Roundtrip Expedition from Dunedin

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest.

Stewart Island is home to New Zealand's newest national park, Rakiura National Park. The third and most southerly of New Zealand's main islands, Stewart Island is separated from the South Island by the 24-km (15-miles) Foveaux Strait. Its original Māori name, Te Punga O Te Waka a Maui, means "the anchor stone of Maui's canoe." Māori mythology says the island's landmass held the god Maui's canoe secure while he and his crew raised the great fish—the North Island.

New Zealand fiord country along with Fiordland National Park is one of New Zealand's premier attractions. Incredibly beautiful, wild and remote, the region is an intriguing combination of rugged mountain ranges, dense rainforest, solitary alpine lakes, sparkling rivers and splashing waterfalls. Much of Fiordland is virtually unexplored wilderness and still the habitat of rare birds. As the ship cruises the beautiful Doubtful, Dusky and Milford Sounds, experience the majestic fiordland of South Island's western coast.

Despite being discovered by Cook more than 240 years ago, Dusky Sound is one of the few truly untouched destinations left on earth. Found on the southwest corner of New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, Dusky Sound has the auspicious title of “titanic mason” given to it by the Maoris, as no other explanation seems to fit; it is almost impossible to comprehend the sheer breadth of geological events that created this seemingly perfect sculpture, as the sheer cliffs that rise vertically upward from the ocean dwarf the ship.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is whale watching from the Observatory Lounge, writing home to your loved ones or simply topping up your tan by the pool, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Macquarie Island is known as Australia’s Sub-Antarctic jewel and is home to a large variety of wildlife, including thousands of elephant, leopard and fur seals and millions of penguins. The island has been designated a World Heritage site. Since 1948 the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has maintained a permanent base, the Macquarie Island Station, which usually varies from 20 to 40 people over the year. Weather and tides will play heavily on the decisions made by the Captain and Expedition Leader to make the most of the two days visiting the island. Macquarie holds a King Penguin colony of more than 200,000 pairs, as well as colonies of Rockhopper, Royal and Gentoo Penguins. In addition one might see some of the 72 species of birds including the Wandering, Black-browed, Grey-headed and Light-mantled Sooty Albatross.

Use the Zodiacs to land on Campbell Island, New Zealand’s southernmost sovereign territory some 700 kilometers southeast of South Island. High and rugged in the south (up to 1,867 feet), it slopes off more gently to the north where smoothed ridges and open valleys suggest considerable recent glaciation. Farmed since 1894, Campbell Island was used for sealing and whaling, wartime coastal defense, and meteorological observation. Becoming a nature reserve in 1954, it is now an uninhabited and World Heritage site administered by the Department of Conservation. 

Enderby Island and Auckland Island are composed of eroding volcanic remains. Under New Zealand’s ecological management, which included the removal of all introduced mammals, the rata forests are regenerating and herbaceous plants are resurging. Enderby Island is home to the rare Yellow-eyed Penguin, New Zealand Bellbirds and Red-crowned Parakeets, as well as Southern Royal Albatross that nest on the plateau. Auckland Island has an abundance and diversity of seabirds, including Gibson’s Albatross and White-capped Mollymawks. It is also the primary breeding ground for the rarest and endangered sea lions in the world, the New Zealand (Hooker) sea lion, and the breeding ground for 30% of the world’s population of the Yellow-eyed Penguin. 

The Snares is a small island group approximately 200 kilometers south of New Zealand's South Island and covers a total of approximately 3.5 square kilometers. Unlike other Sub-Antarctic islands that were greatly affected by the whaling and sealing industry in the nineteenth century, The Snares remains one of the last near pristine areas in New Zealand. Depending on sea and weather conditions you can use the fleet of Zodiacs on board the Silver Explorer to go in search of the endemic Snares Crested Penguin, listening for Tuis and bellbirds and looking for New Zealand fur seals.
 

Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest.