Sub-Antarctic Islands: The Snares and its Penguins

Day 3. Monday 13 January – At sea: Snares Islands

Noon position: Latitude 48^o20.41’South; Longitude 166^o34.30’East, Air temperature: 10.4^oC. 

The ship rolled and pitched during the night, making it difficult to stay in our bunks – my bunk was on the outside so rolled a lot: I had to braced my feet against the desk, and we had to tip over the chair to stop it sliding around.. Others had trouble with cupboard doors and drawers flying open. We had to stow everything securely off the desk. Drew and I were glad we did not have far to fall from our lower bunks!  However most of us managed a few hours sleep. In the morning we woke to a busy sea with white horses and spray breaking over the bow onto the windows of the Bridge on the 6^th deck! All storm doors onto the side decks were shut.

By 8a.m we were nearing the Snares Islands with Broughton to port and North East Island and its Dampion Rocks to starboard. Through the gap between the two main islands, we could see in the distance the Western Chain consisting of five islands. Steep cliffs were topped by a dense vegetation of Olearia lyallii or ‘white tree daisy’ and Brachyglottis stewartiae or ‘yellow tree daisy’ with a few patches of grass. Large numbers of sea birds were wheeling around the ship including Sooty Shearwaters, Diving and Cape Petrels, Giant Petrel, Fairy or Fulmar Prions and Snares Crested Penguins (on the water, found only on these islands). 

Black and white Cape petrel

Sadly it was too rough to do a Zodiac cruise to get closer to the cliffs and the penguin colonies.  Instead, Rodney provided an excellent commentary from the bridge. The Snares Islands were discovered in 1792 by Lieutenant Broughton (who had previously sailed with Captain James Cook). He later went on to discover the Chatham Islands. Sealing took place from around 1700-1800 with this activity decimating the population. Fortunately no rodents or other species established themselves. Today the Sooty Shearwater population is now estimated to be up to six million birds; more than all the sea birds combined around the British Isles coast. The birds live in burrows beneath the forest cover, honeycombing the ground. Through binoculars from the Bridge we had a good view of ‘Penguin Slope’ which has been used by commuting Snares Crested penguins; perhaps for centuries. With the islands predator-free, no one is able to land without a permit. There is just a castaway hut and a former Canterbury University hut on the Snares.

At 10am we rounded Dampion Rocks and set a course of 140 nautical miles for Enderby Island of the Auckland island Group. Sea conditions were then predicted to worsen along with reduced visibility.

After lunch, swells were getting up to around three meters and we had 13 hours to run to reach the shelter of Port Ross behind Enderby Island. By early afternoon, we were doing 8.8-9 knots and the swell had risen to 5m+ with wind gusting to 60 knots. Most of us retired to our bunks as it was becoming difficult and dangerous to move around the ship. The bar did not open as usual. Chefs Bruce and Michael did a superb job to ensure we had an evening meal, although quite a few passengers opted to forgo it and stay in their cabins. With the ship rolling and pitching it was far from an easy job, although was helped by a course change for 40 minutes. 

German-American Margrit was fascinated with the view from the bridge saying the sea had ‘fifty shades of blue and green – I don’t have words to describe it.’ 

When the ship resumed course towards Enderby Island most of us retreated to our cabins for another night being tossed around.

Snares crested penguin roosting in Olearia trees (Photo Darren Scott)