Forgotten Islands of the South Pacific You won’t find them mentioned in a cosy travel brochure on your high street; you will not find them in most guidebooks and you probably don’t know anyone that has ever been here: these are the ‘forgotten islands’ and they don’t even appear on some maps of the South Pacific. And yet they are among the most remarkable wildlife reserves in the Southern Ocean, designated UNESCO World Heritage sites and supporting a dizzying diversity of wildlife. Remote, uninhabited and on no regular shipping route, access is further restricted by conservation departments to only a few hundred people per year. At the Snares, Auckland and Campbell Islands we will have the chance to hike the windswept rata forests and hear the song birds flitting among its cherry-red flowers; and we’ll seek out the alienlooking wildflowers that have adapted to the strange climates. The great English botanist Sir Joseph Hooker, friend of Charles Darwin, found meadows of these ‘mega herbs’ in flower and proclaimed them to be “second to none outside of the tropics”. Sadly, not all European visitors were careful scientists: the 18th century saw settling of land by sealing and whaling gangs who plundered the seal populations and introduced pigs, goats, cats and rats. Their disastrous effect on the endemic flora and fauna need hardly be stated but today’s conservation efforts are focused on eliminating these non-native animals and returning the islands to their natural state. We invite you to explore and understand this priceless ecosystem and to do so in expert company, a family business that actively supports conservation in the region. This is a rare insight into an environment teeming with thousands upon thousands of penguins, imperious albatross, sea lions and many more species besides. Joining an expedition to these islands redefines natural history travel.
Albatross on the wing Photo credit: Ewen Bell