04 Jan 2020

An Unexpected Landing at Campbell Island

After numerous days spent in the Southern Ocean among the ice, we were glad to see land last night. Not initially a part of our itinerary, Campbell Island offered Akademik Shokalskiy a welcome lee in the restless waters of the Southern Pacific and promised more wildlife opportunities.

After breakfast the following morning we lowered our Zodiacs into the water for a cruise of Perseverance Harbour. Primarily we were looking for the island's endemic fauna including the Campbell Island Flightless Teal. Hooker's/New Zealand Sea Lions were intrigued by our presence and some of these curious animals even approached our boats for a closer look while others observed us from afar, resting in the shallow water near the shore almost motionless with their heads proudly raised. We ended the Zodiac cruise with a visit to the 'World's Loneliest Tree' - a Sitka spruce thought to be planted by Lord Ranfurly in the early 20^th Century - before heading back to our trusty expedition ship for lunch.

We spent the afternoon walking up to the Southern Royal Albatross colony, through fields of resplendent megaherbs. As we made our way upwards we encountered more and more albatross; some of these majestic birds were already nesting, some were socialising in gamming displays, while more still were soaring above the island. Towards the evening the fog partially cleared allowing those who had reached the top of the walk a moment to enjoy a magnificent view of the western shores of Campbell Island. Having enjoyed stretching our legs on land, as soon as all were back on board we set our course towards Auckland Islands, our last landing before the Port of Bluff. 

Image © S.Blanc, Heritage Expeditions