Coral Expeditions launches World Heritage islands of the sub-Antarctic voyage

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King penguins at Lusitania Bay (R Eime)

New expedition will see Australia's pioneering cruise line sail to the far south

Coral Expeditions has announced a new voyage which will call on Macquarie Island which, at latitude 55 degrees, sits halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica.

Coral Adventurer will cast off from Bluff – on New Zealand’s South Island – on a 12-night adventure exploring the World Heritage Islands of the Australian and New Zealand sub-Antarctic before disembarking guests in the convenient port of Melbourne.

This one-off expedition, which departs on 31 January 2024, will take guests up close to desolate islands that are the last landfall before Antarctica. Coral Adventurer will be equipped with a complement of zodiacs and Xplorer tender vessels to permit a range of shore activities.

The journey will include the Snares Islands, the Auckland Islands of Enderby Island and Carnley Harbour, Campbell Island’s Perseverance Harbour and the World Heritage sanctuary of Macquarie Island.

Expedition highlights include:

• Visiting the largely untouched World Heritage areas of snares Island Group, Auckland Islands, Campbell Islands, and the renowned wildlife sanctuary of Macquarie Island
• Walking the rocky shorelines of Auckland and Campbell islands among one of the few humans to set foot ashore
• Observing King and Royal penguin colonies at Lusitania Bay
• Enjoying guided walks on Macquarie Island with Park Rangers and encountering rare flora including fields of mega herbs, mosses and lichens
• Learning about the history and heritage of early explorers and settlers in these remote regions
• Viewing the “world’s loneliest tree” - a Sitka Spruce - which is more than 200 km from the next closest tree on Auckland Island

Along the way, expert guest lecturers will present talks and provide commentary on highlights of the destinations and their rare flora and fauna.

Coral Expeditions Commercial Director Jeff Gillies says the visit to Macquarie Island is the “jewel in the crown” of the journey.

“It is a true sub-Antarctic trip that gives our guests a taste of the unique topography, rugged wildlife and lonely history of the southern islands,” he says.

“We already operate in New Zealand and Tasmania.We like to go deeper into our destinations and this sub-Antarctic voyage is a natural progression of our explorations of the Southern Ocean.We expect it to be popular amongst our loyal clientele, who are eager for new destinations in our portfolio”.

For more information about Coral Expeditions’ World Heritage Island of the sub-Antarctic, click here.