06 Dec 2022

Birding, Sailing and Sightseeing at Enderby Island

Our trusty expedition vessel Heritage Adventurer took anchorage off Auckland Islands' Enderby Island this morning which gave us a stunning preview of what today's adventure would hold. After another exceptional breakfast, we boarded our Zodiacs and crossed the calm water to the shores of Sandy Bay.

An entourage of raucous New Zealand/Hooker's Sea Lions, busy Yellow-eyed Penguins/Hoiho, chattering Red-crowned Parakeets and endemic Auckland Islands Teal were there to welcome us to their island while Light-mantled Sooty Albatross and majestic Southern Royal Albatross soared elegantly across the idyllic Subantarctic skies.

This was only just the start of our Enderby Island adventure, which we would soon explore in much greater depth on one of three custom adventures expertly led by our team of naturalists and guides. Today was an absolute feast for the photographers in our ranks as we took full opportunity to snap photos of as many wildlife encounters, endemic species, and megaherbs in bloom with colours that simply popped on camera.

By the end of our long day ashore we climbed back into our Zodiacs and headed back to Heritage Adventurer with our hearts, as well as our memory cards, full with memories of a place where nature is still in control, and we are but humble guests in her domain.

Image (c): J.Mishina