Snares Islands/Tini Heke

Welcome to the Snares Islands, or Tini Heke. Lying just sixty miles south of Stewart Island, this small cluster of granitic rock is globally renowned as one of the few truly pristine landmasses left on Earth. …

As we deploy the zodiacs and maneuver close to the shoreline, the true scale of the Snares rugged coastline becomes apparent. Cruising these waters offers an intimacy with the landscape that would be impossible even if we were…

We now maneuver the zodiacs toward the northern end of the main island to witness one of nature's most extraordinary commutes. Before you is a massive, steeply sloping face of bare granite. …

Looking up past the bare rock of the coastal edge, you see the island is crowned by a dense, unusual forest. Unlike the towering timber of the mainland, the canopy here is composed almost entirely of massive tree daisies,…

As we continue along the coast, we look toward the nesting sites of the magnificent Bullers albatross. The Snares are the primary breeding ground for these large seabirds, but their cycle is highly unusual. …

While the penguins and albatrosses command our immediate visual attention, the sheer biomass of the Snares Islands is hidden beneath the peaty soil of the Olearia forest. The island is essentially a massive, biological sponge,…

We conclude our zodiac exploration near the somewhat sheltered eastern indentations of the island, an area where expedition ships occasionally find a brief respite from the relentless Southern Ocean swell. Even here, the term…

As our zodiacs turn back toward the expedition ship, take a final, lingering look at the dark, forested profile of Tini Heke. Your visit here has been a rare privilege, an opportunity to peer through a window back in time to an…