The Sub-Antarctic islands are a strange and mysterious place. A place where sea lions roam the mountain peaks, where penguins waddle through the remains of failed settlements, and where megaherb fields give you the feeling of being in the middle of a Dr. Seuss world.
If you have ever felt the desire to explore an environment where the land is completely controlled by nature, this is the place to go.
In the southern corner of the Earth, far below the range of modern human civilisation lies a unique archipelago, known as Aotearoa’s Sub-Antarctic Islands. Bursting with marine life, these islands provide a habitat for a diversity of endangered and culturally significant species, ranging from small hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin) to large sea lion populations.
Inhabiting islands this far south, however, requires the ability to withstand a substantially cold and dangerous climate. The Sub-Antarctic Islands are positioned in perhaps the most harsh and extreme oceanic system in the world: the Southern Ocean. This region surrounds Antarctica, with a latitudinal range that stretches northward to approximately 40 degrees south. Home to the origin of fierce low-pressure systems and deep ocean swells, this oceanic system produces some of the largest waves in the world.
The Sub-Antarctic Islands are positioned in perhaps the most harsh and extreme oceanic system in the world: the Southern Ocean … home to the origin of fierce low-pressure systems and deep ocean swells, this oceanic system produces some of the largest waves in the world.
As a surfer and a marine science student, the Sub-Antarctic Islands are a fascinating place, of which I was lucky enough to explore in January 2022.
Marine science naturally became an interest of mine, largely driven through surfing. Understanding how different swells, winds, and tides influence the way a wave breaks is a required understanding that each surfer gains through experience. For myself, this understanding opened my eyes to question how other processes in the marine environment occur. My grandfather Ross Clapp also played a large role in this interest. Ross was one of the original gliders in the Canterbury Aero Club, a role that he established due to his own interest in weather systems. His teachings of the different names and formations of clouds was a learning experience for myself that deepened my interest in environmental processes.
Studying at the University of Otago, I have found myself located in Whakahekerau (St. Clair), positioned at the southern point of Muaūpoko (Otago Peninsula). The Ōtepoti (Dunedin) coastline is rich in both wildlife and good waves … two features that make this city a much-desired location. The cold and raw attributes of the coastline are what draw me to this region of the world, where there is a hidden beauty within the harsh marine environment. Finding a connection to the Ōtepoti coastline is what sparked my desire to look south, in an attempt to discover a similar coastline – one that has not yet been overly influenced by human activity. This desire led me to the roaring 40s and the furious 50s, home to Aotearoa’s Sub-Antarctic Islands.
Five islands compose Aotearoa’s Sub-Antarctic island group:
1. Moutere Hauriri (Bounty Island)
2. Moutere Mahue (the Antipodes)
3. Tini Heke (the Snares)
4. Motu Maha (Auckland Island)
5. Motu Ihupuku (Campbell Island)
These islands are protected marine reserves, recognised as world heritage sites by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation.
With the intensifying desire to get south and explore these remote islands, I set sail on Heritage Expeditions’ 71 metre Russian icebreaker The Spirit of Enderby. My journey began on the 31st of December 2021 – 663km and 36 hours of sailing awaited as we departed Bluff and headed South for Motu Ihupuku, Aotearoa’s southernmost Sub-Antarctic island.
Motu Ihupuku / Campbell Island (663km from Bluff)
Motu Ihupuku is Aotearoa’s second largest Sub-Antarctic island, covering an area of 112.7km². It rains for over 290 days per year on this island and receives an average of one hour of sunlight during the months of June and July. The valleys and mountains are shaped by fierce westerly winds and the coastline is continuously scarped by powerful south swells, shaping this island into a reflection of the local environment.
The history of Motu Ihupuku dates back to 1810 when it was discovered by Captain Frederick Hasselburgh, an Australian sealer who drowned in the island’s Perseverance Harbour as his ship the Perseverance capsized. Since then many have visited the island, however, finding others that have been to this remote location appears to be somewhat of a rarity.
Arriving at Motu Ihupuku was exactly what you would expect: cold, dark, and gloomy.
As we cruised through Perseverance Harbour and arrived at Tucker’s Cove, we took our first steps on land.
The island felt empty, as if it had been abandoned and no one had ever returned.
Scientists and Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers are the most frequent visitors to Motu Ihupuku, however, the amount of time they spend here is limited by the conditions and their resources … being 663km south of the mainland comes with quite a few challenges.
The weathering of their huts provides an insight into the harsh conditions experienced here, conditions that make this island such an interesting and unpredictable place.
Sea lions roam the island. They can be found in the water, along the shore, and even on top of the island’s summit, Mt Honey, at 558m above sea level.
There are some things, however, that will make you question what else is lurking around the waters of this remote Sub-Antarctic location.
It truly is a strange and mysterious place.
As dark, gloomy, and uninviting as this island may appear to be, there is a remarkable essence of colour that can be found towards the summit. A boardwalk ascends from Tucker’s Cove to Mt Lyall where the obscurity of the Megaherbs give that feeling of living in a Dr Seuss world.
Megaherbs are the native flora that make the Sub-Antarctic Islands such a remarkable place. These plants survived the last glacial maximum (20 thousand years ago) and have become well adapted to the cold, harsh, and windy environment. Their mystical appearance contributes to the island’s unique character.
As the boardwalk weaves through the megaherb fields, nesting southern royal toroa (albatross) keep a close eye on those who walk past.
Motu Ihupuku is the main breeding ground for southern royal toroa. During a survey carried out between 2004-08, DOC estimated 8,300 – 8,700 breeding pairs to be on the island. These birds are remarkably large, with wingspans exceeding three meters and an average body weight of 8.5kg. They live to ages above 40 years old and identify with a life-long companion.
The dynamics of a southern royal toroa relationship are rather simple, yet the task each bird carries out is very much adventurous. The breeding southern royal toroa stays on the Island and takes nearly a year to rear the chick, while the non-breeding southern royal toroa will set out on a food-foraging journey, circumnavigating the Southern Ocean before returning to their life-long companion.
Motu Maha / Auckland Island (500km from Bluff)
Motu Maha is the largest island within Aotearoa’s Sub-Antarctic island group, covering an area of 625.64 km2. This archipelago was discovered in 1806 by Captain Abraham Bristow, a British whaler who stumbled across the islands as he and his crew searched the southern ocean for whales. Positioned 290km to the north of Motu Ihupuku, local weather conditions on this island are slightly more temperate.
Approaching Motu Maha from the south, our first point of entrance was Carnley Harbour. As we entered the harbour, we were welcomed by a rare calm patch of ocean that was as glassy as oil.
Motu Maha is unique from Aotearoa’s other Sub-Antarctic islands as they are the only island with Southern Rātā forests. These trees are able to survive the local weather conditions, however, the cold climate stunts their growth and are rarely found to grow taller than 20 metres.
Home to the wreck of the Grafton, Carnley Harbour holds a unique history that involves courage, resilience, and teamwork. The Grafton was a schooner sailing ship that came to the Sub-Antarctic island’s in search of tin and seals. On the 3rd of January, 1864, the Grafton wrecked in the north arm of Carnley Harbour after getting into trouble when its anchor broke free, forcing the ship against the rocky coast.
With significant blows to the hull and a rising tide, the Grafton’s keel was torn from the ship and it began to sink, leaving the five men stranded ashore. Surviving on land for 18 months in a hut made from the ship’s wreck, the men spent their time reconstructing a modified version of the Grafton. In July 1865, three of the men sailed the reconstructed ship back to Rakiura (Stewart Island), with the two men left behind rescued a few weeks later.
During this time another ship, the Invercauld wrecked on the northern end of Motu Maha. Without knowing that these two castaways were living in coincidence, the two groups took different survival approaches. The crew of the Invercauld turned to violence and cannibalism, while the crew of the Grafton worked together to survive. 58 years to the day that the Grafton wrecked, we stood at the last remains of the shipwreck.
The South-West Cape of Motu Maha is home to a white-capped Mollymawk colony that in 2013 was estimated by DOC to be of 5,846 breeding pairs.
White-capped Mollymawks are smaller than southern royal toroa, with wingspans reaching up to 2.5 metres. These species can be characterised by their distinct black wings which continue across their back, and their grey bill with a yellow tip.
Enderby Island, Motu Maha (458km from Bluff)
To the North of the Motu Maha archipelago lies Enderby Island, a 7km² island that is considered by many as the gem of Aotearoa’s Sub-Antarctic islands.
In 1850, a settlement was established on the island by Charles Enderby, the director of a British whaling company who attempted to hunt whales and farm the island. Due to the lack of whales caught and the cold and damp climate which made agriculture impossible, the settlement closed two years following its establishment. Never to be re-established, Enderby Island has been left to itself and is now bursting with marine life.
The entrance to the Island is navigated through Port Ross, a harbour that supports a common congregation of tohorā (southern right whales) during the winter. Sea lions have also become well-established on Enderby Island … particularly at Sandy Bay during their breeding season.
While Sandy Bay is home to an abundant sea lion population, it has not always been this way. Centuries of sealing that was carried out until the early 1900s posed significant threats on Aotearoa’s sea lion population.
Thankfully, these species are now protected and the populations are beginning to bounce back.
If you are an Ōtepoti resident, you will have likely seen this bounce back of the population. Following the first birth of a pup since the days of sealing on Taieri beach in 1993, the number of pups born each year around the Ōtepoti coastline have increased. Today, around 20 pups are typically born each year on the mainland.
Sandy Bay is the second largest breeding colony within the Motu Maha archipelago, with approximately 300-400 pups born each year. The largest colony is located 8km south of Enderby on Dundas Island, a remarkably small island that is only 200 metres in length and 100 metres in width, where 1200 pups are born each year.
Sea lions are not the only seal species found on Enderby Island … upon crossing the foredune I stumbled across this ihu koropuku (elephant seal) pup.
Due to Enderby’s small size, it makes a great walk around the island possible within one day.
Along our walk we passed many of the island residents, some of whom had the same idea as us and were enjoying a stroll on this sunny morning.
As we reached the dense vegetation of the island, we weaved our way through megaherb fields, tussock, and Southern Rātā forests.
Occasionally there would be a big roar from the vegetation, followed by a curious sea lion popping his head out as we walked past.
As we walked around the eastward facing side of the island, we stumbled across another surprise – Sub-Antarctic surf.
Pebble Point greeted us with Sub-Antarctic waves, small waves, but nevertheless, an opportunity to mind surf and imagine the possibility of being the first to surf one of the most remote surf breaks in the world.
The novelty of surfing a wave 460km south of Aotearoa is rather exciting and has never before been done.
Surfing on Enderby Island would be the experience of a lifetime, however, it would not be easy. Getting down to this island is a challenge in itself, it requires a vessel that can withstand powerful south swells, and being able to step foot on land requires a special permit from DOC. For health and safety reasons, surfing on this trip was not an option, but maybe one day one of these lonely peaks will be ridden …
After dreaming of the possibilities of surfing on Enderby, it was time to call it a day and return to Sandy Bay.
Tini Heke / The Snares (208km from Bluff)
Tini Heke is the closest Sub-Antarctic island to Aotearoa, positioned 100 km to the southwest of Rakiura. Tini Heke is the second smallest Sub-Antarctic island, with a combined area of 3.5km². These islands were discovered on the 23rd November 1791 by Lieutenant William Broughton and Captain George Vancouver.
Captain Vancouver named the islands The Snares, due to the shipping hazard they imposed on passing vessels.
At first sight of land, I anticipate for what will entail our final Sub-Antarctic island discovery of this trip.
The geology of Tini Heke is truly amazing. It felt as if we were exploring a bubble of the Earth that had been preserved from the Mesozoic Era. Steep-sided cliffs and granitic sea stacks make an exploration around this Sub-Antarctic island fascinating.
While the island’s rock composition is interesting, it is the abundance of rock hoppers that make this Sub- Antarctic Island a joyful and amusing place. Approximately 26,000 breeding pairs of Snares crested penguins can be found on the North-East Island.
These endemic species are well suited to the island – being predator free and restricted from human access comes with many benefits for these vulnerable penguins.
From the distant ridgeline to the trampled bull kelp doorway, exists a runway, where penguins traverse the sloping granite cliff. This is Penguin Slope, a path that leads foraging penguins from their nests to the ocean.
Getting down the slope is the easy part, however, gaining the confidence to dive into the ocean can be rather challenging.
Generally, the penguin closest to the water’s edge will be bumped into the water. This is a test to determine the safety of entering the ocean. If a predator appears, the others will remain on shore … if not, they follow.
As the sun fades behind the clouds and the afternoon sea-breeze begins to strengthen, we decide to call it a day. Cruising back to the Spirit of Enderby, a crested penguin sends us a final wave goodbye as we acknowledge our Sub-Antarctic discovery has come to an end.
This trip was supported by Heritage Expedition’s True Young Explorer Scholarship. These scholarships provide keen explorers (aged between 18-30 years old) who have a passion in the Southern Ocean to explore Aotearoa’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, with the aim of creating a league of ambassadors who are inspired to protect the Sub-Antarctic’s for future generations.
You can apply here …