If you headed due west from Macquarie Island and maintained your latitude at 54° south, you would be surrounded by ocean all the way to South Georgia (head due east, and you would have to skirt around Chile’s southernmost archipelago first). These two Sub-Antarctic islands, despite being on nearly opposite sides of the globe, share a number of incredible ecosystems that can be found almost nowhere else on Earth and are home to substantial populations of king penguins, southern elephant seals, and a wide array of other polar species. In Macquarie’s case, this includes the endemic royal penguin, the largest of the crested penguins and one of the most charismatic wildlife stars of the Antarctic region. National Geographic Orion’s landing on Macquarie today coincided with fantastic weather and gave us the opportunity to spend all day photographing, admiring, and, in some cases, sidestepping these amazing and inquisitive island locals as they roamed the beaches with the kings and the seals, stopping often to size up the strangely-colored Homo sapiens that were present. If spending hours amongst penguins on a Sub-Antarctic island is but a dream, there were at least a few of us who were perfectly happy staying asleep.
11/21/2024
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National Geographic Orion
Abel Tasman National Park, South Island, New Zealand
Named after the Dutch seafarer and explorer that was the first European to “discover” the islands of New Zealand in 1642, the park was created in 1942 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the event. New Zealand’s smallest national park at just under 100 square miles, Abel Tasman is one of the most visited for its popular 37-mile-long coastal trek. This area of the park has been inhabited for over 700 years, with the first peoples here being the Māori iwi, with Europeans arriving in the 19th century. Following European settlement, the landscape was altered dramatically (as it was everywhere in New Zealand) with massive deforestation, quarrying and farming. So much of the efforts in managing the park have focused on restoring as much of the native ecosystem and removal of introduced pests. The weather and conditions were very pleasant which allowed us the opportunity to offer both a moderate hike and strenuous hike on the very well-maintained trails. For our photography focused guests, the photo team led a walk along the beach and near shore area, and lastly several guests chose to enjoy a scenic cruise on the local partner’s catamaran tour boat. We all were back on board just as light showers began to fall and a lovely rainbow graced the horizon as we set sail for our next adventures.
