01 Jan 2025

New Year’s Day on Auckland Island!

New Year’s Day at Auckland Island was unforgettable! The weather was incredible, with blue skies and light winds. For many of us, the first bird we saw this year was the rare Eastern Rockhopper Penguin as groups swam around Heritage Adventurer as we arrived at our anchorage in Musgrave Inlet. This morning, we enjoyed a Zodiac cruise around the inlet, sea caves and kelp beds. The deep blue water sparkled in the sun, and the clarity meant we could see several metres under the kelp forests, observing the sea life within. The Eastern Rockhopper Penguin colony delighted us as they honked, bickered and hopped around the coastline, their golden crests backlit by the morning sun. Looking up, we saw the breathtaking basalt cliffs with flowering Rātā and megaherbs clinging to the sides as Light Mantled Sooty Albatrosses soared overhead. 

In the afternoon, we sailed the coastline south of the Auckland Island group, anchoring in Carnley Harbour. The afternoon activity was a trip to the Southwest Cape albatross colony! Some opted for a rewarding uphill hike up the top of Auckland Island to view the White-capped Albatross colony from land. Others went on a Zodiac cruise where we could transit through the notorious Victoria Passage and emerge on the western coastline of Auckland Island. Here, we could observe the colony perched on the impressively sheer cliffs. Those of us in the Zodiacs returned to Heritage Adventurer via the coastline of the pristine and pest-free Adams Island, suddenly seeing a riot of forest birds, including Kākāriki, Bellbirds and Tūī. It was a spectacular way to end the day.

Images © R. Brown & J. Mishina, Heritage Expeditions