The New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands (shortened to NZSAI by scientists, or The Subs by its admirers) are a seldom-visited collection of five island groups lying between New Zealand’s South Island and Antarctica. Their climate is mild and wet: you will find no permanent snow, and icebergs are only encountered floating by once every few years. What they do have is an exceptional diversity and abundance of birds, high levels of endemism due to their isolated locations, ‘megaherbs’ and rich flora in general, and also outstanding marine fauna species.

The only way to visit them is on an expedition cruise. Two larger companies offer one or two sailings yearly. I went with Heritage Expeditions on their “Galapagos of the Southern Ocean” cruise in November 2025. We visited 3 out of the 5 included island groups: The Snares, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Islands.

The Snares

Although closest to the New Zealand mainland, the Snares have the highest conservation status (unaltered by man or invasive species) and landings are forbidden. Key natural features include extensive forests (its landmass is actually a geological extension of the South Island’s Alps, and the flora resembles what the mainland looked like before human settlement) and significant seabird breeding populations.

We approached the islands around lunchtime on our first day of cruising. I had spent some hours in the morning with the birding crew, and managed to get pictures of the most common seabirds that hang around here such as the Pintado Petrel and the first albatrosses. The swells had been high all day, so it was unclear whether we could go into the zodiacs and see the islands from up close. But fortunately, we could, although we got quite wet in the process. Only this way were we able to spot hundreds, maybe thousands of Snares Penguins across several rocks. We also saw New Zealand Fur Seal and New Zealand Sea Lion resting ashore. We even got close enough to spot some land birds. The scenery is very eroded with a lot of sea stacks and caves.