February 11 Subantarctic Islands!

Lying like stepping-stones to the Antarctic continent are the little known Subantarctic Islands. Weather permitting we visit some of those remote island - The Snares, Auckland, Macquarie and Campbell Islands on our way to and from Antarctica. 

What happened between boarding our mighty little ship at the port of Bluff and waking to our first Subantarctic island? Some pretty rough seas but we arrived at Campbell Island - and quiet waters! Were we pleased? Oh yes! Lying like giant stepping-stones in the Southern Ocean leading to the Antarctic continent are a smattering of remote and isolated outcrops known as the Subantarctic Islands. 

Formed by volcanic eruptions, Campbell Island is the southern most island on the New Zealand continental land mass. There’s a conservation station on the island which is manned from time to time to monitor wildlife etc. It’s home to the Southern Royal Albatross as well as other bird species but importantly for me were its mega herb fields. Sadly most plants I came across were not in full bloom when we visited but then I didn’t walk up to the high plateau where the bigger fields were. I wasn’t up to the climb wearing gumboots 2-3 sizes too big!  (Plus after very rough sailing my vertigo was playing larry-dooly with my balance.) We were to visit 3 more Subantarctic Islands later in the voyage so I had my fingers crossed for other opportunities to see those strange and wonderful flowers. 

Lindsay and I didn’t climb to the top of the island to visit the albatross breeding colony (and mega herb fields), but we did stumble upon a wee baby Hookers sealion and its huge mum dozing in a dwarf Rata thicket which was rather special. We didn’t dwell long for fear of stressing mum and bub - and especially because mum was massive and probably could have outrun us! This spot was a long way from the water and quite high on a cliff but the sea lions haul themselves up here to birth and suckle their young. We saw sea lions much further inland later in the voyage.

The island is covered in a beautiful array of grasses and ferns as well as Rata forests and mega herbs.

The two top images are Pleurophyllum criniferum a strange giant perennial daisy. The flowers are unusual - dark purple disk florets which have no petals. The leaves are huge measuring up to 1m long. The stems are snowy white. Quite stunning. The image in the bottom left is a Acaena minor and is endemic to Campbell and Auckland islands (another of the Subantarctic Islands). Also endemic to the CAmpbell and Auckland Islands on the bottom right is a Bulbinela sp.