equally we arrived at the Antipodes. Visible on the radar and plotter but not to the centre, eventually the dark base of the isle appeared as the fog lifted by a few metres. The Spirit stopped in Ringdove Bay at the Southeast of the island equally passengers lined the deck to take in the scene. Sharp basalt cliffs rose into the fog, pockmarked with rocks blasted into the then-lava when the island group was formed. Light-green grasses, tussocks and megaherbs grow where they can, white lichens adding to the palette of green and black. The island looked like something straight out of a Jurassic Park movie.

We began our zodiac cruise at Albatross Indicate, and many birders were keen to become their first sighting of the Antipodes kākāriki. Near entirely dark-green, they have learnt to opportunistically scavenge from dead animals effectually the shore, and are only found on the Antipodes and a few captive rearing facilities on the mainland. The Antipodes are also exclusively home to Reischek's parakeet, visually similar to carmine-crowned kākāriki but genetically distinct. Photographers were chop-chop roped into identifying distant kākāriki sightings for other zodiac passengers, leading to humorous discussions of which light-green shrub the camouflaged light-green birds were supposedly most. We were lucky plenty to see a pair of Antipodes kākāriki fly down to the shore near our zodiac, foraging amongst the night rocks where they stood out like bright green highlighters.

From there we nosed along the coast, making the near of the calm seas to scout kākāriki, subantarctic fur seals with their foam-coloured snouts, erect-crested and Eastern rockhopper penguins, the occasional elephant seal, pipits and  light-mantled sooty boundness. The rock around penguin colonies were splashed pink or white depending on their predominant prey particular; white for squid, pink for crustaceans. Amongst the colonies are brown huddles of fluffy chicks, still with their warm down feathers. Waves of porpoising penguins passed united states of america earlier beingness ejected from the water onto the ramp leading up to the colonies. Some exits from the water are less than graceful, though they all make it onto dry land eventually.

Back at the Spirit for lunch, expedition leader Aaron's voice comes over the intercom to announce that the Antipodean Swim Squad will be convening shortly. Information technology's usually tradition to swim at Campbell Isle, the southernmost point in the voyage, but since everyone was thoroughly wet and common cold at the end of our last day there the swim was postponed. I was hesitant well-nigh joining the team but my conclusion was made when I saw Bill and Gordy, two other passengers, running past the door, tops off and towels in paw. The captain set up the bar loftier with a perfectly executed swan swoop off the side of the boat, followed by passengers pulling off a range of h2o entry techniques. Co-ordinate to the span the water temperature was around x degrees, so refreshing is an understatement!

Afterwards another cruise effectually to Due north Cape it was fourth dimension to leave Antipodes behind and brand way to the Bounty Islands. Our original trip itinerary included Macquarie Island instead of Antipodes and Bounty, just at this phase I couldn't care less. The otherworldly fog shrouded coastline of the Antipodes had blown me away and I couldn't wait to run across what the Bounty Islands had in shop.