Birding the subantarctic islands

Far south of Rakiura Stewart Island lie five groups of windswept islands that hold some of the world's great seabird colonies: the Snares (Tini Heke), the Auckland Islands (Motu Maha, also called Maungahuka), Campbell Island (Motu Ihupuku), the Antipodes and the Bounty Islands. Together they were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, and they have been uninhabited since the meteorological station on Campbell Island closed in 1995.

For a birder they are the trip of a lifetime: albatrosses nesting in the tussock, penguins that breed nowhere else, and small land birds that survived only because the islands are so remote. This note covers what you can expect to see and how access works. It's a general guide, not a trip offer. Check the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the operator's own site for current voyages and rules.

How visits work

You can't simply sail down and step ashore. All five island groups are nature reserves, and landing requires a DOC permit. In practice, most visitors go on a small expedition ship whose operator holds the permits and runs the biosecurity checks. DOC's subantarctic islands page describes the islands as a two-day boat journey from Bluff, and voyages generally run in the southern summer.

Expect a lot of time at sea. That is not wasted time: the crossing south of Rakiura is itself some of the best seabird watching in the country. Expect weather to dictate everything. Landings depend on sea conditions, and some days you won't get ashore at all.

The Snares: shearwaters and an island penguin

The Snares sit roughly 200 km south of the South Island. Landing is generally prohibited, so visitors watch from small boats cruising along the shore.

Even from the water the islands are extraordinary. North East Island is one of the world's main breeding sites for tītī (sooty shearwater), with up to three million birds present in the breeding season. At dusk the sky fills with them. The Snares penguin (Snares crested penguin) breeds only here: look for the yellow eyebrow stripe and the heavy, pink-edged bill on birds coming and going from the landing rocks.

Auckland Islands: wanderers, teal and hoiho

The Auckland Islands are the largest group. Gibson's albatross, a form of the wandering albatross, breeds only in this group, with around 95% of pairs on Adams Island.

Expedition voyages usually land on Enderby Island at the north end of the group, where short boardwalks and coastal walks give views of hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin), rātā forest and megaherb meadows. Watch for the flightless Auckland Island teal along the shore and listen for the snipe. Hoiho are easily disturbed, so stay well back from birds on tracks and beaches, and never stand between a penguin and the sea.

Campbell Island: the royal albatross stronghold

Campbell Island is home to more than 99% of the world's breeding toroa (southern royal albatross). With a wingspan of over 3 metres, a nesting royal in the tussock at the top of a boardwalk is a sight people talk about for years. Southern royals usually breed every second year, so the slopes always hold a mix of nesting birds and courting pairs.

The island is also a conservation success story. Norway rats were eradicated in 2001 across more than 11,000 hectares, at the time the largest rat eradication in the world. Afterwards the Campbell Island teal, which had survived only on a nearby islet, was returned to the main island in 2004, and the Campbell Island snipe, discovered on a tiny offshore islet in 1997, recolonised the main island by itself.

One worry: a 2024 survey reported that southern royal numbers on part of Campbell Island had fallen by about a quarter since the mid-2000s. Expect researchers' findings to shape future visitor rules.

Antipodes and Bounty Islands

The Antipodes hold almost the entire population of the Antipodean albatross, which is classed as nationally critical, as well as two endemic parakeets. In 2016 a helicopter bait drop targeted introduced mice, and DOC declared the islands mouse-free in March 2018.

The Bounty Islands are bare granite with almost no vegetation, yet they are packed with seabirds. Landing is rare, and most visitors see them, if at all, from the ship.

Biosecurity: the rules that protect everything

These islands are some of the cleanest ecosystems left on Earth, and several of them were made pest-free at great cost. A single mouse, a few seeds in a Velcro strap, or soil in a boot tread could undo decades of work.

Expedition operators run thorough checks before landing, and visitors are expected to:

• Vacuum pockets, bags, seams and Velcro, and remove all seeds and soil.
• Scrub and disinfect boots and gear before and after each landing.
• Carry nothing ashore but what's needed, and bring everything back.
• Keep to boardwalks and marked routes, and keep the distances set out in the landing rules.

Treat the checks as part of the experience, not a chore. The Wikipedia overview of the islands is a good starting point for background reading before you go.

What to bring for birding

Waterproof binoculars are essential, as is a camera with a lens you can use one-handed on a moving deck. Dress in warm layers under full waterproofs, and bring motion-sickness remedies that work for you. A field guide that covers seabirds well, plus NZ Birds Online on your phone (downloaded before you leave signal), will help you separate the albatrosses and petrels that follow the ship.

Above all, bring patience. Weather closes landings, birds go where they please, and the ocean down there is in charge. That is half the reason the place still has so many birds.