The Pyramid – Chatham Islands
The Pyramid (Tarakoikoia) is a mighty rise of rock at the southern end of the Chatham Islands. It's classified as an Important Bird Area because it's the only place in…
Bounty Islands
I have never seen so many seabirds in my life. The air above the Bounty Islands is dark - a mist that resolves through binoculars into a flurry of whirling albatross.…
The Gift
The Gift
On my 23rd birthday, I woke to the ship rocking in a way that indicated one thing to me. It wasn’t looking good for us to be able to land…
An Introduction to Subantarctic New Zealand
If you read the blog I posted before I left, you'll recognise this map: When I mention the subantarctic to people, they often comment on how much ice I'm going…
Antipodes Island
Merry Christmas everyone! This time, I'm not going to write trip logs, nor will my blog be in chronological order. We're starting with one of the places I was absolutely…
Northern Buller's albatross, Chatham Islands
The Wave
"Sometimes, a day will so utterly change you, that when you look in the mirror at the end of the day, there is someone you do not wholly recognise yet…
Returning home
All adventures come to an end, and it's often not easy to leave the wilds behind to come home. On Monday the 5th of December, I flew home from Dunedin…
Preparing for a Subantarctic Adventure
On Wednesday the 16th of November, I hopped on a plane and headed for Invercargill to begin another subantarctic adventure. I'm beyond excited, and by the time you read this,…
Quiet joy in wild places
This blog is hard for me to write, but I feel that I need to nonetheless. I’ve been mulling it over for a month or so now, since I found…
Eastern Rockhopper penguins, Auckland Island
NZ Geo Finalists!
For those of you keeping up with us on Instagram, you'll know that both Dad and I have photos as finalists in the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year…
Trip Log: Homeward Bound
52°32′24″S 169°8′42″E - 46°59'96"S 168°34'57" E We're at sea for two days, rolling continuously. I've forgotten what upright is, because we only get brief snatches of it on our way to…
Trip Log: Megaherbs and Breeding Birds
52°32′24″S 169°8′42″E I forgo the hike across Campbell Island, having smashed my knee quite thoroughly on the New Year's Eve hike, and wanting to spend more time with the Southern…
Trip Log: Campbell Island
52°32′24″S 169°8′42″E Around midmorning, Campbell Island appears as faded blue teeth on the horizon, snaring clouds and floating in and out of sight. I've slept late, photographed birds, and spent…
Trip Log: Musgrave Inlet
50°39’S 166°10’E Bull kelp tangles the propellor of the zodiac, turning the steady hum into a choking grind. Martin, New Zealand Sea lion expert and our current zodiac driver, throws…
The Sea lions of Sandy Bay
50° 31’S 166° 17’E We're back on Enderby Island for the afternoon, as the weather is preventing us from landing at Ranui Cove, the site of the old Coastwatchers hut. I…