I saw penguins, seals and whales on wildlife-rich islands hiding near Australia

I started the new year cruising in a forgotten paradise - the New Zealand Subantarctic islands. "The Subs" are located below the South Island, in the far reaches of the Southern Ocean. This remote archipelago combines the Snares, Antipodes, Bounty, Campbell and Auckland Islands, which are managed as a World Heritage site.

Further south is Macquarie Island, which is bizarrely under the government jurisdiction of Huon Valley Council, 1400 kilometres away. It was claimed for Britain in 1810, named after the NSW Governor, and later transferred to the Tasmanian colony.

This level of explanation is required because everyone seemed to think I was going to Antarctica. Nope, it would take another week to reach the Ross Sea Ice Shelf or Commonwealth Bay from NZ. However, many East Antarctic voyages do stop along the way in these islands to break up the journey.

The Subantarctic is sometimes compared to the Galapagos, but its wildlife is closer to South Georgia. Several species are shared, such as gentoo and king penguins, and leopard and elephant seals. Others are endemic, such as royal penguins and Campbell albatross.

Birdwatchers will be in avian heaven. Cliffside colonies are teeming with thousands of nesting pairs. I spotted some of the most elusive penguins, including the royal, yellow-eyed, eastern rockhopper, Snares crested, and one lone erect-crested juvenile. Southern giant petrel, Antarctic petrel, brown skua, cormorants and flightless teal are also common. Most surprising was the thriving flora on Macquarie Island. Since a pest eradication program, it resembles a botanical garden, blossoming with wildflowers known as megaherbs. This is also where I saw pods of orcas and the rarely-seen southern right whale dolphins.