2011 Subantarctic Photo Odyssey

November 16-28, 2011

The Subantarctic region is that immediately north of the Antarctic region (north of the Antarctic Convergence where the cooler Antarctic waters mix with the warmer northern waters). This is a region that teems with wildlife, and the few islands in the region are home to many significant species of birds.

This November 2011 Odyssey will depart from New Zealand and finish in Tasmania, visiting the major New Zealand Subantarctic islands (The Snares, and the Auckland and Campbell Island groups) before visiting Australia's Macquarie Island. Our November 2010 Photo Odyssey visited South Georgia, and started/finished in Argentina.

At the southern end of the Atlantic Ocean, South Georgia is actually an Antarctic island despite being at almost the same latitude as Macquarie Island, due to a bulge in the Antarctic Convergence. But despite this many of the iconic species are similar at Macquarie: albatrosses, penguins, seals, etc. It's the turmoil of the Convergence that supports the food web, and it's nearby.

We expect the photographic opportunities of this expedition to centre around the wildlife! Elephant and Fur Seals, Albatrosses, Penguins, and many other birds and mammals. But there will be plenty of other natural wonders to see also. All the islands we will visit are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and together make up a Centre of Plant Diversity, with the richest flora of all the subantarctic islands.

We will be travelling aboard the Akademik Shokalskiy, operated by Aurora Expeditions. This is a sister-ship to Aurora's Polar Pioneer, which we have travelled on several times in the past. Unlike our March/April 2011 Antarctica/Falklands/Patagonia Odyssey where all the ship's passengers were members of our photography group, here we will be joined by other passengers. Aurora's marketing this voyage as Emeralds of the Subantarctic, and to join us all you need to do is book directly with Aurora on the trip and tell them that you want to join the LuminOdyssey photography group.

That's it: Aurora will pass your details on to us and you'll get login access to the pre/post-trip forums on LuminOdyssey.com, where you'll get to meet us and your fellow travellers and discuss your preparations.

The LuminOdyssey leader on this Odyssey will be David Burren. During the voyage David will work with Aurora's expedition team (this will be our fourth trip with them: we know each other by now!) to provide you with the best photographic opportunities possible. This includes regular lectures and tutorials, coordinated Zodiac activities, and being almost constantly available to you for photographic assistance. Note that we won't be spending precious time on land with structured classes, but we do aim to help you take advantage of all the opportunities we can find. Back on the ship David will be using Adobe Lightroom to process and manage his own photographs during the voyage (you don't have to use Lightroom too, but our own workflow is based around it) and will provide instruction to participants on managing the digital side of their photographs. It's expected that each participant will work with their own laptop.

Dates, Itinerary

We begin in Bluff, NZ on the 16th of November. You should arrive in Bluff by the 15th. We disembark on the 28th of November in Hobart, Tasmania.

From Aurora's brochure:

Day 1

We’re transferred from our hotel to Bluff port and warmly welcomed aboard Akademik Shokalskiy. After settling in, it’s up to the flying bridge to enjoy our late afternoon departure.

Day 2

By early morning, the Snares Islands rear up from the sea. From a distance they look inhospitable, but soon, hidden waterways are revealed. Although landing is prohibited, we hope sea conditions allow us to launch Zodiacs to search for Snares crested penguins, fur seals, Hooker sea lions, Bullers albatross and sooty shearwaters.

Days 3-4

Enderby Island, northernmost of the Auckland group, is a birdwatchers’ paradise, replete with bellbirds, red-crowned parakeets and the endemic flightless teal. We walk through stunted, red-flowered rata forests – where rare yellow-eyed penguins scurry shyly – across wind-swept tussock grass alive with friendly tomtits and courting albatross, along sandy beaches where sea lion bulls guard their harems. On Auckland Island, we anchor in Carnley Harbour for a trek to see white-capped albatross, or a quiet forest amble to the remains of World War II coastwatchers’ huts, remnants of a rich history that includes sealers, shipwrecks and abandoned settlement.

Days 5-6

We anchor in Campbell Island’s Perseverance Harbour, a short Zodiac ride to the Meteorological Station and boardwalk, through patches of yellow spires and golden lily, to the wondrous nests of southern royal albatross. These are one of six albatross species found here, including the greyheaded, light-mantled and black-browed. We make the most of prevailing conditions, exploring the interior on foot and the dramatic coast by Zodiac.

Day 7

At sea, we keep watch for wandering albatross and others. Our onboard experts entertain with informative talks and prepare us for landing at Macquarie Island.

Days 8-9

Affectionately known as ‘Macca’, or the ‘green sponge’, Macquarie Island lies about halfway between Tasmania and the Antarctic continent. A geological wonder, the island is home to some three million endemic royal penguins, hundreds and thousands of king penguins, and dozens of nesting albatross. Our Zodiacs transport us through breakwaters of giant kelp to a beach of elephant seals and curious penguins. Research station personnel welcome us to their home and a tour of the facilities.

We travel by Zodiac to Sandy Bay, where the boardwalk leads to nesting royal penguins. We also hope to cruise in spectacular Lusitania Bay, with memorable views of more than 170,000 breeding pairs of king penguins.

Days 10-12

Soaring albatross, shearwaters and petrels accompany us on our 833 nautical mile voyage north to Hobart. We have time to reflect on all we’ve seen and enjoy the beauty of the mighty Southern Ocean.

Day 13

Possible early morning landing on Labillardiere Peninsula, Bruny Island, before continuing up D’Entrecasteaux Channel for afternoon disembarkation in Hobart.

The interactive map further up this page should help put these places into context.

Cost & Booking

To secure your place a deposit of US$1250 is required. Download the booking form (PDF) and then contact Aurora Expeditions directly. Note that you need to ask them to put you into the LuminOdyssey photography group for the Emeralds of the Subantarctic trip. Please drop us a line here at the same time.