The Snares, birds, seals and penguins

Early morning on our balcony we see bobbing heads all around us, can these be penguins? Are they birds? It doesn't take very long before we're able to distinguish between a bobbing penguin and a bird. They move quickly gliding out of the water and then plunging back in for prey. There are other birds as well. Cape Petrals, Buller's albatross, Skuas, tiny little Prions and seals. It is hard to drag ourselves away to breakfast. Hard to photograph but have to take pictures in this magic place.

We are warned there maybe a rough zodiac ride this morning, cloudy with showers. By the time our zodiac leaves, we have a very calm sea and glorious sunshine. The expedition leader later says this is the best he has ever seen in The Snares. The zodiac ride is two hour in stunning conditions in a remote part of the world. The islands are rocky granite outcrops uninhabited apart from a vast array of birds, fur seals and endangered sea lions.

The creatively named Snares penguins are the highlight. Amazingly these tiny birds can climb the sheer cliffs to the top to nest. Rafts of penguins surround the zodiac heading out to fish or returning.Read more