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About one day after leaving the port of Bluff (New Zealand), finally we arrive at the first ‘port of call’. A full day at sea may sound like water and more water, but the crew will keep you entertained. There is the mandatory safety drill to start with, followed by (optional) lectures on all different subjects. And let’s not forget the delicious meals, all prepared on no more than a few square meters.
One of the lectures is done by the Department of Conservation, who travel on this ship to see if none of their rules are broken. The lady on board of our trip is marine biologist and a nice person, who has lived on one of the island groups we are visiting over the next weeks for several seasons, studying seals. From that experience, we was able to provide lots of surprising facts and funny anecdotes to make this one of many interesting lectures.

By now, we are at the Snares Islands, home to the snares penguin. It is a bird breeds on this group of islands only, hence its name. Those of you who do not know me, I have set myself a goal to see all penguin species and this is the main reason for me to take this trip. I am really excited and anticipating to see penguin species number 9 of 17.

Sadly, the morning fog makes it difficult to see anything, but at least we are out of the big waves in the Southern Ocean. So far, all we have seen is the peaks of stone sticking out of the ocean in front of the Islands. Fortunately the weather isn’t bad enough to stop the penguins from welcoming the boat about a mile from the islands. The counter of species that I have seen has now gone up from 8 to 9 with several more to come on this trip.

With the islands consisting of (extremely) rocky shores, covered in rare plants and wildlife, made the Department of Conservation decide to not open the islands for tourism. Only researchers of the Department of Conservation are allowed ashore. This rugged terrain combined with the bad weather means it is unsure if the Zodiak cruise of the afternoon can go ahead as planned.

Later in the day, the weather improved somewhat and this meant it was time for the first ‘excursion’ and a closer look at my feathered friends. Dressed in warm and waterproof clothes, we headed out. Wherever you look, the Islands and ocean is full of penguins, seals and other wildlife. The excitement of all 12 people on board quickly made you forget about the cold and wet weather.
Where this is just the first stop, I realize that the Beluga Reizen (the travel agent that arranged the trip for me) was right in calling this the ‘Galapagos of the South’. Little did I know that this was only the beginning of a trip that was about to become even more fantastic….

Later more on this amazing trip down South!