New Zealand to Subantarctic Islands Cruises
Wildlife havens of the Southern Ocean
Discover a world-class wilderness and wildlife experience. All World Heritage sites and Nature Reserves, the Snares, Campbell, Auckland, Bounty, Antipodes and Macquarie Islands are administered with the highest protection – tourism is only allowed under special license. These islands lie in the ‘Albatross Isles’ – 10 of the world’s albatross species breed in the region.
From endemic Snares and Erect-crested Penguin breeding grounds to soaring albatross and petrels; from tapestries of flowering megaherbs to New Zealand Sea Lion colonies, dramatic coastlines and Australia's Macquaire Island with its Royal and King Penguin colonies and lazing Elephant Seal 'Weaners', each day is an epic adventure of discovery. Whether you’re a birder, photographer, wildlife enthusiast, or simply an adventurous spirit, these expeditions offer an unparalleled travel experience.
Join us, New Zealand's family-owned and -operated pioneering expedition cruise company, as we explore the Subantarctic Islands aboard our luxury 140-guest flagship. Purpose-built for adventure, Heritage Adventurer, boasts the highest passenger ship ice class rating (1A Super) and has a fleet of Zodiacs for landings and excursions.
Subantarctic Islands: The Heart of Heritage Expeditions
The wildlife-rich Subantarctic Islands of the Southern Ocean captured Rodney Russ' heart back in the 1970s. While working with the New Zealand Wildlife Service, Rodney participated in conservation efforts to save the Chatham Island Black Robin, the Kakapo and the Campbell Island Teal. These experiences, among others, inspired him to dedicate his life to raising awareness of New Zealand’s wildest and most isolated places and, together with his wife Shirley, create Heritage Expeditions.
In the late 80s the Russes would lead New Zealand's first commercial expedition to the Subantarctic Islands and these magnificent islands of the Southern Ocean, which are collectively designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, remain at the heart of Heritage Expeditions today.
Rodney and Shirley’s two sons, Aaron and Nathan, who grew up in the family business took over the company in 2018, continue to maintain and foster Heritage Expeditions deep connection with the Subantarctic Islands:
- Each year, Heritage Expeditions operates up to to seven expedition programs to the Subantarctic Islands, including signature voyages Galapagos of the Southern Ocean, Forgotten Islands of the Southern Ocean and Birding Down Under.
- Each voyage to the Subantarctic Islands results in generated funds for the New Zealand Department of Conservation through permits and landing fees. Some of the company's access permits remain exclusive to Heritage Expeditions.
- True Young Explorer Scholarships: This Heritage Expeditions program provides a younger people (aged 18 - 30 years) with the opportunity to join a voyage to the remarkable Subantarctic Islands, which in turn creates a league of ‘ambassadors' inspired to help raise the profile and protect these precious areas, and the unique flora and fauna inhabiting them, for future generations.
- Heritage Expeditions maintains a close partnership with New Zealand conservation organisation Forest & Bird. Each year, Heritage operates a partner voyage which grants a percentage in savings to each Forest & Bird member and generates a percentage donation to Forest & Bird from each booking.
Subantarctic Islands Season
Join us on an extraordinary voyage through New Zealand and Australia's Subantarctic Islands
Beyond Fiordland: New Zealand's Wildest Islands
12 DAYS
22 Dec 2025 SAVE 20%*
Aboard Heritage Adventurer
Bluff, New Zealand and Return
- Visit remote World Heritage Sites: The Snares, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island, and explore Stewart and Ulva Islands, Fiordland (Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound and Acheron Passage, Astronomer’s Point and Pickersgill Harbour)
- Dec 2025 voyage includes the option to join a sea kayaking excursion
- Discover the primordial majesty and unspoiled beauty of Fiordland
- Explore sea caves and observe wildlife in spectacular numbers
- Zodiac cruise glittering waterways between podocarp forests looking penguins and dolphins
- Spend the day hiking the unforgettable landscapes of Enderby and Campbell Islands
- Look for the elusive Campbell and Auckland Island Snipe
- Wade waist deep through fields of flowering megaherbs
- Experience the rarely-seen early Albatross courting ritual known as gamming
- Explore wildlife-rich rugged coastlines
- Human history - Coastwatcher's Huts, early settlements and shipwreck tales
- Visit some of New Zealand's most remote and iconic locations, many only accessible by expedition ship
*Book by 28 February 2025 and save 20%. Landing fees not included, per person, new bookings only.
Galapagos of the Southern Ocean: New Zealand and Australia's Subantarctic Islands
12 DAYS
26 Nov – 7 Dec 2025 SAVE 15-20% on Select Cabins*
31 Dec 2025 – 11 Jan 2026 SAVE 15-20% on Select Cabins*
Queenstown-Bluff, New Zealand and return
- Visit remote World Heritage Sites: The Snares, Auckland Islands, Macquarie Island and Campbell Islands
- Explore Macquarie Island with Park Ranger guides
- Observe the raucous antics of Macquarie Island's Royal Penguin and King Penguin colonies
- Watch lumbering Elephant Seals challenging each other on Macquarie Island
- Zodiac cruise Lusitania Bay - one of the largest penguin breeding colonies on the planet (Macquarie Island)
- Spend the day hiking the unforgettable landscapes of Enderby and Campbell Islands
- Look for the elusive Campbell and Auckland Island Snipe
- Wade waist deep through fields of flowering megaherbs
- Experience the rarely-seen early Albatross courting ritual known as gamming
- Explore wildlife-rich rugged coastlines
- Human history - Coastwatcher's Huts, early settlements and shipwreck tales
*Book by 28 February 2025 and save 15% off Worsely Suites and 20% off Heritage Suites. Landing fees not included, per person, new bookings only.
Birding Down Under: Subantarctic and Chatham Islands
17 DAYS
6 – 22 Dec 2025 SAVE 15-20% on Select Cabins*
Aboard Heritage Adventurer
Queenstown-Bluff, New Zealand and return
- Island Groups: Snares, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, Macquarie Island & Chatham Islands
- Incredibly rare Chatham Island Black Robin and Taiko (Magenta Petrel), and Forbe's/Chatham Parakeet
- Visit the only breeding sites of the Erect-crested Penguin and home to the world's rarest shag the endemic Bounty Island Shag in Antipodes and Bounty Islands
- Pyramid Rock, the only breeding place of the Chatham Island Albatross
- Cross the Chathams Rise, known location of Wandering Royal and Salvin's Albatross, and Cape, Westland Black and Cook's Petrel
- Observe the raucous antics of Macquarie Island's Royal Penguin and King Penguin colonies
- Watch lumbering Elephant Seals challenging each other on Macquarie Island
- Zodiac cruise Lusitania Bay - one of the largest penguin breeding colonies on the planet (Macquarie Island)
- Look for the elusive Campbell and Auckland Island Snipe
- Experience the rarely-seen early Albatross courting ritual known as gamming
*Book by 20 February 2025 and save 15% off Worsely Suites and 20% off Heritage Suites. Landing fees not included, per person, new bookings only.
Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific: Subantarctic Islands
8 DAYS
21 – 28 Dec 2025 SAVE 15%*
Aboard Heritage Adventurer
Queenstown-Bluff, New Zealand and return
- Island Groups: Snares, Aucklands, Campbell
- Watch Yellow-eyed Penguins make their way to and from the sea to feed hungry chicks
- Hiking on Enderby Island
- Explore wildlife-rich rugged coastlines
- Carpets of flowering endemic daisys on Campbell Island
- Southern Elephant Seals haul out on Northwest Bay, Campbell
- Observe nesting Southern Royal and Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, and numerous endemic birds
- Rare Hooker’s or New Zealand Sea Lions and their pups on Enderby Island
- Human history - Coastwatcher’s Huts, early settlements and shipwreck tales
- Flowering Rata Forests, rolling hills of flowering megaherbs, large tree daisies
- Options to climb spectacular Mt Honey or hike Col Lyall Saddle
- Look for the elusive Subantarctic Snipe on Auckland and Campbell Islands
*Book by 28 February 2025 and save 15%. Landing fees not included, per person, new bookings only.
Unseen Fiordland & Stewart Island: Exploring New Zealand's Remote Backyard
6 DAYS
27 Dec 2025 – 1 Jan 2026 SAVE 20%*
Aboard Heritage Adventurer
Oban, New Zealand to Bluff, New Zealand
- The time-forgot rawness of wildlife-rich Stewart Island
- A wealth of birding highlights on predator-free Ulva Island
- Discover the primordial majesty and unspoiled beauty of Fiordland, visiting Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound and Acheron Passage, Astronomer’s Point and Pickersgill Harbour
- Experience the thundering spectacle of Stirling Falls
- Explore sea caves and observe wildlife in spectacular numbers
- Zodiac cruise glittering waterways between podocarp forests looking for penguins and dolphins
- Visit some of New Zealand's most remote and iconic locations, many only accessible by expedition ship
- Look for the Stewart Island Brown Kiwi often seen during the day
- Learn about the rich history and conservation efforts of these remote regions
*Book by 28 February 2025 and save 20%. Landing fees not included, per person, new bookings only.
In the Wake of Scott and Shackleton: Ross Sea Antarctica
2026 - SAVE 15-20% on Select Cabins*
10 Jan – 6 Feb
5 Feb – 4 Mar
Bluff, New Zealand and Return
- 12 incredible days to explore remote Antarctica
- Walk in Sir Ernest Shackleton’s footsteps at his hut at Cape Royds
- Venture back in time at Borchgrevink’s Hut at Cape Adare
- Gaze at the towering figure of Mt Erebus amongst a dramatic landscape of glacial ice
- Visit Subantarctic Snares, Auckland, Campbell & Macquarie Islands
- Spend the day hiking amongst megaherbs on the unforgettable landscapes of Enderby and Campbell Islands
- Visit Enderby Island in sea lion breeding season and watch beach master bulls defend their harem
- See the festivities of Royal Penguins on Macquarie Island at their peak
- Marvel at the abundance of wildlife with Emperor Penguins, Royals, Kings, Adelie Penguins, whales, seals and more.
- Observe the raucous Adelie Penguins with chicks about to start fledging
- Catch the peak flowering of the megaherbs in the Subantarctic Campbell Island
- Experience the beauty of 24-hour sunlight in the Ross Sea
- Spot Orca feeding amongst the ice, especially in McMurdo Sound
- Navigate through pack ice that guards the entrance to the Ross Sea
*Book by 28 February 2025 and save 15% off Worsely Suites and 20% off Heritage Suites in 2026. Landing fees not included, per person, new bookings only.
What our travellers are saying:
Galapagos of the Southern Ocean: Subantarctic Islands
Let me be the first to say, the Subantarctic is the stuff of legends. A refuge for some of the most abundant wildlife colonies on earth, New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands are perhaps the most overlooked and pristine islands I've ever set foot on. Situated in the latitudes in between the Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties and Screaming Sixties, this is a place so savagely beautiful it'll take your breath away – literally.
Liz Carlson
Galapagos of the Southern Ocean: Subantarctic Islands
Heritage Expeditions knows its stuff. If you love pelagic birds, penguins, sea lions and unique flora, you cannot be disappointed by the islands of the Subantarctic. The roaring forties and furious fifties awaken the spirit of adventure – this is a sea voyage as much as a biodiversity overload. More than just a sensory experience, you feel connected on a deeper level with the thousands of penguins on the islands and the constant companionship of albatross at sea. Thank you so much to the expedition team and crew of the Professor Khromov for memories to last a lifetime.
Neale Frazer
Galapagos of the Southern Ocean: Subantarctic Islands
I spent Christmas and New Year on the Galapagos of the Southern Ocean trip and it is the coolest thing I have ever done. The birding is incredible, the wildlife is stunning. We had pretty calm weather compared to other trips, and the crew on Professor Khromov made the whole trip an absolute dream expedition. I have recommended Heritage Expeditions and this trip to everybody I know!
Tamzin Goldsworthy
Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific: Subantarctic Islands
I want to pass on a very big thank you to everyone at Heritage. My research work went very well, and the trip was an absolute pleasure. Everything about the trip exceeded my expectations: the staff in the office and onboard were absolutely fantastic, exceptional planning to ensure that the needs and desires of all the passengers for particular shore excursions were balanced with safety and weather concerns, incredible knowledge and communication skills of the guides, amazing food the chefs prepared even in challenging conditions, the Russian crew’s friendliness and enthusiasm despite the language barrier. And of course, what a magical place the Subantarctic Islands are!
Jocelyn
Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific: Subantarctic Islands
My trip to the Subantarctic Islands was just amazing!! I just loved the fields of mega herbs and the wildlife. There were times when there were no words to describe it all. One highlight was the day I got to the top of the boardwalk on Campbell Island--magnificent! The meals were wonderful--fresh and healthy--and your staff sure did look after us! I was very impressed with the young staff; they were very reliable, confident, and made me feel safe and secure. The management of all aspects of everyone onboard was well done. Thank you to Heritage Expeditions for a memorable adventure!
Thelma
Birding Down Under: Subantarctic and Chatham Islands
Just home after a fabulous trip to the sub-antarctic islands of New Zealand. Hard to tell what is most memorable, but seeing a baby Southern Royal Albatross being fed a half-dozen whole squid just a few feet away from us was amazing. The birds were fantastic, headlined by the mythical Taiko, which buzzed the ship early one morning. The Heritage team did a great job of keeping us safe and teaching us about the wonders of these magical destinations.
Peter Kaestner