Day at Sea to Macquarie Island, 12/5/2024, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Australia and New Zealand
Kia Ora and Greetings.
Welcome to the rock and roll seas of the southeast corner of New Zealand’s South Island. Today, guests could rest in the comfort of their rooms or attend presentations in the lounge given by our knowledgeable expedition staff members Ron, Lauren, and Doug.
Captain Leo welcomed everyone on board in the evening, and Expedition Leader Lisle introduced his staff to the guests as we continued into the mighty Southern Ocean to our destination.
Internationally acclaimed as a traditional master navigator, Tua has navigated canoes across the great oceans of our planet from the coastlines of Asia through to the shores of the Americas for more than 30 years, without the use of modern instrument...
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In this part of the world, weather is king. In true Subantarctic form, today’s plan was fully at the mercy of that noble force. Having made good time from our visit to Campbell Island the day prior in hopes of ducking for cover from a pending mega weather system, we intended to seek shelter in the protection of Carnley Harbour on the southern end of the Auckland Islands. With winds and sea state mounting by early morning, National Geographic Orion made her entrance into Carnley just before breakfast. As we entered the narrow passage, wind speeds were topping 50 knots, and the sea was awash with frothy wind-flattened waves. Thousands of sooty shearwaters, prions, and scores of albatross whirled about in the intense winds as if it were just another day at the office. We found ourselves anchored in Tagua Bay, bow into the maelstrom to ride out the day in comfort and calm. We enjoyed a respite from our busy days past and took in the stunning beauty of this wild and remarkable place.
We couldn’t believe our luck this morning with clear skies over flat, calm waters within Perseverance Harbor. Were we really still at Campbell Island? Seven souls braved the adventurous hike up Mount Honey with all prepared for a challenging climb, and none were disappointed with the achievement of reaching the top and slip-sliding back down again. Most hikers took the boardwalk up to the albatross colony on Col Lyall and were rewarded with beautiful visits among nesting birds, unperturbed by the presence of visitors. The rest of us enjoyed the harbor from Zodiacs, a prime position for spotting the endemic Campbell Island teal, New Zealand fur seal and sea lion, and the megaherbs in bloom around the shoreline. True to the forecast, the weather closed in on us late in the morning, so we hunkered down and braved back out into the ocean, setting sail for Enderby Island where we hope to shelter this evening.
Campbell Island, isolated by hundreds of kilometers from its nearest neighbors, is home to a host of strange and largely endemic species as well as some of the most variable weather in New Zealand. The intrepid explorers aboard National Geographic Orion discovered this on our afternoon Zodiac cruise. We were treated to rare bursts of sunshine (Campbell sees rain all but 40 days annually), shrieking winds, storm squalls, and an enveloping calm through which the calls of albatrosses and terns could be clearly heard – all in the course of under two hours. It is also uniquely breathtaking: a landscape of towering sea cliffs, Dr. Seussian megaherbs, and thousands upon thousands of albatrosses flecking the hillsides and lifting like snow into the wind. “Like a field of flowers” said one guest, as we watched the distant white-headed birds shift among the tussock and take flight. As we headed slowly into Campbell’s Perseverance Harbor this evening, golden light poured across the island, illuminating the seabirds dancing among the waves. A small cadre of hoiho – the endemic New Zealand yellow-eyed penguin – rose up from the waves to “escort” us along our way, heralding further adventures to come.
