Day 1  Arrive to Christchurch where we overnight in a central city hotel, dinner will be a chance to meet with your fellow expeditioners on this centennial celebration of Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition.

Day 2  Shackleton departed from Lyttleton at 4.00p.m. on January 1st, 1908, we plan to depart at the same time 100 years later. Our voyage south will include the Sub Antarctic Islands unlike Shackleton’s.

Day 3  A day at sea to relax into the rhythm of life on the ocean and have informal lectures and discussions from our on board lecture staff.

Day 4  Arriving at Snares in time to see the estimated 6 million sooty shearwaters departing to sea is just the start of a wildlife experience with Snares crested penguins grouped on the shoreline, New Zealand furseals and sealions, endemic tomtit and fernbirds on a zodiac cruise experience of sheltered inlets and caves.

Days 5 and 6  Auckland Islands, has two main harbours from past volcanic activity. We visit Enderby Island in the northern Port Ross for a day ashore allowing time for observations of breeding New Zealand ( Hooker’s) sealions, the yellow-eyed penguins as they emerge from the forest and cautiously proceed to the beckoning sea, numerous bellbirds and red crowned parakeets. Southern royal albatross nest on the sward beyond the forest.

Our southern visit in Carnley Harbour is to South West Cape where a climb takes us up to the white capped albatross colony. A zodiac cruise in the sheltered waters is an alternative to either natural history or historical sites.

Day 7  A day of pelagic observations and lectures in preparation for Macquarie Island.

Days 8 and 9  An upthrust of the earths crust this sliver of land supports teeming wildlife – endemic royal penguins, inquisitive king penguins, gentoo and rockhopper penguins. Southern elephant seals breed here also. Your time ashore becomes a total sensory overload of wildlife – take the time to sit and watch. Our visit to the Australian Base with their hospitality, gives a glimpse of the research undertaken here.

Days 10 - 13  As we make our way across the Southern Ocean our eyes will scan for pelagic species – listen for the call of “whale”, watch in awe as they might cross our path. Our daily programme will prepare us for our time in Antarctic with informal lectures and discussions. Crossing the Antarctic Circle the days lengthen and our ice experience will begin with bergy bits and tabular bergs frequenting the sea

Days 14 – 23  Our visit to the Ross Sea region highlights Antarctica’s most historic region, due to the unpredictable nature of ice and weather conditions a day by day itinerary is not possible. The Captain and Expedition Leader will take advantage of every opportunity to make landings or zodiac cruises.

Our first continental landfall is planned for Cape Adare, where Borchgrevink’s Hut still stands built in 1899 for the first wintering over expedition on Antarctica. The land spit of Cape Adare is blanketed by Adelie penguins, at the height of the season up to one million birds. As we depart the Downshire Cliffs are spectacular.

The Admiralty Range heralds our arrival to Cape Hallett where we land next to an abandoned American-New Zealand Base. Offshore from Cape Hallett are Possession Islands where Sir James Clark Ross claimed the land for Queen Victoria, England.

Terra Nova Bay is surrounded by the Society Range, centre for the Italian summer base of Baia Terra Nova. With its granitic outcrops it is very different to the volcanic nature of Ross Island. If possible we also plan a landing at Inexpressible Island.

One of the few places to gain an appreciation of the scale of Antarctica from is Franklin Island, a landing here means an attempt of the summit.

The largest ice shelf is found at the southern end of the Ross Sea. Impenetratable and daunting low lighting creates images of warmth in a land of cold.

Ross Island is the centre of activity historical and present within the Ross Sea. Cape Bird at the northern end is a summer station for Adelie penguin researchers, Cape Royds with Shackleton’s 1907-1909 Nimrod expedition hut is also the southern most adelie colony. Cape Evans has Scott’s second hut erected in 1911 and further south at Hut Point is Scott’s Discovery Hut from 1901-1904. The American McMurdo base is close to Hut Point with New Zealand’s Scott Base a short distance further on.

Orca frequent with ice channel or ice edge and Emperors have been seen on voyages in this area.

Days 24 - 27
Departing the spectacular ice carved nature of Antarctica we steam northwards to Campbell Is. with time to recover from the extensive daylight hours of Antarctica and enjoy shipboard life.

Days 28 - 29
We anchor at Campbell Is in Perseverance Harbour for our visit ashore where we walk to Col Lyall Saddle to observe the Southern royal albatross, the rugged scenery and take in the special nature of this island which has been cleared of introduced sheep and rats and is making a recovery with increasing small birds and plant life.

Day 30
A final day at sea to reflect on the experiences we have shared.

Day 31
Arrive at the Port of Bluff, after formalities we will disembark and transport is provided to the city of Invercargill.

PLEASE NOTE
Landings at the Sub Antarctic Islands are by permit only as administered by the Government of New Zealand. No landings are permitted at Snares Is.
Circumstances may be encountered during our voyage which will make it necessary or desirable to deviate from the proposed itinerary. These circumstances include poor weather and opportunities for making unplanned excursions. Your Expedition Leader will keep you fully informed during the voyage.