2005 Tour Narrative
The following narrative, written by Steve Howell, is in the form of a daily log prepared by Steve during the cruise.
Daily log:
Day 1. Arrival in Dunedin and group dinner at the Southern Cross Hotel. It’s really happening!
Day 2. Transport to the ship for 9 a.m. boarding and we pulled away about 10 a.m., out through the long harbor of Dunedin (mudflats with lots of birds, including spectacular groups of Black Swans in flight, and Stewart Island Shags nesting on the cliffs as we headed out to sea). Lifeboat drill and zodiac briefings were held as soon as possible while we headed south along the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The partly cloudy skies with a following sea and wind at our back made for a pleasant start as we enjoyed our first tubenoses — 21 species by the end of the day! Comparisons of Fluttering and Hutton’s Shearwaters were appreciated, and seven albatross taxa included a surprise Chatham Albatross, while the heavy albatrosses (both Northern and Southern Royals) were “going vertical” in the wind. Partly cloudy, 15-25 knot NE winds, mild and pleasant; ended off the south end of South Island.
Day 3. At dawn we were north of the Snares Islands, with good numbers of Mottled Petrels and Sooty Shearwaters, Common Diving-Petrels, and a Sei Whale. We arrived at the main island in mid morning and took zodiac cruises in the sheltered Station Cove — but to get to the sheltered cove we had to “run the gap” in rather bouncy seas! It was well worth it, with wonderful views of the endemic Snares Crested Penguins and very handsome Antarctic Terns; the endearing endemic (all-black) race of Tomtit was more conspicuous than the somewhat skulking Fernbirds, and we even saw a vagrant Gray-tailed Tattler. Hooker’s Sealions lolled on the rocks and leaped around the zodiacs; the rich, dark-brown soil supporting the lush but windswept vegetation was riddled with tubenose burrows; the penetratingly clear waters lapped at manes of thick kelp fringing the rocky coastline; and a few Southern Buller’s Albatrosses were returning at the start of their breeding season.
Too soon it was time to head on, and after lunch we were back at sea, heading south towards the Auckland Island group. The numbers and diversity of tubenoses kept increasing till dusk, as we started to cross the shelf break; with Campbell, White-capped, Salvin’s, and Buller’s Albatrosses; Mottled and White-chinned Petrels; our first Flesh-footed Shearwater; Gray-backed Storm-Petrels; and a few prions to keep identification debates lively! Overcast to mostly cloudy, 15 decreasing to 10 knot NE winds, rolling afternoon swells.
Day 4. We awoke off Enderby Island at the north of the Auckland group, and perhaps the most pristine and diverse island we would be privileged to visit. All day was scheduled here (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and, pleasantly, the early morning fog lifted to reveal the wonders of the island. There were options to walk across the island and back, or to make a complete loop around the eastern part, and people were largely free to observe and wander, to absorb the remarkable spirit of Enderby, for which the expedition ship is so aptly named. Avian highlights included Yellow-eyed Penguins, nesting Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses, the flightless Auckland Island Teal, and the rather kiwi-like New Zealand Snipe; the tameness of the Double-banded Plovers, Red-crowned Parakeets, and New Zealand Pipits was remarkable; a dead giant squid floating in the surf below the northern cliffs was a non-avian highlight. The flora was also incredible — a colorful tundra of lush megaherbs, plus other-worldly, enchanted forests of stunted trees; and our landing site was packed with Hooker’s Sealions, birthing and fighting on Sandy Bay. The island biologists joined us for another wonderful dinner on board — we quickly adapted to really good food as the norm! Overcast, fog lifting in a.m., bright and showery, mostly calm and high 40’s.
Huge snorting bulls
Testosterone
In muscled furry form
Attention pulls
To watch their home
Where battle is the norm
And visiting
This misty day
In rain-gear human guise
We watch life swing
At Sandy Bay
Through wonder-laden eyes
Day 5. In the early a.m. hours we’d moved south to the sheltered waters of Carnley Harbor, which is the channel between Auckland and Adams islands. The morning’s options were a rather steep, muddy, and bush-beating walk up to overview the White-capped Albatross colony at Southwest Cape — or zodiac cruises along the shoreline, which included swinging out to the cliffs under the albatross colony. The close-range views of albatrosses on their mud-cone nests were well worth the climb and the rain, while the zodiac option saw a New Zealand Falcon with prey. Lunch was eagerly consumed as we sailed out of the harbor and the start of our day-and-a-half transit south-southwest towards Macquarie Island, an Australian territory.
The clouds lifted as we sailed along the southeast side of Adams Island, with its spectacular cliffs and waterfalls. Birds were all around us and increased steadily as we headed south. Dizzying ballets of tubenose diversity followed the ship — including good numbers of the endemic Gibson’s Wandering Albatross, and hundreds of Pintado Petrels, Antarctic Prions, and White-headed Petrels — simply amazing. Overcast rainy morning, becoming sunny and mild in afternoon, with gently rolling seas.
Day 6. At sea all day heading southwest towards Macquarie Island. We awoke in Australian waters and passed a restful day in gentle, rolling seas with only a light NW wind. Dawn was marked by a blue-gold slash on the eastern horizon, but then fog came and went throughout the day, during which 17 species of tubenoses could be studied, including our first Gray-headed and Black-browed Albatross; and penguin numbers increased steadily through the afternoon. Mammals were also noteworthy, with Southern Bottlenose Whale, Strap-toothed Beaked Whale, and Hourglass Dolphins all seen. Ended with Macquarie briefly visible in the mist.
Day 7. We awoke in fog off the northern end of Macquarie, the island’s presence only given away by the braying of penguins lost in the mist. After picking up some personnel from the Australian base we headed south as the island slowly revealed itself, the glassy-calm waters dotted with penguins and punctuated by a group of Killer Whales. We spent most of the day ashore at Sandy Bay (returning to the ship for lunch) in misty sunshine with cacophonous brays, armies of black-and-white thronging the beach, snorting Elephant Seals, and calm, kelp-spattered waters, a privilege to experience. This site is home to thousands upon thousands of curious Royal and King Penguins (both nesting), with scavenging skuas and giant-petrels on constant patrol. Careful scanning produced single Rockhopper and Gentoo Penguins along the beach, as well as some Macquarie Shags. Foggy to mostly cloudy, misty sunshine, 40’s.
With golden ears
And silver shawl
Bills pointed to the skies
They show no fears
And stand so tall
Emitting bugle cries
All ruling here
An island home
Remote and rarely seen
An atmosphere
That few will roam
And fewer still have seen
Day 8. Dawn found us becalmed and befogged, and there was no point in zodiac-cruising at Lusitania Bay. We headed north to Buckles Bay for time ashore at the ANARE base, with scones and cream and a chance to find out a little about life at the base, where we received a warm welcome amid preparations for Christmas festivities. Our walk past the oil-rendering tanks offered sobering insight to the island’s exploitive past, while Gentoo Penguins with full-grown begging young ran around the beach, and we had the odd sensation of seeing our reflection in an up-close elephant seal’s eyes! The kelp beds by the Macquarie Shag colony held a pair of handsome Gray Ducks, which were a nice bonus, and some even heard a Redpoll, much sought here by Australian listers. By 3 p.m. we were all back aboard Spirit of Enderby (after finding it in the fog!) to begin our transit east-northeast towards Campbell Island, ending with the fog clearing and 10-15 knot north winds.
The sealing ceiling breached
Yet hope it was not beached
For penguins could be reached
Until they too were leeched
Macquarie exploitation
By human innovation
Was just like any nation
In times of exploration
So rabbits range on tussock land
Transported by unwitting hand
But now our ethics do demand
That history we countermand
And thus with education
And cat eradication
Despite soil degradation
There’s hope for conservation
Day 9. All day at sea heading towards Campbell Island, and crossing back into New Zealand waters about 10.30 a.m. Finally a day in what might be called the Southern Ocean, with 15-25 knot NE winds, 3 meter swells, and waves breaking over the bow — the only such day of the entire trip (which was disappointing for some, a relief for others!). Cataracts of mist burned off by mid morning, and birds were represented by 20 species of tubenoses, including seven albatross taxa, and the only Kerguelen Petrels of the trip.
Day 10. The day of the albatross. We arrived off the south side of Campbell Island in early morning, an overcast, misty dawn, and sailed into Perseverence Bay, past colonies of Campbell Island Shags and Hooker’s Sealions. The clouds continued to lift through the day, for which two options were offered: a longer walk over to Northwest Bay, or a shorter walk up the well-maintained 2 km boardwalk to Col Lyall and a chance to convene with the island’s regal inhabitants — Southern Royal Albatrosses, for which Campbell is the principal breeding location. Seeing these “snowy gods” up close, with their snow-dusted upperwing patterns and dark-brown eyes, is an incredible experience. The second walk also allowed wonderful views off the west coast (and a distant Rockhopper Penguin colony) and time to experience the lush, colorful megaherb “fields.” Other birds included the endemic subspecies of New Zealand Pipit and plenty of Dunnocks, singing from all around. A late afternoon “teal hunt” was scheduled to look for the recently reintroduced flightless Campbell Island Teal — and we were very lucky indeed to find one of these rodent-like ducks scurrying through the grass. After dinner we headed back out to sea for our longest inter-island transit, two days to the Antipodes, with good views of Gray-headed and Campbell Albatrosses before sunset. Overcast with variable low clouds, mild; 20 knot NE winds decreased to 5 knots in afternoon.
Mascara-rimmed
Inscrutable
Reflective inkwell pools
Of life undimmed
Unknowable
The eyes of one who rules
Presiding here
A world apart
Of tussocks rarely trod
And air so clear
Where human heart
Can meet with Snowy God
Day 11. At sea heading east-northeast towards the Antipodes, and another gentle day at sea, with 10 knot ESE winds becoming calm by afternoon, under pleasant overcast skies with sunny and misty spells. A relatively quiet day with steady birds but no huge numbers — a great opportunity to practice identification skills on albatrosses (with our first Antipodeans), and to watch and appreciate the flight of Mottled Petrels. A pod of Sperm Whales added an adrenalin rush for those inside when the whales were spotted.
Day 12. Calm seas continued, but with them came fog as a frequent companion. On our morning’s approach to the Antipodes birds were great, including increasing numbers of the distinctive Antipodean Wandering Albatross, and mammals included several Southern Bottlenose Whales and the little-known Pygmy Right Whale. When at 2 p.m. we arrived at the Antipodes it was an act of faith to believe there was an island close to us! But there it was, and our zodiac cruising produced great views of Erect-crested and Rockhopper penguins together, as well as both the endemic Red-crowned and Antipodes Parakeets, and yet another endemic subspecies (species?) of pipit. We needed the ship’s foghorn to find our way back from the island, and with all aboard we headed out to sea again about 6 p.m., and north towards the Bounties. Visibility improved in the evening and we were treated to 20 species of tubenoses in the last couple of hours before dinner, including good numbers of Soft-plumaged Petrels and Little Shearwaters.
Day 13. Dawn found us at the Bounty Islands — an uninhabited and stark string of low, guano-covered islets rarely visited by humans. Visibility was good but it was raining steadily — an arguable improvement over thick fog! We were able to zodiac cruise among the islands in low seas and goggle at the sheer numbers of Salvin’s Albatrosses, Erect-crested Penguins, and fur seals that packed the rock surfaces, with smaller numbers of Bounty Island Shags and Fulmar Prions. As we moved slowly away from the Bounties and northeast towards the Chatham Islands, squid chumming brought in veritable blizzards of albatrosses behind the ship, and the afternoon continued with great tubenose diversity and new species for the trip, including good numbers of Great-winged Petrels and White-faced Storm-Petrels, plus a pack of Killer Whales at their kill, which provided a large slick attended by lots of birds. Overcast with bright spells (morning rain), 10-20 knot SE winds and following seas, mild; crossing into the western hemisphere during dinner.
Day 14. — so this is Christmas…
The morning sun Bleeds burning gold
On surging white-capped seas
Our northward run
Through worlds untold
The Spirit takes with ease
Clouds pillowing
And shredding blue
They mark our Christmas morn
Thoughts billowing
And born anew
The miracle of dawn
The “new” avifauna continued as we headed north to the Chatham Islands, with Pyramid Rock spotted in late morning. This was to be a tubenose “big day,” with 31 species seen, including 12 albatrosses (half of the world’s species!). Before reaching the Chathams we saw good numbers of both Northern and Southern Royal Albatrosses (and a presumed hybrid!), plus Northern Buller’s, White-capped, Salvin’s, a single Campbell, and Snowy, Gibson’s, and Antipodean Wandering Albatrosses; the handsome Chatham Albatross was remarkably tied to its sole breeding site, at Pyramid Rock, where chumming drew in squabbling masses, and single Gray-headed and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses rounded out the dozen. Oh, and there were a nice Gray Petrel, Cook’s, Pycroft’s, and Gould’s Petrels, hundreds and hundreds of White-faced Storm-Petrels, groups of Sperm Whales, and … almost too much to absorb.
From Pyramid Rock we cruised slowly through the islands to anchor in the lee of Southeast Island in late afternoon, where we took advantage of the calm, sunny weather to zodiac cruise the shore, seeing good numbers of the superb little Shore Plover as well as the very rare Chatham Oystercatcher and our first Little Penguins. After that there was a swimming option, or simply time to relax before a great Christmas dinner, with after-dinner drinks on deck under the Southern Cross. Partly cloudy to sunny, 10-20 knot S winds becoming calm in late afternoon, mild with a “too hot” midday spell (24 C!); ended at Southeast Island.
Day 15. A calm night passed into early morning, and we took advantage of being ahead of schedule by exploring the Chatham Islands, cruising past the Star Keys, the Fort-fours, and then around the north side of the main island to anchor off Waitangi after dark. This “extra” day was very restful, and also offered great views of the big colonies of Northern Royal and Northern Buller’s Albatrosses on the Forty-fours, as well as a bouncy zodiac cruise to view nesting Pitt Island and Chatham Island Shags up close. Remarkably, but perhaps typically, we saw only one Chatham Albatross all day, despite our proximity to the colony. A Short-tailed Shearwater and good numbers of Fairy Prions were notable as tubenose species we hadn’t seen the previous day. Overcast to partly cloudy and sunny, mild with 10-25 knot N winds.
Day 16. Today we spent ashore on Chatham Island, landing at the settlement of Waitangi by 8 a.m. and then heading south on dirt road by bus (a shock after days at sea!), through rolling farmland filled with singing Skylarks. Two options were a short walk in the Awatotara Valley with relict native vegetation, or a longer hike through native forest in the buffer zone bordering the Tuku Reserve (where Magenta Petrels nest). Most birders took the former option and, with some work, we saw both the Chatham Pigeon and Chatham Gerygone, as well as a very tame Weka and lots of introduced European Goldfinches. After the walks there was time to wander in the town of Waitangi and sup a beer at the local pub before boarding the ship and starting the transit back to the New Zealand mainland. The late afternoon was an incredible spectacle of albatrosses (nine species in total) for 360 degrees and as far as we could see — thousands and thousands feeding over the rich waters near the Chathams. Overcast dawn with cool winds, becoming sunny and warm, and then 15-20 knot SW wind in p.m.
Day 17. At sea heading west-southwest towards Dunedin,. A partly cloudy, sunny day with a steady flow of birds passing, with numbers of controversial cookilaria (Cook’s-type) petrels including Cook’s, Pycroft’s, and a Gould’s, plus four other species of Pterodroma! Albatrosses were with us throughout the day, and a close group of ten Sperm Whales were also notable.
Day 18. At sea heading west-southwest towards Dunedin. Another full day at sea, with ever-changing seabirds — today some large rafts of Buller’s Shearwaters, with Hutton’s Shearwaters late in the day, a few Flesh-footed Shearwaters, excellent views of Fairy Prions on kelp rafts, “only” six species of albatrosses, and some very nice Gray’s Beaked Whales. Light N wind, clear and sunny becoming mostly cloudy, with low seas and a perfect way to wind down gently from an incredible trip.
Day 19. Early morning arrival in Dunedin, customs and immigration formalities, and goodbyes to many shipmates before our re-entry into the (un)real world of streets, buildings, traffic, and masses of humans. With a day ahead of us before flights home we visited the superb Dunedin museum (with a display on the birds of Dunedin, and lots of information on introduced-predator problems) and then took a “long walk” through the “Escher-like” hills of Dunedin, where birds included New Zealand Pigeons, Gray Gerygones, melodious Bellbirds, and (finally) some Tuis.
Day 20. Sleep in and transfers to the airport for flights home.
Steve Howell
Updated: August 2006