AUCKLAND ISLANDS
After a day of excitement on Campbell Island we once again set out to sea with incredibly calm conditions for the usually wild Southern Ocean. We headed north west to another New Zealand Sub Antarctic Island known as Matu Maha/Aukland Islands. With the ship safely anchored in Carnley Harbour we enjoyed a zodiac tour of Adam’s Island. Highlights included Hoiho (yellow eyed penguins), thousands of Sooty Shearwaters, Auckland Island teal and a Gibson’s Wondering Albatross taking flight with a huge amount of effort from the oceans surface. Although teaming with life compared to a lot of mainland New Zealand unlike Campbell, the main Aukland Island still has introduced pests wreaking havoc on the native flora and fauna. The Department of Conservation is planning to remove feral pigs, cats and mice in the future and donations can be made via their website to help fast track this process.
The next morning we made our way to the north east of the main island to a small flat land mass known as Enderby Island to celebrate Christmas Day. I was very excited for this as my partner and wildlife pathology vet Annie Pagé was set to head back to Enderby for a stint, living in a small shelter built for scientists and DOC workers. In fact as I write this she is back down there conducting crucial post-mortems on Whakahao/New Zealand Sea Lions. Already the rarest Sea Lions on the planet this incredible species have seen a 30% reduction in their population in the space of a year. By finding out what is causing the sea lions to die, Annie can work with others to implement strategies to try and stall or even reverse their decline. Many factors contribute to Sea Lion deaths, including disease, over fishing and climate change.
On Enderby I once again chose the longest hiking option available which consisted of a loop covering much of the island. We disembarked the zodiacs at Sandy Bay. Once an opportunity arose to cross the Hoiho highway we made our way past the main New Zealand sealion colony and began our loop around the island. At times the track was obvious but given the infrequency of visitors to the island the mega herbs and grasses are quick to cover previous visitor’s footsteps. We passed through ancient Rātā forests, these low-lying trees appearing to be on a permanent lean after a lifetime of exposure to the wrath of the furious ‘fifties’.
Along the trail we encountered subadult male sealions. Too small to challenge the beach masters at Sandy Bay these gentle giants preferred to relax in the quiet serenity of the grasslands. The occasional Hoiho could also be seen cautiously making its way up the beach into the protection of the forest. Noticeably different to the little blue penguins I’m used to seeing back home who wait for the cover of darkness to emerge from the water but then will confidently waddle straight past you, the Hoiho appeared very aware of your presence and were extremely shy. Both our Heritage Expeditions guide Glenda and DOC representative Michael Dine were very careful not to startle the Hoiho or allow the group to come into close proximity to them. On a number of occasions we waited for several minutes as Hoiho had been spotted on the track, allowing them time to move on.
As we made out way around North West Cape we encountered nesting skua and Aukland Island shags soaking up the good weather on the exposed cliffs. The vegetation grew ever thicker and compared to the boggy tracks I’m used to in Tassie it was nice to see how nature can quickly recover with a much more limited amount of people passing through. The cliffs through this section were incredibly beautiful with waterfalls flowing over deep caves carved out by crashing waves over millennia. The cliffs were also home to stunning sooty albatross who had set up nests in the thinnest of ledges.
The final section of the hike brought us back to the main sealion colony at Sandy Bay. Along this stretch southern royal albatross glided past at head height. As we made our way closer to the colony of sealions there was chatter from those who had spent the majority of their day in this area of several births occurring on the beach. Sure enough, as the day closed out on Enderby Island, I was lucky enough to witness a female sealion give birth to a brand new pup. Hopefully one that will grow to be healthy and strong rather than another sad statistic.
