The history! The adventure! The wildlife! The penguins!

Let’s be honest here: I’m definitely most excited for the penguins of Antarctica. A total bird nerd at heart, I love all of the seabirds in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. The light-mantled sooty albatross is a particular fave. But when push comes to shove, penguins will always win. 

Their adorable waddle. Their pettiness when it comes to stealing each other’s nest rocks. The projectile poop. The jaunty eyebrows. The fluffy fat chicks. I mean, is there a more perfect bird?

There’s debate on how many species of penguins are currently alive (between 17 and 20 types). I’m extremely lucky to have met 14 out of 19 species. Living in New Zealand has its perks, especially with all the crested penguins around here.

The big one I’m missing is the emperor. Emperor penguins don’t have colonies where most expedition ships can reach. Sometimes, you see individuals far from home (called vagrants), but I haven’t seen one yet. One day! 

Like all bird species, different species of penguins tend to live in certain areas; this means you won’t see every single one on one trip to Antarctica – sorry! The vast majority of expedition ship trips to Antarctica go to the Antarctic Peninsula. If you’re willing to spend more, the next step is usually adding stops to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas). South Georgia is my favorite place on THE ENTIRE PLANET. Further still you can hit up the New Zealand subantarctic. I don’t know how you get to the subantarctic islands near the Indian Ocean, but if you know, please email me haha.

Islands that fall within the latitude of 46° and 60° south are considered subantarctic. So, I’m going to include penguins from there, too. 

Now that I’m heading back down to the ice, I thought it was high time to put together a blog of some of the penguins you might meet on a trip to Antarctica and the subantarctic. 

Antarctica Penguins

The gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua)

The chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis Antarctica)

I have always felt like chinstrap penguins are a bit of the underdog when it comes to the penguins of Antarctica. I love the chinnies, as I call them; they look dapper with the painted band of black feathers around their heads, almost as if they’re wearing a little tuxedo.  

While there are around eight million chinstrap penguins (in 2018), they are in decline, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula. 

If you watched the incredible Planet Earth II, you might remember that the largest chinstrap penguin colony in the world is on the volcanic Zavodovski Island (it looked insane here; I can’t even imagine how bad it smells). This is on the remote South Sandwich Islands, due east of South Georgia. Two million chinnies! What a dream it would be to go here one day! I fully recognize that my travel dreams are not like most. 

The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)

I don’t know why, but I really love Adélie penguins. I think it’s because their eyes are freaky-looking. I’ve also not seen as many of them as other penguins, and I’ve never been to a colony of Adélies, even though I know they’re abundant, the most widely distributed penguins with a population of around 10 million. However, I’ve only ever seen one or two at a time on the Antarctic Peninsula, so it felt really special.

Named for the wife of the French explorer Jules Dumont d’Urville, Adélies have a lot of gumption and can be pretty cheeky, taking on bigger predators. They’re also considered one of the only “true” penguins of Antarctica (along with the emperor) that live on the continent. 

Adélies are notorious for another reason. During Robert Falcon Scott’s infamous Terra Nova Expedition, George Murray Levick, a scientist onboard, spent the summer of 1911/1912 at Cape Adare observing the largest Adélie penguin rookery in the world. He witnessed what he described as “sexual depravity” among the Adélies, including necrophilia, rape, and bird murder. It was deemed too indecent to be published and was only rediscovered in 2012. Drama!

The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)

Ah, the biggest and most iconic of penguins and also the hardest (or most expensive) to see in real life, the emperor penguin. One of the few penguins I haven’t seen up close in personal. Yet. Occasionally, emperor penguins will show up in random places at sea; we even had one wash up on the North Island a decade ago, fat and happy. Can you imagine walking your dog on the beach and coming across one of these guys?

Emperor penguins live much farther south than the rest of their relations, making it much harder to get to them. Almost all Antarctic expedition ships go to the Peninsula, but these guys live on the eastern side in the icy Weddell Sea on Snow Hill Island or the Ross Sea. 

Very few expedition ships venture into emperor territory and have the highest ice class rating for expedition ships. They also usually bring a long a couple of helicopters. I have yet to hustle my way onboard one of these ships, but rest assured, I will.

Emperors definitely have the cutest chicks of all penguins, and they’re the only penguins that breed during the Antarctic winter. They can also dive deeper than any other bird on Earth, down to 500+ meters. 

Subantarctic Penguins

The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)

When you see photos of those iconic penguins that number in the tens of thousands, usually those are king penguins, with their black heads, white tummies, and a beautiful yellow/orange patch on the neck, king penguins stand tall as the second-largest penguin species. They look very similar to emperor penguins, though they rarely meet, residing on opposite sides of the subantarctic/Antarctic.

King penguins reign supreme on South Georgia, one of the best places in the world to see their enormous colonies. 

I can still remember my first visit to St Andrews Bay, home to half a million king penguins. We could hear and smell them long before arriving on shore. This is where you want to go to see them at their best. It was an experience that brought me to my knees (literally, kneeling is the best way to photograph them). I have also seen them on the Falkland Islands and Macquarie Island. 

Rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome)

If you’re on one of the longer Antarctic expedition trips, you’ll likely call into the Falkland Islands. Here, you’ll have the chance to meet the sprightly little rockhopper penguin. A crested penguin they have jaunty yellow eyebrows and alarmingly red eyes. I have trouble distinguishing crested penguins; they look similar to Macaroni penguins, which you can also see on the Falklands. We also see different subspecies of rockhopper penguins in the New Zealand subantarctic.

The Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus)

The other unique penguin you can spot on the Falkland Islands is the Magellanic penguin. White and black, they’re named after famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan. The first time I saw them was on a white sandy beach, which was somewhat disconcerting and not what I expected. 

Their population is around three million penguins worldwide.

Snares crested penguin (Eudyptes robustus)

Snares crested penguins live only on the subantarctic Snares Island, 200 kilometers south of New Zealand. The island is so protected that no one can land on it, but some expedition ships can view them by boat. There are about 25,000 breeding pairs. 

It was so cool to see them around the Snares from zodiacs. Watching them mingle in the colorful kelp and wandering beneath the native forest was like something from another world. 

Yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho (Megadyptes antipodes)

The yellow-eyed penguin is the rarest in the world and can be found here in New Zealand and the subantarctic – Cambell Islands and the Auckland Islands. They’re endangered and declining, with only 4,000 or so left. 

I love the hoiho and always feel very privileged to see them in New Zealand, knowing how fragile the population is. But to see them up close and personal on the Auckland Islands amongst the forest and bush was truly special.

Erect-crested penguins (Eudyptes sclateri)

Again, I tend to get pretty much all of the crested penguins confused because they look so similar, but I was lucky enough to see some of the unusual erect-crested penguins on Campbell Island, a New Zealand subantarctic island, a few years ago. They tend to mostly breed on the Antipodes and Bounty Islands.

Nowadays, they’re considered endangered, and we don’t actually have much information on their population, though it’s thought to be around 150,000.

Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)

Another crested penguin, the royal penguin does stand out from the others. There’s debate whether they’re a subspecies of macaroni penguins; they have a totally white face and chin and outrageous yellow eyebrows. Royal penguins breed only on Macquarie Island, an Australian subantarctic island. 

The post Penguins you might meet in Antarctica appeared first on Young Adventuress.

Whenever I’ve turned to travel during tumultuous periods of my life, it’s saved me in a way. Travel has a way of putting things into perspective. Often it realigns the things that really matter in your head. 

Travel, by its very nature, sparks joy. I mean, that’s why we go, isn’t it? We’re seeking something. With over 100 countries and all seven continents under my belt, I can safely say that travel can and will change your life – if you let it. And is there anything more joyful than stumbling across the best little restaurant in Rome? Or learning to dive with manta rays in Thailand? Or climbing mountains in New Zealand like Frodo?

Nope, nothing beats that. Well, except for Antarctica. Antarctica beats everything. Antarctica is life-changing.

Yes, Antarctica. The great white nation to the south; uninhabited and ruled by birds and scientists. Land of penguins and whales. NOT the land of polar bears (wrong hemisphere). Of all the places I’ve been privileged enough to travel to in my short life, nothing comes close to Antarctica. 

In fact, I love Antarctica so much, I’ve been several times, even returning next season to guide!

And for the first time ever, Antarctica has become more accessible to people like you and me. If I were to recommend anywhere in the world to travel to, it has to be here. Do not pass Go, and do not collect $200. From being the last pure wilderness on earth to wildlife on a scale you can’t imagine to letting go of your need to be in charge, Antarctica can and will change your life. It’s the most transformative place on earth. Buckle up. 

Here are eight ways Antarctica is life-changing – enjoy!

1. You’ll become a proper bird nerd

Let’s not beat around the bush. A voyage to Antarctica will turn you into a bird nerd. You can’t see a penguin up close and personal for a minute and not become a bird nerd. It’s impossible.

But here’s the thing. You won’t see just one penguin. You’ll see thousands. 

It all begins when your ship begins its iconic journey through the Drake Passage. Here you’ve said goodbye to the Roaring Forties and you’re well into the Furious Fifties on your way to the Screaming Sixties. There is no resistance of any landmass in the world in this part of the Southern Ocean, making wild wind and huge swells the norm.

While we humans don’t necessarily love winds so strong it can knock you over, many seabirds do. As you emerge from the sheltered Beagle Channel in Argentina into the Drake, you’ll notice the most amazing albatross cutting clean lines behind the ship. Seeing so many is the first taste of the epic wildlife that’s about to come. 

Once you get to the Antarctica Peninsula itself, then it becomes penguin time. 

Instead of seeing some penguins here and there, you’ll likely be tripping over them. Down here, protected and sheltered, penguin colonies thrive. Often you can hear their gentle calls carried on the wind far away, and you can also smell them from far away too. But don’t be deterred. 

There’s nothing quite so life-changing as walking alongside a colony of penguins numbering in the thousands. Gentoos. Chinstraps. Adelies. It’s mind-boggling and awe-inspiring to witness wildlife this up close and personal. This does not really happen anymore in places where humans inhabit. How can this not change you?

2. Antarctica puts things in perspective

At the risk of stating the obvious – Antarctica is life-changing and big. And it will make you feel small. 

Covered in glaciers that tower over you and mountains as far as you can see, Antarctica has a way of putting things into scale. We are tiny compared to this incredible place. Whether surrounded by humpback whales feeding or walking on beaches made up of whale bones, you quickly feel tiny amongst such tremendous nature. 

On my first voyage to Antarctica years ago, we got our first taste as we approached the Antarctica Peninsula from South Georgia. Suddenly, emerging from the mist, was a wall of blue ice that extended as far as you could see. Iceberg A68A was once 5,800 square kilometers when it broke off of the ice shelf.

Nothing makes you feel like you’re approaching Antarctica than witnessing these huge tabular icebergs in real life. The scale of Antarctica is life-changing.

3. You have to go with the flow

In Antarctica, Mother Nature is in charge. Followed up by your Russian captain. 

Any trip to Antarctica is determined by the weather. Nothing is guaranteed. Here the storms can be huge, and the consequences dire. This means that all expedition trips down there have to play it by ear. The expedition leader puts together plans of landings based on many factors, including wind and ice. Often one bay might be chock full of sea ice preventing the zodiac boats from entering, while another will be clear and still like a mirror. 

A lifelong solo traveler and introvert, it was a great lesson to learn. I had to go with the flow. We have no say in where we go and land; it’s all dictated by the weather. For those of us who are used to being in charge, especially traveling, it can be quite a humbling experience. So sit back and enjoy the ride.

4. You learn that travel insurance is essential

I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an expedition ship not requiring travel insurance on a voyage to Antarctica. Because it’s so unpredictable, combined with the cost involved and its sheer remoteness, your backup plans need backup plans. Travel insurance is mandatory on most trips, and it is a condition of travel.

And not just any old travel insurance, either. You need to have one that is fully comprehensive and covers medical expenses, including emergency repatriation to at least one million dollars, if not unlimited. Think about it. What happens if something goes wrong? If it’s bad, usually the ship has to turn around. There are no hospitals or medical centers, or rescue helicopters, though most ships have a doctor on board. Most of the time, all they do is distribute seasickness pills. 

It goes without saying that the greatest way to alleviate any on-the-ground travel anxiety is making sure you have good travel insurance. You guys know I buy an annual policy every year with Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI), my now go-to provider for all things travel insurance-related on all my travels worldwide. They also offer single-trip policies too. Their motto is “Relax; we’re with you.” Just what we need!

5. You haven’t lived until you’ve been pooped on by a fluffy penguin chick – and it doesn’t bother you

You can’t have penguins without penguin poop. And with 10,000 penguins? Well, you get the idea. 

Someone once told me about the smells, before my first trip to the Antarctic. Here you have life and death confronting you at every moment. It’s impossible not to when confronted with wildlife on such a scale. While it might seem a bit ick in advance, once you’re there, it doesn’t matter much. You’ll be wearing fully waterproof gear, often with jackets and bug muck boots provided by the ship. Because biosecurity is essential here, you’ll wash your boots and gear when you get on and off the ship. And with it? Penguin poop. 

The thing about having the best penguin experiences is to sit down and observe them (though last season, we had to keep a bit of a distance because of bird flu). It’s fascinating – I could watch the colonies for hours – it’s like nature’s tv. One time I had a fluffy grey gentoo penguin climb across my lap. Then, you guessed it; he pooped on me.

I wouldn’t change that memory for anything in the world!

6. Being offline is good for the soul

Is it weird to say that one of my favorite things about Antarctica is being offline?

Once you hit sixty degrees south, whatever terrible, expensive satellite internet the ship offers usually craps out completely. Don’t bother buying it; just accept that as soon as that ship bids Argentina farewell, your internet and 5G depart too. 

In a world that is more connected than ever (boo you, Starlink!), it’s harder just to get offline and be in nature. Antarctica gives you the rare opportunity to disconnect and be in one of the most incredible places on Earth. Put your phone down and just soak it in, in all its wonder. 

Antarctica is life-changing if you completely immerse yourself in it. No pings. No beeps. Just the sounds of the wind and the birds.

7. You’ll likely leave polar obsessed

There’s a saying you’ll hear onboard trips to Antarctica – catching the polar bug. Much better than covid. 

Antarctica is addictive. It will get under your skin and never leave. It has a profound impact on many of its visitors, myself included. Nothing compares, and nothing beats it. It introduces you to polar travel, showing just how special these places on the fringes of the world are. 

So prepare yourself and your savings accounts. Once you take your first polar trip, there’s no turning back. Antarctica is life-changing, especially when it comes to travel.

8. You’ll become an ambassador and an advocate

Perhaps you don’t consider yourself much of a greenie or conservationist, but it’s pretty hard to journey to Antarctica and not leave wanting to protect it. Antarctica feels fragile, as if it teeters on the edge of development. And, in fact, it does. The treaty that protects it will expire in 2048 – who then will fight for it to remain untouched?

Once you experience a world ruled by nature and wildlife, you can’t help but want to protect it. I’ve found that most people who are lucky enough to step foot on the seventh continent will go on to want to protect it. If we don’t, who will?    

What do you think? Is this the kind of experience you yearn for too? Can you see how Antarctica is life-changing? Share! 

Many thanks to SCTI for sponsoring this post – like always I’m keeping it real  – all opinions are my own like you can expect less from me!

The post 8 ways Antarctica might unexpectedly change your life appeared first on Young Adventuress.

Slowly this realization dawned on me while crossing the infamous Drake Passage on the Ocean Endeavour on the way back from visiting Antarctica. I was with twenty cool people who took a chance and decided to join me on this adventure, my first group tour to the Antarctic and my seventh polar expedition. I will never stop thanking Chimu Adventures, who believed in me and gave me this opportunity.

Bumping up and down with the swells as albatross sliced cleanly through the clouds, I was so deliriously happy.

Curious about traveling to the Arctic or Antarctic?
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When I’m onboard expedition ships, exploring some of the most remote places on earth, in the company of other like-minded folk and a shit ton of wildlife, I’m happiest.

I love sliding around on the deck as huge swells roll beneath my feet. I sleep like a baby snug in a tiny little bunk. My knowledge of where we are bubbles out of me, and I become an extrovert talking to people all the time. I, like, START conversations sometimes with strangers! (My fellow introverts will understand).

But every minute that we inched closer towards “real life,” towards 5G, and all of the responsibilities of running two businesses, I felt an uncomfortable weight sink deeper into the pit of my stomach. Whenever I thought about what awaited me back on land, I wanted to vomit.

And I don’t get seasick.

The past three years have taught me so much. From the losing a parent to a failed long-term relationship to starting a physical business (NODE) to writing a book, I found strength I didn’t know I was capable of. Looking back, I’ve done some really hard things. I’m still in the middle of doing hard things.

But the biggest lesson of all? Letting things go. Quiet acceptance. Slowing down.

These collective experiences put things into perspective, about focusing on what really matters and makes me happy. And what doesn’t.

Somewhere around 60° south, I finally acknowledged a few key truths I was very good at burying:

1. I’m happiest at sea in the most wild parts of the world. That polar travel fulfills me in ways that are hard to explain.
2. I want to be an expedition guide. I love sharing my knowledge and passion for this with others. I put my guest’s experiences ahead of mine, ensuring they felt how special it all was.
3. Finally, life is too short to put off your dreams.

On all my trips to the Arctic and Antarctic, I traveled as media/press. I wasn’t a guest, but I wasn’t crew either. While I absolutely loved this role, in some small way, I always felt a little left out, like I didn’t belong anywhere. I was hungry for more.

Looking back, I think I’ve known this all along since my first expedition trip to Svalbard in 2016. Watching polar bears cross the pack ice and being offline in the wilderness fulfilled me. It prompted my subsequent polar travel expeditions since. This is the life I want, spending a chunk of every year on these ships.

But like so many of us, particularly women, I put it off. Why? I am so mean to myself. I told myself I wasn’t good enough or qualified and didn’t have the experience. I wasn’t a scientist or hardcore adventurer. For over ten years, I’ve been undervalued, and belittled for my work as a blogger and influencer, even though I know I’ve achieved so much. But no matter how far I flew, imposter syndrome always kept me company. Fucker.

But it was time to change this. We can do hard things.

The ship I take guests down to Antarctica as a host with Chimu Adventures is called the Ocean Endeavour. It also runs in partnership with my old friends Intrepid Travel.

During the southern hemisphere summer, the Endeavour hangs out around the Antarctic, so November to March-ish. Then it voyages north to spend the northern summer in the Arctic with Adventure Canada.

Now, I can finally share that after months and months of hard work, my polar travel dreams are coming true.

For the first time ever, I’m skipping the kiwi winter and heading north to work on the Endeavour in the Arctic with Adventure Canada. I’ll be away from New Zealand for four months, working onboard from Scotland, Iceland, the Faroes, and Greenland to remote Canada. Part of the expedition team, I’ll be working mostly with photography and writing, guiding, and sharing stories from this part of the world.

I’ll finish and return to New Zealand in the spring before returning to Antarctica with Chimu and Intrepid next season. I’ll be fully guiding and hosting trips. Sign up here to learn more.

I couldn’t be more excited. Literally, every single thing excites me about this opportunity.

I’m excited to be a rookie again. To be at the bottom of the ladder and work my way up through hard work. And I know it’s going to be really hard. I can’t wait to spend less time online and more time working with my hands in my favorite places. I’ve been slowly chipping away at qualifications like getting a powerboat license to drive zodiacs, undergoing maritime security courses, doing first aid courses, and more.

I love learning new things; I’m a sponge.

It’s easy to carry on with familiar work and life patterns. What’s truly hard is to find the strength to shove them aside and jump at something new. Turning 35 a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Life is too short to fuck around and not do what you really love.

Filling out the paperwork for these trips (omfg, so much paperwork), they ask questions I haven’t been asked for a long time, like what are my hobbies and what I do for fun. Um, crickets.

I work, work, and then do more work. A lot of the stuff I do in nature is for work. My photography and writing technically count as work. Travel is usually work. I go to the gym – does that count? I read, like going for walks, and I watch TV at night to try to turn my work brain off, but that’s about it. Fuck. When did this happen to me? I feel like I don’t know how to have fun anymore. I force myself to schedule time to spend with friends.

A friend told me recently that I light up when I talk about my upcoming time onboard. Not many things light me up anymore, which I was sad to realize. I feel like with all of the shit I’ve endured over the past two years, my spark is gone, snuffed out.

But now I know I want it back. Desperately.

One of the biggest things I hope to achieve with this new polar travel chapter is that it’ll give me the freedom to have good chunks of time off. I’m hoping it’ll teach me balance. I’ll work my ass off for a few months on board, then have a few months off to do whatever I want. I will still be here sharing stories, but hopefully from a new lens.

It’s time to stop messing around with things that don’t mark your heart sing. Our dreams are real and valid; if we don’t chase them, someone else will.

The post A new polar chapter begins appeared first on Young Adventuress.

Nothing can compare to the wild and untamed grandeur that is Antarctica. Here vast white mountains drop down to the sea, icebergs the size of islands slowly drift past your ship, and the wind is so strong it can knock you over.

There’s actually a lot to see in Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula — where most tourists go — is a continuation of the Andes Mountains from South America, meaning it’s quite mountainous. Peaks often rise out of the ocean, interspersed by enormous glaciers. It’s one of the most pristine places on Earth, in no small part because it’s mostly untouched by humans.

Antarctica is full of surprises.

Gentoo penguins are one of the most common penguins we see on the Antarctic Peninsula

At the beginning of the season (November), there’s a lot more sea ice and icebergs

When I say that Antarctica will change your life, I mean it. I returned in December from guiding my first trip down to the last continent with my friends at Chimu Adventures (and Intrepid) on one of my favorite ships, the Ocean Endeavour!

In fact, I loved it so much I’ve agreed to host more trips to Antarctica to South Georgia. Antarctica is my happy place, and South Georgia is oEarth’sof the most incredible and remote  Earth. I’ve done seven polar expeditions to date, and I’m so passionate about sharing this part of the world with other like-minded, curiousJoinme join me on the adventure of a lifetime and save up to 40% with my exclusive discounts. After the chaos of the past few years, it’s never been a better time to disconnect and head down to the most amazing place on Earth.

Here are some of my favorite Antarctica photos I took on my last trip down to the white continent – enjoy!

Apply here to join me in Antarctica for the 2023/2024 seasons

Port Lockroy is a former Antarctic base located along a scenic bay on Goudier Island – this is the most snow I’ve ever seen there

Seeing large penguin colonies is one of the best parts of the trip

Two humpback whales in front of our ship, the Ocean Endeavour

Weddell seals live around Antarctica in the Southern Ocean – you tend to see more later in the season when the pups are older

The blue of the ice in Antarctica is incredibly striking

Kayaking is one of the add-ons you can choose on the trips

My last group was amazing; we’re all still friends!

Watching albatross as we cross the iconic Drake Passage from Argentina to Antarctica

Chinstrap penguins are the most abundant penguin, with a population estimated at 7.5 million breeding pairs

Gentoo penguins returning home from sea

Snowshoeing is an optional experience at the beginning of the season when there’s still a lot of snow. And this is one of my favorite Antarctica photos from this trip too

A gentoo penguin carrying a rock home to build its nest – penguins often steal each other’s rocks, which is pretty funny to watch

The Antarctic Peninsula has some of the most dramatic scenery of the continent 

Apply here to join me in Antarctica for the 2023/2024 seasons

The blue-eyed shag is the only Antarctic bird to keep a year-round nest

There’s often a lot more snow at the beginning of the season v.s the end

There are often a few hike options when we go to land, varying in difficulty 

Everyone sleeps onboard the ship with a few excursions to land or cruise around the water per day via zodiac boats 

Adelie penguins are another species of penguins we sometimes see in Antarctica

We often visit some of the historic huts and research stations once used on the Antarctic Peninsula

Returning to their colonies, penguins often leap out of the water like rockets

A tabular iceberg is an iceberg that has broken off from an ice shelf in Antarctica, often with nearly vertical sides and flat tops, and can be over 100 kilometers long

Gentoo penguins are the only penguin species whose population is growing on the Antarctic Peninsula

Spotted inside one of the historic huts are great tales from the golden age of polar exploration

Early in the season, you might be the first to set foot on pristine landing sites

Most trips give the option of doing a polar plunge, a bucket list activity for many 

The Arctic and Antarctic glaciers account for nearly 70% of the world’s freshwater supply

The more affordable trips to Antarctica often are at the very beginning and end of the season (Oct/Nov and March)

Apply here to join me in Antarctica for the 2023/2024 seasons

The post Postcards from Antarctica appeared first on Young Adventuress.

Exactly two months ago, I boarded a flight to South America to commence some pretty epic adventures (including a trip to Antarctica), very reminiscent of my past(?) life as a tRAveLblOgGEr. I regularly fixate on that title – does it still fit me? Did it ever fit me? I’m not quite sure.

As I tried to snuggle into another long-haul red-eye (unusual for me now), I could feel how much of a different person I had become. That girl who hungered for success, money, recognition, opportunity, and more, more, MORE, was gone. But who had replaced her? Well, that’s the question.

Climbing onboard the Ocean Endeavour on my way back to Antarctica, hosting my first group trip there, I found myself smiling so much. Without wifi or pings, surrounded by some of the coolest and like-minded people in one of my favorite places, I began to reflect on what I wanted moving forward with my life — more of this, yes please. 

Apply here to join me in Antarctica for the 2023/2024 seasons

To date, I’ve undertaken around seven polar expeditions around the world, including to Antarctica a few times, and I can easily say I’m obsessed. There is such a thing called the polar bug, and I’ve got it bad. Additionally, once you undertake this type of travel, it’s addicting.

Going on one trip to Antarctica was never enough for me; I want to share this profound and special place with the world, inspiring others to become polar ambassadors and advocates for the natural world. My knowledge and experience of Antarctica are vast and only growing.

In fact, this recent return trip to Antarctica solidified my long-held secret dream of training as an expedition guide, more than a tour guide. As soon as we returned to land, I hit up Chimu and Intrepid to say I was down to host more trips. Let’s make it happen. 

So if you’ve ever dreamed of going on a trip to Antarctica, now’s your chance. I’ve got five more voyages lined up for 2023 and 2024, with bookings now open (if you’re keen to learn more, please fill out my expression of interest form at the end of this post to get the full scoop).

I’ve also got two longer voyages that include South Georgia and the Falkland Islands/Las Malvinas (both of which are INSANE); for naturalists and bird nerds, nothing beats South Georgia. 

And thanks to all of the weird travel fluctuations with COVID, a trip to Antarctica has never been cheaper with a lot of last-mI’mte deals. I’m guiding two trips at the end of this season in March, one to the Antarctic Peninsula and the other to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands. The spots are nearly 50% off. I’m keeping my groups small and intimate, so spots are limited.

I like to say this is a group trip for people who don’t always do group travel. We leave by ship from Argentina (most trips to Antarctica go this route), and it’s the kind of trip you can’t really do solo since you’re on an expedition ship.

Click here to read all my stories about Antarctica

My favorite kinds of places are wild places, places where the landscape makes you feel tiny and insignificant. These adventures are a good way to put your life into perspective and think about what matters.

Personally, I did so much deep thinking and reflecting while in Antarctica. If you need a big change in your life or escape from the mania that grips us all, this adventure is for you. 

Hope to see you there!

The post Join me on a trip to Antarctica appeared first on Young Adventuress.

In fact, when I look back on the beginning of 2022, I can’t even really remember all that much. I have emotional PTSD. I went through the motions of day-to-day life, propped up by some of my oldest friends. But I couldn’t really tell you specifics. It was too painful to commit things to memory, I think. I was trying to survive.

We started 2022 with our international borders still closed in New Zealand, and no idea when it would change. I was stuck, and I hated it. At the time, I had no idea what to do with myself, my work, and where to live. My world had imploded. At the time, I didn’t realize that I would essentially be homeless for half a year, trying to figure out my new normal. Where would I land?

I quickly realized that I couldn’t be in Lyttelton for a while. Space away from where I had been living and all of the painful memories was what I needed. Unsurprisingly, I landed five hours away back in Wanaka, my old home and where I knew I could heal, especially with the help of my friends. 

But perhaps even when we are ghosts of our former selves, we can rely on muscle memory to carry us on. Wake up. Brush teeth. Drink coffee. Get dressed. And little by little, month by month, I began to find myself again.

And then things began to change, as they usually do. That old adage of how time heals blah blah blah is unfortunately true. With my final book draft due at the end of summer, I had the perfect excuse to be away and threw myself into writing. And I went into the hills seeking nature, and nothing makes you feel quite so good as time offline outside having adventures. 

As I emerged alive again, I smiled and laughed, and happiness began to appear in my life bit by bit. It feels like a lifetime has passed since I’ve done a travel roundup. But as we shift into 2023, I feel compelled to reflect on the past year, what I’ve done, and my 2022 travels. If anything, I note this for myself, a reminder of the things we can do when times get hard, to look back on where I was and where I am now.

As someone who tends to be really hard on herself, believing that she never does enough, this is a good reminder that we are enough. 2022 wasn’t so bad after all.

Walking the Routeburn Track

I talk a lot about the power of nature to heal in my new book, as well as touching on the experience of walking the Routeburn Track right after my break up. With Auckland still in lockdown at the end of 2021, I booked a last-minute spot on the Routeburn during a fine weather spell; it was magic and just what the doctor ordered for my battered heart. 

In fact, it was so magic I walked it again on New Years’ with an old friend. 

I think the Routeburn might be my favorite Great Walk. It’s shorter than most, clocking in at 33 kilometers, and can be walked in two to three days. It has everything: ancient beech forest, big mountains, unique birds, classic huts, and good swimming spots. It also traverses two national parks: Fiordland and Mt. Aspiring (pro tip: use Easy Hike to relocate your car from the start of the track to the end).

My next goal is to run it in one day. Let’s see if I can tick that off for 2023.

Exploring Fiordland in summer 

The summer of 2022 was one of the hottest I remember on the South Island, and my 2022 travels began right here on the South Island. I spent most of January working down in Fiordland on media projects.

Fiordland in the summertime is magical. Last January was unusual for two reasons: firstly, there were no tourists. Our borders were still closed, and COVID was starting in the community; everything felt uncertain. And it was super weird to be down in Fiordland in peak tourist season with no tourists. It was also boiling – it didn’t rain for weeks and weeks, the lakes and rivers dropped, and the lush forests started to become dry and even brown. I had never seen anything like it. 

But I made the most of it, spending long days in the hills tramping and exploring new places. It was so unique and a significant step in my journey of healing.

Hanging out down south

After Fiordland, I made my way south to Southland, a region I’ve been visiting on and off for a decade. Covering the bottom of the South Island and Stewart Island, it’s home to waterfalls.

Living in Wanaka, places like the Catlins and Riverton are our go-to seaside spots when we want to go away to the coast. It had been years since I had been back down this way, and it was really special to enjoy it through a new lens.  

Heading back to Stewart Island

Stewart Island is one of my favorite places in the world. New Zealand’s quiet third island off the bottom of the South Island is wild and remote. Less showy than other destinations, you have to really love nature, wildlife, and being off the grid to fully appreciate this place. 

I spent nearly a week here last summer during my 2022 travels, which gave me the space and time to heal and reflect. I even took the time to tramp all the way down to visit the bones of the stranding whales I stumbled on years ago, an experience that changed my life. 

Getting offline sailing around Dusky Sound

Perhaps my favorite adventure of 2022 was spending nearly a week on the Breaksea Girl, a boat out in the remote Dusky Sound with Wild Fiordland. 

Milford and Doubtful Sounds are the most famous fiords in New Zealand because they are (somewhat) easily accessed. Dusky Sound is harder to reach; most people fly in by helicopter. It’s been high on my bucket list for ages to visit, and I was so excited to spend a week on a boat here last summer. 

Created by locals to share this incredible slice of paradise in Fiordland with others, an adventure here is worth it. If you need an experience to catalyze change in your life, this trip is for you. I still arrived sad and angry about my breakup and felt 100 pounds lighter. You know, mentally. The food was insanely good, and we also caught crayfish and fish to cook up on board.

Tramping, tramping, and more tramping

Summertime means tramping time when you live in the mountains of the South Island. You’ve gotta make the most of the long days when the sun sets at 10 pm, and the snow has melted from the peaks. When I reflect back on my 2022 travels, tramping and being in the hills is a real highlight for me.

Last summer, I spent many nights in the New Zealand backcountry climbing mountains and swimming in the lakes. One of the highlights was finally ticking off the Gillespie Pass route near my home in Wanaka. It kicked my ass, and I lost half of my toenails, but it was so worth it. 

Writing and shooting my first book.

In addition to being outside and making the most of nature on my healing journey, I also finished writing my first book – Houseplants and Design: A New Zealand Guide (international shop here). I spent day after day glued to my laptop at different cafes in Wanaka and writing it kept me busy and sane. 

Many people ask me how long it took me to write my book. That’s actually a tricky question. It was a year’s worth of work, but the writing took me six weeks at the most. The editing, fact-checking, and shooting of the photos were the most challenging and took me the longest. 

At the end of summer, I spent almost two weeks traveling all over New Zealand taking photos for the book; from private houses to botanic gardens to shops and cafes, I met many fabulous like-minded plant people. It was so much fun and a cool way to experience New Zealand in a way I hadn’t before.

Finally getting back to the US to see my family

After two years of being stuck in New Zealand behind closed borders, I finally managed to get out to see my family, the highlight of my 2022 travels. Once my final book drafts were submitted to print in March, I booked flights to the US. I left before the official announcement of the border opening with the complete understanding I might be stuck in the US, but I didn’t care. At that point, I still didn’t have a home, and my big jobs were all wrapped up. 

It was weird flying out of Auckland with closed borders. The entire international terminal was closed and empty except for one bar. But how good was it to finally arrive in the US? It was amazing, and I ended up staying with my family for six weeks. 

I still haven’t come to terms with the trauma that this forced separation had on me. I’m just glad it’s over (for now).

Visiting friends across the pond in Sydney

Pre-pandemic, I used to go to Sydney almost monthly.

Many of my partnerships and business collaborators have their main Pacific offices in Sydney, so I was always over there. The direct flights from Queenstown to Sydney are usually about three-ish hours, making it easy to hop across the pond.

It was amazing to be back, and I spent my time catching up with friends, getting dressed up and going out, and enjoying the big city life; it was a small but exciting experience on my 2022 travels. I feel like the theme of 2022 was catching up with friends and family you haven’t seen since before 2020.

Officially moving into my own place in Wanaka

By winter, I had begun quietly looking for a place to live in Wanaka. Man, things have changed here, and rentals were slim and expensive pickings. 

Wanaka is the kind of small town where everyone knows everybody, and it’s usually easy to find a place by word of mouth. I ended up looking at flats on Trademe and finding a nice one in Hawea, a lakeside suburb of Wanaka. Many of my friends have moved out here recently, so it’s a great place to be based. 

I eventually signed a lease for a  beautiful brand new small one-bedroom flat. A few of my friends live all around me, and it’s so lovely to have a place to settle in after nine months of living out of a storage unit and my car. Though I will say it took me months to furnish it, and I lived on an air mattress for three months. That’s not an experience I’m keen to repeat any time soon.

Enjoying Tekapo as a winter wonderland

Tekapo is one of New Zealand’s most popular tourist towns, and with good reason: she’s a beauty! Roughly halfway between Wanaka and Christchurch, it’s a stunning high country town overlooking a bright blue glacial lake and the Southern Alps. 

My houseplant shop, NODE, is in Lyttelton, so I often stop in Tekapo on my commutes between Wanaka and Christchurch. One of my dearest friends also lives in Tekapo. I spent nearly a week here on a project this winter, exploring the area with fresh eyes. I’m so glad I’ve made the most of my 2022 travels and experienced my own backyard before tourism en masse resumes.

When Tekapo is really busy with tourists, it was easy to skip on by, but to have it all to yourself in winter? Well, it was nothing short of magical.

Self-care on the west coast

I’ve made no secret of the fact that one of my favorite places to get away to write is on the West Coast of the South Island. At least once a year, I try to make the time to get over to the Punakaiki area.

Usually, I go there in the winter because that’s when the weather is nice and calm (surprising, I know). My 2022 travels brought me back to a place I love.

The West Coast is New Zealand’s least-populated region, so you often have beaches all to yourself. There’s something so nostalgic and lovely about listening to the sound of the surf or walking through the rainforest, and it makes me so happy.

Returning to Doubtful Sound with new friends

Visiting Doubtful Sound is pretty memorable, and seeing it twice in a year is extraordinary. 

For Mental Health Awareness week, I spent a few days off the grid on the RealNZ boat in Doubtful Sound, soaking up the beauty of Milford. We had every weather and lots of adventures, and it was a perfect reminder of how much I love my job and appreciate the opportunities that come with it.

Remembering my roots as a travel blogger in Esperance, Western Australia

Finally, after nearly three years, I took my first blogging trip overseas on my 2022 travels; excited doesn’t even begin to cover it. This time I was headed to a place I had been dreaming about for so long: Esperance. 

Lucky for me, Air New Zealand has resumed their direct flights to Perth so that I could hop on over for a two-week adventure around one of the most beautiful parts of Australia. 

WA (Western Australia) is magnificent. Big, bright, and beautiful, it’s almost like its own country. And Esperance has the best of everything. Incredibly colorful, it’s home to the whitest beaches in Australia, the sea is crystal clear, the roads are earthy red, and there are salt lakes that are bright pink. You have to see it to believe it.

It felt so good to slip back into my old role as a travel blogger, and it was a wonderful reminder of what I can do. It’s hard to stay sad in beautiful places like this.

Enjoy the release of my book Houseplants and Design: A New Zealand Guide

In the weeks leading up to my book being released on November 1, 2022, I was shitting my pants with fear and anxiety. I knew there was no point in worrying, but I couldn’t help myself. 

While I’ve considered myself a writer for over a decade, a book was entirely new territory for me. There is something rather terrifying about creating something over the course of a year (and secretly, too) and then releasing it out into the wild far beyond my own community. 

But as soon as it came out, my stress began to ebb away. I cannot believe I managed to create something so important (to me, at least) during one of the most challenging years of my life. Wow.

Traveling to Chile, a new country for me

I’ve never been that kind of travel blogger who tried to tick as many countries as possible off a list. In fact, I’m not even sure how many countries I’ve even been to. I enjoy returning to places I love and experiencing them in a new light. 

In November, at the end of my 2022 travels, I made my way down to Antarctica to guide my first trip there since the pandemic. The travel routes have not picked back up to their pre-pandemic levels, and there were only a few costly options to get to Ushuaia, Argentina, where the ships depart from. 

In fact, the only direct flights between New Zealand and South America are with LATAM Airlines to Santiago, Chile. A new city for me, and I stopped for a few days on my way over to experience it. I had a great time. And I had fantastic food. More on that soon as I reflect back on my 2022 travels.

*PS I’ve got my next round of trips to Antarctica up for 2023 and 2024 – you can apply here to get sent all the details!

Guiding my first trip down to Antarctica

Finally, finally, FINALLY, I was going back on a polar adventure. It had been years since I last stepped foot on an expedition ship, and I was dying to return to the ice. Antarctica is one of my favorite places in the world, and when Chimu Adventures approached me to guide my own trips there, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. 

Like New Zealand, it’s a place I know really well, and it’s a place I can’t shut up about. I’m fully aware that I enter that Hermione-know-it-all state when I talk about Antarctica, and I don’t care. The polar bug got me good since 2014.

Over the last decade, I’ve done seven polar expeditions worldwide, and this trip solidified my desire to become an expedition guide. As an introvert, I was nervous with 17 of you guys joining me on the ship (137 passengers on board). But we had the most amazing time. We all got along so well, everyone was like-minded, and we stayed friends. It was a group trip for people that aren’t super into group trips. You could do your own thing; we could hang together. There was freedom. It was amazing, and I can’t wait to go back again (click here to learn more about joining me). 

Country roads take me home – seeing my family again in the US

And to top off the end of a dollar coaster of a year, I flew home for a week to see my family in the States on my way back to New Zealand. I’m determined to see them as much as possible, and even though it was a short stay and I finally caught COVID on my flight back to NZ, it was lovely. 

How was your 2022? Did it exceed expectations? Any fun 2022 travels or adventures? Share!

The post 2022 travels: a year of surprises and adventures appeared first on Young Adventuress.

Growing up in suburban America, most of the exploring I did was in the forest behind my daycare or at strip malls after school. We didn’t have the stunning mountains and incredible landscapes of New Zealand back home in Virginia. I never heard stories of Sir Edmund Hillary or even laid eyes on a glacier until I was traveling in my twenties.

But in spite of my small-town upbringing, I always dreamed of traveling the world. Eager to see penguins on the ice and majestic whales breaching on the open seas, nowhere captured my imagination quite like Antarctica. I couldn’t wait to travel there one day following in the footsteps of the original Antarctic explorers.

Always a curious person, I couldn’t get enough of learning about Antarctica over the years.

It wouldn’t be until I was in my thirties before I managed to land a lucrative spot on an expedition ship heading down to Antarctica. In the years leading up to it, I spent my time devouring stories of the first explorers there, of Shackleton and Scott, learning about the wildlife and the history of exploration on the last continent. Biding my time until it was my turn.
Whenever I met anyone who had been to Antarctica or worked down on the ice, my eyes lit up with excitement as I tried to pick their brains for as long as they tolerated me.

Living in New Zealand, the gateway to Antarctica on this side of the world, meant it would happen more frequently than you might expect. With scientists and engineers passing through down to Scott Base (the NZ base) or McMurdo Station (the US base), there were plenty of interesting folk with profound knowledge of my favorite place to chat.

Early on I met the incredible team behind the Antarctic Heritage Trust in Christchurch. Their mission is to conserve, share and encourage the spirit of exploration.  The Trust cares for the historic explorer bases belonging to Scott, Shackleton, Borchgrevink, and Hillary, and the thousands of items they left behind – making them world leaders in cold climate conservation. They also share the world’s greatest polar exploration stories and encourage the next generation of Antarctic explorers. It couldn’t be a more fitting charity to support. 

They often lead incredible expeditions for young people aged 18 to 30, like traversing Greenland or retracing Shackleton’s footsteps across South Georgia as part of their Inspiring Explorers Expeditions™, as well as working hard to engage younger students aged 11 to 17 with stories from the ice through their Young Inspiring Explorers^TM. 

What would I give to be able to go offline in Antarctica now? In fact, right this moment I was supposed to be down on the ice, but COVID got in the way. 

Explore Antarctica from home with an interactive AR app for iPhone and Google Play

As an advocate for Antarctica, I can say how hard it is to inspire people to truly care and engage with a place that’s so remote. Few people if ever will visit, yet Antarctica symbolizes and stands for so many of our greatest triumphs and struggles today. I often find myself whipping out my phone to share stories and videos from Antarctica with friends to try and convey how special this place is. 

One of the cool ways the Antarctic Heritage Trust has made Antarctica accessible is through a free Augmented Reality App in partnership with Staples VR. The App contains two experiences: Antarctic 3D Artifacts and My Explorer Journal.

Kids and curious adults can use the Antarctic Heritage Trust AR app to learn about the history of Antarctic exploration through augmented reality videos and photo galleries. You can truly step into one of the least accessible places on earth. Download the activity booklet – My Explorer Journal from nzaht.org and use it in conjunction with the app to bring Antarctica alive. My Explorer Journal was created by Anzac Gallate who traveled to Antarctica with the Trust in 2020 as a way to share his experience with other young people on his return. It brings to life the stories of the original Antarctic explorers.

Exploring Antarctica from your sofa – an AR journey to the end of the world

In another life, I might have been a teacher. Wait, in another life, I actually was a teacher. Eleven years ago, while living in Spain, I worked teaching English to elementary school kids, a beautiful experience that inspired me to both start this blog and share the things I’ve learned with the world. 

Since living with kids over the past couple of years combined with a passion for storytelling, I’ve come to truly believe in the power of sharing stories and experiences with others. Especially when it comes to kids, we have a real opportunity to inspire future generations to care for and look after our planet. Nowhere symbolizes this more than in Antarctica. 

While catching up with friends back in Wanaka, I couldn’t resist whipping out my copy of My Explorer Journal to share with her daughter Bella. Highly curious, she couldn’t believe it when I told her stories of sitting on beaches with millions of penguins or learning about the historic huts down on the ice.

“Liz, can I go to Antarctica when I’m seven?”

Oh, my stars, what a cutie! Six years old and full of spark and pomp, Bella immediately figured out how to use the AR app (way faster than me, wtf?!) and didn’t want to close it for dinner. I feel immensely proud and it’s now my new goal to inspire her to go to Antarctica as a scientist one day (can’t help myself). We need more women in science!

Proudly she read her own Antarctic journal sharing what she learned about the cold, storms, and wildlife with “pingwings” galore. While scanning the interactive pages of the journal with the AR app, you can step inside the world of Antarctica, truly getting a feel for this incredible place. 

I can’t even tell you how thrilled I was to hear how she took her Antarctic journal to school to share with her friends. We now have a standing evening date to watch polar documentaries together. Honestly, this is the best feeling in the world, inspiring the next generation of potential Antarctic explorers.

Explore Antarctica from home with an interactive AR app for iPhone and Google Play

Have you been to Antarctica or dream of visiting one day? Have you downloaded the free AR app from the Antarctic Heritage Trust to start learning about the Antarctic explorers? Share your experience!

Many thanks to the NZ Antarctic Heritage Trust for inviting me along to explore Antarctica via their AR app. Like always, I’m keeping it real. All opinions are my own like you can expect less from me!

The post Inspiring the next generation of Antarctic explorers appeared first on Young Adventuress.

All synonymous with adventure and Antarctica. Of polar exploration. Of courage and inspiration. Of bygone years when there were still unchartered corners of the world. But there’s one more name that belongs with these giants that has been lost to the common masses – Borchgrevink. Just don’t ask me how to pronounce it.

Norwegian explorer Borchgrevink was the leader of the first expedition to spend a winter in Antarctica – no easy feat, guys. He also claimed to be one of the first people to set foot on the Antarctic content on a Norwegian whaling expedition four years earlier (depending on who you ask, of course, and how you define “discovered”).

Over the years, I’ve shared many stories from Antarctica, with Shackleton being one of my all-time faves and barely any about Scott, petty, I know. I’m Team Shackleton through and through; he was one tough BAMF. Anywho, modern perceptions aside, the story of Antarctica and its discovery is fascinating, where the truth is more remarkable than fiction. 

Explore Antarctica from home with an interactive AR app for iPhone and Google Play

Southern Cross Antarctic Expedition 1898-1900 Carsten Borchgrevink, leader of the Southern Cross Expedition. ca 1898
L Bernacchi Collection, Canterbury Museum.

Southern Cross Antarctic Expedition 1898-1900 Meal on the Ice. ca 1898
L Bernacchi Collection, Canterbury Museum.

It’s not been that long since Antarctica earned a concrete place on the world map.

Since antiquity, people believe that a place called the Terra Australia Incognita (aka a great unknown southern land) must exist. Why? To balance out the landmass in the northern hemisphere. Oh, ancient logic! That’s cute. 

For centuries explorers looked for this unknown land but never found it. One of the most well-known attempts was by none other than Captain Cook himself on the same voyage when he ended up in New Zealand. While they did head into the Antarctic Circle itself, they never found any land. 

Can you even imagine sailing into the unknown like this? With no idea of when and where you might end up? Or even if you might make it home again.

Two hundred plus years later, and Antarctica remains elusive in our collective imagination. 

Here’s a not-too-secret secret about me.

For years, I’ve been obsessively digging through journals, biographies, and stories related to my favorite place in the world – ANTARCTICA. I’ve got the polar bug big time! Thrilling and wild, their stories of courage and survival, to journey into the unknown inspired by a deep curiosity, are themes I’ve been drawn to my whole life. I even host my trips to Antarctica.

I dream of one day being able to follow in the footsteps of the giants from the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Shackleton. Scott. Hillary. Borchgrevink. See the first huts built in Antarctica as their bases. Watch the same penguin colonies and look out for whales.

But will I ever get there? Will any of us ever get there? Or perhaps the better question might be, even if we could visit, should we?

25 photos that will inspire you to visit Antarctica

The Mrs Sam’s coal range was the heart and heat of Shackleton’s Nimrod hut at Cape Royds. Made entirely from wood, the hut has ground cork insulation in the walls.
Jana Stefan, Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Scott’s Terra Nova hut is built on the beach at Cape Evans. Mt Erebus looks close, even though it is 24 km away.
Lizzie Meek, Antarctic Heritage Trust.

You see, most of these iconic historic sites in Antarctica are on the Ross Sea closer to New Zealand. This makes sense since most of these voyages departed from right here in Lyttelton, where I live (Woah, serendipitous or what?)

Most tourism trips down to the ice go from South America to the Antarctic Peninsula. This is how I first traveled to Antarctica. Besides being geographically closer (to South America and thus, civilization), the Peninsula is considered more attractive with its vast wildlife populations, big mountains and glaciers, and accessibility. These trips generally run for about ten days to 2 weeks. In contrast, if you go down from New Zealand, you’re looking to be away for around a month (Heritage Expeditions are one of the only companies that take people down to the Ross Sea side of Antarctica). More time at sea = a lot more dollars spent.

McMurdo Station (the US base) and Scott Base (the NZ base) are generally accessed from New Zealand via flights in the summertime on the Ross Sea side and are closer to these historic huts. And for the record, I would sell my soul for a spot on one of these flights. If you know someone who knows someone, hit. Me. Up. 

Fragile and really freaking hard to get to, these historic huts are not places we can get to in person. Until now. Dun dun dun. Can you see where I’m going with this?

Scott’s Discovery hut at Hut Point. Josiah Wagener, Antarctic Heritage Trust

At the bottom of the world, the incredible Antarctic Heritage Trust looks after these historic huts and artifacts left behind by the great explorers. World leaders in cold-climate heritage conservation, they work tirelessly to inspire the spirit of exploration and protect this powerful place and the legacy it contains.

There are over 20,000 artifacts and several huts left behind by the explorers. Antarctica is unique in that it’s a place that naturally preserves and conserves with its dry cold climate (polar desert) while at the same time enduring one of the world’s harshest climates. Thanks to the tremendous amount of work undertaken by the AHT in preserving these artifacts and spaces, they have been saved as a reminder of some of the greatest moments in polar exploration. While so many artifacts have been lost to history, you can (theoretically) walk inside the Antarctic huts built by the first explorers, and they look as if they only just left. 

So far, the Antarctic Heritage Trust conservation team has restored Scott’s huts at Cape Evans and Hut Point, Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds, and Hillary’s Hut at Scott Base. The restoration of Borchgrevink’s Cape Adare huts is the Trust’s current focus, although Covid constraints prevent the team from being able to get there this season. 

Caption and Credit: Borchgrevink’s Hut at Cape Adare. Nigel Watson, Antarctic Heritage Trust

Borchgrevink’s Cape Adare huts are incredibly important if not only because they are the only remaining example of humanity’s first building on any continent. Let that sink in for a minute. 

Hillary’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE) hut at Pram Point.
Tim McPhee

Shackleton’s Nimrod Expedition hut at Cape Royds.
Antarctic Heritage Trust

The Antarctic Heritage Trust looks after over 20,000 polar artifacts down in Antarctica.

As they conserve and maintain the historic huts, they also find many significant discoveries. This includes a 114-year old whisky under Ernest Shackleton’s hut, a notebook from a surgeon, and photographer Murray Levick at Scott’s Cape Evans hut as well as lost Ross Sea Party photographs. And let’s not forget the world’s most famous century-old fruitcake. 

Personally, I’m totally against fruitcake in any form, but I’ll make an exception here. Though, you don’t need me to point out the irony that a fruitcake was one of the provisions left behind.

Conserved fruit cake. Antarctic Heritage Trust

One way that the Antarctic Heritage Trust is amplifying the history of this incredible place is by creating a FREE Augmented Reality app you can download that allows you to explore Antarctica and these places from your home. 

I’ve followed along for the past couple of years as they have worked tirelessly to bring the spirit of exploration and the stories from these historical sites to us here in New Zealand. They are championing Augmented Reality to bring these artifacts to life and share them with the world. In collaboration with Tim Handfield of Handfield & Bell Digitising Consultants, some of these items left behind by the explorers were scanned and then turned into augmented reality by Staples VR.

Seven of the first Antarctic artifacts are brought to life within the Trust’s Augmented Reality app for you to play with and explore.

Antarctic Heritage Trust

Antarctic Heritage Trust

Whenever I read and learn about the great polar explorers, I’m constantly struck by the thought of how the hell did they do that? I can’t even imagine it! But now, I can!

Personally, I spent hours getting lost in the Antarctic Heritage Trust AR app. As a reader and a writer, so much of what I’ve learned about Antarctica has been through books. By actively interacting with artifacts on my phone that look so real, narrated in a way that whisks you away to the bottom of the world. Snuggled up on my sofa with my puppy, I can really get a feel for how these guys made these wildly famous journeys possible. Words and imagination can only take you so far, but with the extraordinary quality of photos and storytelling within the app, you’re instantly transported to a place few have ever set foot on.

And honestly, how did they survive on that food? Hoosh? Hard pass. 

I’ve been a big advocate of using tech for good.

I’m also a big advocate for the conservation and preservation of places and species for future generations. A constant gap I’m always trying to bridge is allowing us to see and experience areas and biodiversity but also equally protecting it at the same time. I want us all to become ambassadors for the Antarctic world. And I hope we can all experience it one day. But we need to do it right, get it right. And for now, the best way is through conservation, limited access, and then exploring these places through the powerful digital technology we have available. 

Let’s keep their stories alive! And say no to fruitcake!

Explore Antarctica from home with an interactive AR app for iPhone and Google Play

Have you downloaded the Antarctic Heritage Trust AR app yet and had a play? Have you experienced anything like this before? Share!

Many thanks to the NZ Antarctic Heritage Trust for inviting me along to explore Antarctica via their AR app. Like always, I’m keeping it real. All opinions are my own like you can expect less from me!

The post Exploring Antarctica from your sofa – an AR journey to the end of the world appeared first on Young Adventuress.

Guys, I have some exciting news. I can barely contain myself. 

One of my biggest dreams has finally come true, and I’ve been offered the opportunity to lead my very own expedition trip to Antarctica on one of my favorite ships, the Ocean Endeavour!

Some girls dream of marriage. Others dream of seeing Paris. Then there are those of us who dream of penguins, of an unforgettable journey to the bottom of the world, far from home and fast wifi (or any wifi). If you dream of experiencing the last true wilderness on earth, straight from an Attenborough doco, here’s your chance.

If Antarctica has been calling you, now is the time to pick up the phone. Like right now.

Apply here to join me in Antarctica here

I woke early to bright sunlight streaming in my porthole window the first day our ship landed in Antarctica.

Around 4am in summertime down here you have almost 24-hour daylight. Glancing outside, I could see perfectly still water surrounded by white icy mountains and icebergs, big ones. Rubbing my eyes, I realized I was also seeing dozens of whales swimming around the ship. 

Shrieking, I jumped out of bed, grabbed my parka and my camera, slipped quickly into my gumboots, and ran outside on the deck. As the sun rose dyeing the white mountains and sea pink and gold, I watched as endless humpback whales fed and swam around our ship, even breaching in front of me. Alone with just one or two of the crew, it was the most incredible greeting of my life. 

This is Antarctica.

25 photos that will inspire you to visit Antarctica

I first stepped on the icy continent almost three years ago on an adventure that changed my life (with my guys at Intrepid Travel – pioneers in responsible travel). Antarctica had been calling to me ever since I was a little girl, and to be able to finally visit was a dream I never thought would be realized. And as someone who has spent the past decade traveling the world pretty much nonstop, let me just tell you, Antarctica takes the cake. 

I would go back in a heartbeat. It’s a place that gets under your skin, a place you’ll never forget. A place of myth and wonder, you have to see it to believe it. Antarctica travel is unparalleled. 

Since my first journey there, I’ve done everything in my power to get back and to educate myself on this incredible part of the world. Every book, every map, every journal about Antarctica, and you bet I either own it or have plowed through it. Nowhere inspires me to tell stories like Antarctica.

I even applied to do a postgraduate certificate in Antarctic Studies here in Christchurch. I want to become a communicator for Antarctica and to share this place with the world in a way that creates positive change.

Antarctica is the frontier for climate change. What happens here impacts us all.

Just writing about travel and taking pretty photos isn’t enough for me anymore. I want to really make a change in both policies around conservation and also inspiring my generation to truly give a shit about the natural world.

We live on an extraordinary planet, one I’ve been privileged enough to explore. Above all, I want to do all I can to keep it that way. Antarctica is a powerful place, and I want to be able to share it with people in the hopes it inspires change too.

Antarctica travel is one of those experiences that will change you, in the most amazing of ways.

This is why I’m so stoked to announce my latest partnership with Chimu Adventures in offering the opportunity for some of you guys to come with me in 2021 to Antarctica. Are you keen to come with me?

Do you want to see whales in their natural habitat? Are fluffy penguin chicks begging to be featured on your Tik Tok? Do you want to gaze at icebergs more than a kilometer long and walk beneath blue glaciers? Do you want to have an adventure that you will never stop talking about? Of course, you do, silly question!

Chimu and I share the same values in pretty much all areas, from a love of the polar world (obviously) but also around environmental and social responsibility where we live and work by doing all the good we can for our people and planet (and penguins by default). And also they’re part of the Intrepid travel family too.

Sustainability and a long term vision lie at the heart of what Chimu does, and that’s something that must be taken into account when visiting such a fragile and special corner of the globe. 

Here’s a taste of what we’ll be up to in Antarctica!

• Unspoiled wilderness, uninhabited by man, where the penguins, seals, whales and seabirds are the true rulers.
• Visit the newly-completed $50million International Antarctic Centre.
• See the historic town of Punta Arenas – the return site for Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men.
• Discover the top wildlife destination in the world where you can see penguins, seals, whales and albatrosses.
• Visit penguin colonies, zodiac cruise around glaciers and enormous icebergs.
• Cross the legendary Drake Passage, scanning for rare and beautiful albatross.
• Return to the stunning town of Ushuaia for a glacial hike, restaurants and local food.
• Unspoiled wilderness, uninhabited by man, where the penguins, seals, whales and seabirds are the true rulers.
• Benefit from a variety of onboard activities including educational lectures on the history, geology and ecology by the expedition team.
• Take advantage of optional activities during the Antarctica travel voyage such as kayaking and snowshoeing.

Our expedition to Antarctica will be in November 2021, and we’re taking expressions of interest now – the form to complete is also at the end of this blog post. We’re not taking your money (yet) or requiring any commitment. It’s just to learn more.

And of course, there are exceptional policies and procedures in place for the trip regarding COVID19 which you can scroll through here.

If you’re keen to come to Antarctica with me, please fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch soon with more details! And of course, feel free to email us at hello@youngadventuress.com with questions!

Is Antarctica travel on your bucketlist? Do you want to see penguins in the wild? Spill!

The post Who wants to go to Antarctica with me? appeared first on Young Adventuress.

OMG, if you only knew how hard it was to publish those words publicly.

I’ve been thinking about applying since last winter but held back because it wasn’t the right time for me professionally. To be honest, I also wasn’t sure I was good enough.

Isn’t Antarctica just for hardcore scientists? Not for bloggers and girls with degrees in medieval Spanish history.

For the past decade, I rode the wave of success my travel blog has brought me, getting paid to travel the world.

But since my experience with the beaching whales on Stewart Island, I found myself wanting to do more with my work. It was a massive, terrible slap to the face. But there’s a reason it was me on that beach with them, and by god, I will do something positive out of it.

Just writing about travel and taking pretty photos isn’t enough for me. I want to really make a change in both policies around conservation and also inspiring my generation to truly give a shit about the natural world.

We live on an extraordinary planet, one I’ve been privileged enough to explore. Above all, I want to do all I can to keep it that way.

The one place that truly speaks to my soul, and I love the most is the Antarctic. The polar world motivates me beyond measure. I eat, sleep, and breathe it. It’s so close to my heart; I don’t even talk about it with many people.

Now I’m hungry to learn more, to educate myself on this wild place, and to bring it to life for you all in a way that is powerful and creates change. My dream is to become an expert communicator around the Antarctic and to use my blog and social media to protect this incredible wilderness.

Antarctica is the frontier for climate change. What happens here impacts us all.

PCAS would give me the education I need to make this dream a reality.

In many ways since “making it” as a blogger, the past seven years I’ve been playing it safe. I found a formula for success for myself, and more or less, I stayed within those comfortable boundaries.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is daunting. The truth is I’m terrified of rejection. To have someone take the measure of you and say no, you’re not good enough is frightening.

To put yourself out there with a dream close to your heart and not get what you want is frightening.

Applying to a graduate school program a decade after I left university is scary. Submitting an application to be judged is scary. Telling you all I’m doing this is scary.

I’ve always struggled with the feeling I’m not good enough, that perhaps I’m not a “real” photographer or that my writing isn’t valid because I type mostly with my thumbs.

Fearing the hurt of rejection from something I want more than anything, I could see myself beginning to self-sabotage my application. Self-sabotage is a coping mechanism for people like me who expect everyone to let them down. Can you relate to this? Do you do this too?

Luckily, I caught myself in time. “Liz, we don’t do play this game anymore.”

Right now, many of us have been given a clean slate and fresh opportunities (even if we didn’t ask for it). We’re amid a freaking global pandemic, with many of us being let go, and facing a future, no one has experienced before.

In other words, it’s never been a better time to take a giant leap of faith.

Now I’m ready for the next chapter. Let’s fucking go and try something new; why not? No more playing it safe. It’s time to be brave. What’s there to lose?

I’m finally putting into practice one of my life mantras: feel the fear and do it anyway.

And the best part of this wild emotional roller coaster all inside my head?

Well, besides talking about penguins all the damn time, I’ve also made peace with myself if I don’t get accepted to PCAS.

This has been an incredible opportunity for me to put myself way way WAY out there in a way I haven’t done in a long time. It’s been an exercise in believing in myself, in trying something new. In sitting down and figuring out exactly what I want to be doing in the future.

No matter what happens, I know I’m following my dreams anyways. I will never stop caring for our planet and inspiring others to the same. And I’ll definitely never stop talking about penguins.

In the middle of chaos and uncertainty, I’m pretty proud of myself for finding the grit to put myself out on a limb and take a leap of faith into the unknown. What an opportunity, right?

Last year I had the word “courage” inked in my inner elbow to remind myself to be brave and to take risks. I’ve never felt more convinced this is what I should be doing. I know what I want to do, and I’m fucking going for it.

Upon a lot of self-reflection and work, I went ahead and put my all into this application and submitted it yesterday.

We can do big scary things together. You are not alone. I am not alone. Wish me luck!

What’s the most significant risk you’ve ever taken? How are you coping with things now? Would you ever go back to school? Spill.

The post Chasing Antarctica – feel the fear and do it anyway appeared first on Young Adventuress.

In fact, that describes most of my favorite places. South Georgia. Svalbard. Antarctica. Give me birds over humans any day, and my happy little introverted heart will soar.

New Zealand’s remote Campbell Island is my happy place. I unashamedly love this rugged, inhospitable chunk of land deep in the Southern Ocean. Boggy, cliffy, and poopy with winds strong enough to blow you over, the wild atmosphere here profoundly speaks to my soul.

I love it. Campbell Island got under my skin and stuck around.

Haven’t heard of Campbell Island? Don’t fret. I hadn’t either before I visited a year ago either. No shame.

The last of the subantarctic islands slated on my two-week adventure south with Heritage Expeditions, Campbell Island was also one of the places I knew least about before disembarking. No time like the present to get learning!

There is only shame in ignorance if you refuse to learn and grow, am I right?

While I thought that massive colonies of penguins on Macquarie Island would win my heart, it turns out that actually, Campbell Island was my favorite spot on the entire expedition. I would go back in a heartbeat, and if allowed, I would happily live there as a hermit.

(DOC, I’m looking at you! Pleeeeeeease!)

I love to be surprised when I’m traveling. The lower my expectations, the higher the reward when I arrive. Set the bar low, and you’re never disappointed. That’s my mantra. I don’t know what that says about me, and I’m not sure I want to know.

Anywho, as I digress, I had zero expectations about Campbell Island before arriving. As the last stop on the Galapagos of the Southern Ocean expedition trip with Heritage, my mind had already been blown a dozen times and then some. What was next?

Seven hundred kilometers south of the South Island, you’ll arrive at Campbell Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to a lot of birds and not much else. How do you get there? Expedition ship through some of the gnarliest seas on earth.

And trust me, it’s worth it.

While uninhabited today, Campbell Island has a long history with humans that is fascinating for nerds like me.

“Discovered” in 1810 by Captain Frederick Hasselburgh, he named the island after his employers Robert Campbell & Co. Later that year, the Captain and others drowned when their boat capsized in the harbor on Campbell Island, including a woman named Elizabeth Farr, who supposedly haunted the island and inspired the Lady of the Heather.

At first, Campbell, Island was used by sealers, and once the seals were decimated, then a whaling station set up shop, also destroying the southern right whales who bred there.

When humans arrived, they also brought rats with them, which quickly began decimating the native birds, like on mainland New Zealand.

Once they tried to introduce farming (LOL) sheep, cats, cattle, goats, and pigs were also let loose, destroying the land further. Farming attempts were abandoned after a couple of decades, unsurprisingly. Campbell Island is home to quite possibly the worst weather on earth. I can’t believe they even tried to farm there.

Feral sheep and livestock roamed the hills for decades until the mid-90’s when they were finally culled. The island was also home to a coast watching station during World War II.

Campbell Island is home to some of the greatest stories of shipwrecks and adventures I’ve found around New Zealand waters.

In 1992 one of the workers on the island was snorkeling when a great white shark attacked him. A rescue chopper flew down from Invercargill and saved his life. This was the lengthiest ever single-engine helicopter rescue in the world.

What an incredible rescue!

Campbell Island is also home to what is said to be the world’s most remote tree. The great mystery is who planted it?

A solitary Sitka spruce tree sits just inland on Campbell Island, thought to be planted over a hundred years ago. It can’t regenerate on its own, so it’s been left to grow. Because of the harsh climate here, trees don’t grow in this part of the world generally.

The next closest tree is 400 kilometers away on the Auckland Islands. It was a moody morning when we visited this cove, the rain was pouring down, and one angry sea lion guarded the beach.

There are three main reasons why Campbell Island stole my heart, making it super unique in my books. The albatross, the wild plants – megaherbs, and the views here are unique and extraordinary.

Campbell Island is steep and rugged, rising close to 600 meters at Mount Honey in the south overlooking where we were moored. Most of the island is surrounded by cliffs, making it the perfect home for albatross but not for humans.

It’s truly wild and undiscovered for the most part; very few humans will ever step foot here, making it all the more lovable in my books.

Famous English botanist Joseph Hooker once wrote that Campbell Islands possesses a “flora display second to none outside the tropics.” What an honor for this wild island at the bottom of the world.

Home to over one hundred native plants, many of which you won’t find anywhere else in the world, Campbell Island is famous for its megaherbs – a word I hadn’t heard before I boarded the ship. Megaherbs are what you might imagine. Enormous wildflowers with huge leaves and bright flowers which have adapted to the harsh weather on the island. They are straight out of Jurassic Park!

We were lucky enough to arrive when there were many a megaherb field of pleurophyllum speciosum on Campbell Island, bright purple flowers. It was so spectacular to witness.

But of course, the reason I love Campbell Island the most is that it is home to so many albatross, with six species found here, including the largest albatross in the world: the southern royal.

Here you might also find the black-browed albatross, the grey-headed albatross, the light mantled sooty, and even Gibson’s Wandering albatross.

The sooties have to be my favorite albatross. Hard to see with their dark coloring, I love the way their beautiful eyes pop against their dark plumage. Seriously one of my favorite birds.

Luckily these precious birds, including albatross, have a chance at life again since the eradication of introduced pests on Campbell Island.

The world’s rarest duck, the Campbell Island teal, has been reintroduced on the island. We saw one nibbling on a seal carcass on our last day, surely an oddity!

I also won the award for spotting the first snipe, almost tripping over it on the track!

Voyaging to Campbell Island with Heritage Expeditions on their Galapagos of the Southern Ocean trip was one of the highlights of my life. I can honestly say I would do anything to return to this magnificent corner of the world, in any weather.

As one of the most highly conserved spaces in the world, it’s such a rare opportunity to walk amongst these iconic megaherbs, as beautiful albatross glide over your head. There is nowhere else quite like it.

Have you ever heard of Campbell Island? What kind of island holiday do you dream about? Share!

Many thanks to Heritage Expeditions for taking me to the Subantarctic Islands – like always, I’m keeping it real – all opinions are my own – like you could expect less from me!

The post Campbell Island is my happy place appeared first on Young Adventuress.

Trust me; there are still so many spots out there.

These wild places beckon to me, they call to my soul, and they are the spots that fill my heart with pure joy, a joy I can’t even share because there definitely isn’t wifi around.

Does that sound like somewhere right up your alley? Or do you prefer to read about it from the comforts of home? No shaming whatsoever. As an ambitious adventurer full of fear, I devour plenty of stories that I would never in a million years attempt on my own. I get it.

Who doesn’t love a good story?

Last year over the Christmas holidays, which is summertime down in New Zealand where I live, I had the incredible opportunity to journey to the bottom of the world with Heritage Expeditions, back to the subantarctic, but this time on the Pacific side of the map – instead of from South America.

A Christchurch-based expedition company, Heritage Expeditions, and I go way back. These guys are badass. Pioneers in conservation tourism, they have been leading the charge over the past decade in responsibly sharing our precious places, encouraging us to be guardians of the natural world.

And I can safely say, there is nowhere better to see this than in the New Zealand subantarctic.

An introduction to New Zealand’s subantarctic islands

If you were to head south from the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island – past Stewart Island, many probably know that you’ll eventually end up in Antarctica.

But before landing on the icy white continent – you’ll first encounter a series of rugged, windswept, uninhabited desolate islands home to a lot of birds. Including the Auckland Islands travel here will blow your mind.

Many might find that description unappealing, but I can tell you, THEY ARE SO AMAZING! Wild weather? Rugged and remote? No people? All the birds?

Does it get any better than that? Don’t think so.

A few years ago, I traveled to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, which are subantarctic islands on the South American side, and I felt with the profound and somewhat surprising revelation that I think I like the subantarctic islands better.

Why? Because for me, I enjoyed the wildlife there more. And it’s less white, less icy. I prefer the colors you see there, and it’s a place few ever visit.

Along with the Snares, Campbell Island, and Macquarie Island (Australian managed), on my trip south last year with Heritage Expeditions, we also visited the Auckland Islands – our trip was the Galapagos of the Subantarctic.

The Auckland Islands are roughly 465 kilometers due south of Bluff, where the ship departs from.

They are the largest of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands, with a combined area of 57,000 hectares or 220 square miles, according to Google – but don’t quote me on that. I have little to no comprehension of size and scale whatsoever.

The Auckland Islands are big but not that big, none of the subantarctic islands are enormous. I imagine this is because they are constantly battered by gale-force winds which have whittled them down – but that’s pure conjecture on my part.

Moving on!

The big-but-not-too-big Auckland Islands are home to a massive variety of plants and wildlife, as well as having a rich human history that failed spectacularly many times.

Leave it to the birds.

What’s cool is that the Auckland Islands is considered to be the furthest south wayfaring Polynesians traveled to, with evidence of ovens and middens on Enderby Island from the 13th to 14th centuries before disappearing.

In about 1842, a settlement of Māori and Mōriori tried to establish themselves here too.

You only have to spend about an hour down here to understand that the weather patterns are grim, grimmer, and less grim. In fact, there were so many shipwrecks down here, eventually castaway depots were left along with wild pigs to feed shipwrecked sailors until they could be rescued again.

Eventually, humans returned in the 19th century to decimate both the seal and whale populations, with attempted settlements that, surprise! Failed.

Only the pigs and pests survived.

While on the ship, I plowed through many of the stories and diaries from early explorers, sealers, and attempted farmers down here, and I just couldn’t even believe anyone would have given it a go. It’s so remote and wild; it would have taken a powerful person even to try.

Like I say, they don’t make men like they used to, eh?!

Even rugged up in my expensive Goretex and merino layers, I could feel the weather here. You’ve got to be prepared. But it’s important to remember that this wild landscape is what has allowed too many incredible creatures to thrive, like the albatross who need high wind.

No humans inhabit the Auckland Islands these days, no matter how many times I pester the Department of Conservation to let me go down and set up shop. I’m just saying, and I could totally live there and be happy.

Sign. Me. Up.

What makes the Auckland Islands so unique from the other islands is its sheer biodiversity and abundance of very cool, enormous plants.

The subantarctic has an incredible phenomenon called megaherbs – which is what you might expect – huge flowering plants that exist nowhere else on earth. How cool is that?

It’s undoubtedly one of the first things I noticed wandering around the boardwalks and beaches of the island. The plants were big, way big, like Jurassic Park big.

Some of the plants we would frequently see are the Ross Lily, Anisotome latifolia, Dracophyllum, along with a beautiful and gnarly southern Rata forest. Enderby Island has kilometers of boardwalk built across it to protect the native fauna from being disturbed, and it certainly made our walks around much more accessible.

I couldn’t help but send a massive thank you to the team of people who installed them – it would not have been an easy feat. I salute you.

There are vast numbers of seabirds on the Auckland Islands, despite feral cats and pigs feasting on them until somehow conservation groups raise enough money to eradicate them. Any millionaire philanthropists looking for a project which might be reading this – hit me up!

A vital breeding ground for many birds in the Southern Ocean, the Auckland Islands are home to white-capped albatross and millions of sooty shearwaters.

The Auckland Islands are also home to the largest breeding population of wandering albatross – which are one of my favorites. They are beautiful creatures, and we were lucky enough to observe them dotted amongst the hills and soaring over our heads.

The Auckland Islands are also home to the highest proportion of the rare yellow-eyed penguins breeding here, the rarest penguins on earth.

We saw so many while exploring the islands, and it made my heart sing to see them here, somewhat thriving where they are in decline in mainland New Zealand.

Some of the other land birds on the Auckland Islands are the Auckland Island snipe, the Auckland Island teal, tomtit, the red-fronted and yellow-crowned parakeets, tūī, bellbirds, pipits, and even falcons.

Did you know the Hooker’s Sea Lion, which is the world’s rarest sea lion breeds on the Auckland Islands?

I spent a lot of time sitting and quietly observing a breeding sea lion colony while on Enderby Island – and trust me – I’ll never be the same again.

Life, death, birth, sex, dinner, poo, blood, we saw it all. Repeatedly. I left filled with knowledge and the sincere gratitude not to have been born a sea lion female because that just sucks.

Fun fact – a breeding sea lion colony is called a harem. I can attest to the accuracy of this title.

So what’s the current state of the Auckland Islands? Well, let me update you.

Animal pests introduced by humans over the last 200 years have inflicted severe ecological damage to the Auckland Islands in many ways, but luckily that might change.

Following the successful eradication of mice from Antipodes Island, DOC is currently investigating the feasibility of eradicating pigs, cats, and mice from Auckland Island to achieve mammalian pest-free status for the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands. This would be SO COOL.

In the meantime, if you’re keen to get down to the subantarctic like me, and see this incredible place for yourself, hop on one of Heritage Expedition’s trips as it’s pretty much the only way to get down to places like the Auckland Islands.

Have you heard of the Auckland islands? Is this the kind of place you would visit too? Do you love wild landscapes like me? Share!

Many thanks to Heritage Expeditions for taking me to the Subantarctic Islands – like always, I’m keeping it real – all opinions are my own – like you could expect less from me!

The post The raw and wild power of the remote Auckland Islands appeared first on Young Adventuress.