7 Night Cruise sailing from Bluff roundtrip aboard Spirit of Enderby.

You won't find them mentioned in a 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 there - these are the 'forgotten islands' and they don't even appear on some maps of the South Pacific. 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.

Take the hassle out of Christmas this year and join us on an expedition which offers a carefree experience over this often busy season. Create fresh and enduring memories on board the Spirit of Enderby as we discover the isolated beauty and unique wildlife of the Southern 'forgotten islands'.

Steaming south our first island encounter is the rugged coastline of The Snares, where Snares Crested Penguins are found in dense colonies under a forest canopy of tree daisies. This species has the most limited distribution of any penguin and is found solely on these inhospitable little islands. An estimated 30,000 breeding pairs live here in splendid isolation where human disturbance is strictly controlled. Expedition landings are not permitted, so subject to weather conditions, we will launch the Zodiacs to take a closer look at the shoreline.

On the 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 alien-looking wild flowers that have adapted to the strange climates The great English botanist Sir Joseph Hooker, friend of Charles Darwin, found meadows '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.

Day 1: Invercargill
Make your way to the central Invercargill meeting point from where we will transfer you to the Port of Bluff for embarkation, 27 kilometres away. The township of Bluff is situated on the north-eastern side of Bluff Hill, an extinct volcanic cone which forms a knoll at the southern end of the Bluff Peninsula which extends into Foveaux Strait. The port is located on a natural harbour and is the main gateway for New Zealand ships heading down to the Antarctic, including our expedition vessel Spirit of Enderby.

The Captain and expedition team will be waiting for your arrival at the ship to greet you and show you to your cabin. You will have the opportunity to familiarise yourself on board and there will be formal introductions to the staff followed by safety briefings.

Join the Captain on the Bridge or fellow travellers on deck as we set sail and our adventure begins. We set our course for The Snares, sailing south out into the Foveaux Strait. Growing slowly in the cold clean waters of the strait are what some call the finest oysters in the world. Commonly known as the Bluff oyster, the species is actually found throughout New Zealand, but is most common here in the south.

We will sail past Ruapuke Island formerly a local Maori stronghold supporting a population of about 200. We also can see Stewart Island in the distance the southern-most island of New Zealand, despite its size on a map it is large and has a 700 kilometre coastline. Off-shore seabirds that we may encounter at this early point include: albatross, petrels, cormorants, gulls and blue penguins. We continue on our sailing route and prepare for our first night on board as we leave the strait and head into the South Pacific Ocean.

Day 2: The Snares - North East Island
We plan to arrive early in the morning at the largest of this group of islands, North East Island, a nature reserve of international importance and home to more nesting seabirds than all of the British Isles put together. A group of islands that have had no introduced mammals they are a pristine haven for wildlife. Tall cliffs combined with sea erosion have produced features along the coastline of narrow caverns, sink holes and steep-sided ravines. Snagged with hidden reefs we learn how the islands got their name.

Landings are not allowed at The Snares, so if weather and sea conditions are suitable we will cruise the jagged coastline by Zodiac allowing us to see some of the features of the coastline. From the water we can view the unique large tree daisies Olearia lyallii and Brachyglottis stewartiae which dominate much of the island creating a forest canopy and draping the hills.

Our cruise should also allow us to encounter some of the birdlife that inhabits these islands. This includes the endemic Snares Crested Penguin, often found in groups under the tree daises along the coast, roosting in branches overhanging their colony, or swimming close by. The Snares Crested Penguin's most noticeable feature is a bright yellow, thin, bushy crest running above and behind each eye, particularly in the male. Although there is no immediate threat to the Snares Crested Penguin, the conservation status of the species is listed as 'vulnerable', primarily because the population is limited to this one small island group.

Also unique to these islands we may catch glimpses of the Snares Island Tomtit and Fernbird - on past voyages we have frequently sighted these land birds amongst the flora. On the cliffs we will likely see Buller's Albatross whose Maori name translates as 'flying wind' which could be an apt description of The Snares. This species only nests here and at the Solander Islands.

Day 3: Auckland Islands - Enderby Island
The Auckland group were formed by two volcanoes which subsequently eroded and were dissected by glaciations and have now become the archipelago as we know it today.

Today we anchor in Port Ross, the northernmost of the archipelago and enjoy the day ashore on Enderby Island, a wildlife rich island that has no equal in the Southern Ocean. Offering a varying landscape where the rata forests are regenerating and there is a resurgence of herbaceous plants, it is one of the most beautiful islands in this group and is named for the same distinguished shipping family as our own vessel.

The island is home to the rare Hooker's or New Zealand Sea Lion which breeds on Sandy Bay beach which is where we plan to land. The sea lions are a rare member of the seal family and dominant males can be viewed protecting their territories on the breeding beaches while females gather close by. Exploring inland it is not unusual to encounter a sea lion relaxing in the rata forest.

You will enjoy close encounters with the Royal Albatross nested amongst a hummocked sward of Oreobolus pectinatus comb sedge and gentians. There is a good chance that we will see the endemic snipe, shag and Auckland Island Flightless Teal as we explore.

We plan to spend some time with the Yellow-eyed Penguin. Known in Maori as Hoiho they are the world's rarest penguin and the fourth largest of the world's penguins. With few human visitors they are untroubled by our presence here on Enderby Island which allows some great photographic opportunities. Nesting under the tangled divaricating shrub Myrsine divaricata they waddle from the shrub to the waters edge displaying plumage. The distinguishing feature of the yellow-eyed penguin is its yellow eye and the bright yellow stripe that runs through the eye and around the back of the head.

We will have the opportunity to enjoy a walk, viewing dense thickets of chaparral shrubs with large lichens and on the plateau there is a large area of cushion bogs dotted with yellow Bulbinella and beautiful gentians. Unique fields of megaherbs, whose languorous names promise the exotic: the Bulbinella rossii, the regenerating patches of Anisotome latifolia and the vivid red and white gentians make an unforgettable sight.

Twisted and gnarled stems of the southern rata, Metrosideros umbellata, a tree endemic to New Zealand can be appreciated up close while overhead brilliant red flowers normally appear in profusion from November to January. The rata can be seen from some distance away due to its red canopy. Native birds such as the tui, bellbird and parakeets benefit from the presence of rata trees and can be heard in the forest where we plan to hike to a small glacial lake.

Day 4: Auckland Islands - Carnley Harbour
Auckland Island is the largest of the islands in the group. Made up of two long-extinct volcanoes with deep harbours, one is on the north coast and one on the south. The western coastline has been sculpted into formidable cliffs by the prevailing westerly winds, and to the east, a coast carved by glaciers into some of the most picturesque fiords in the world.

Our anchorage in Carnley Harbour offers a range of activities, depending on weather and sea conditions. Climb to South West Cape for magnificent views of a Shy Mollymawk Albatross colony and perhaps spot the beautiful Wandering Albatross spreading its huge wingspan above the cliffs. Once you reach the summit, the silence is punctured intermittently by the beating wings and calls of the colony that surround you. Gibson's Wandering Albatross nest above the colony amongst the tussocks so we should obtain good views of these birds also. Auckland Island pigs still roam the island so albatross have headed to the cliff face where their breeding grounds are safe.

Alternatively enjoy a quiet amble through the forest on the Musgrave Peninsula to the remains of the World War II Coast Watchers' huts. If the weather and sea conditions prove suitable, time may enable us to explore some of the eastern fiords by Zodiac.

Days 5 to 6: Campbell Island
We arrive at Campbell Island early in the morning on Day Five and anchor in Perseverance Harbour. Dropping anchor, we explore the island by foot and take in the panorama of rocky islets and sea stacks, once the lonely preserve of settlers and seal hunters and now returned to nature.

The island was farmed from the 1890s to early 1930s, but the regeneration of the flora since the removal of the feral sheep and rats, especially the megaherbs, can only be described as spectacular. Campbell Island is known for its megaherbs - herbaceous, perennial wild flowers characterised by their great size, with huge leaves and very colourful flowers, which have developed as an adaptation to the harsh weather conditions on the islands.

Our visit should coincide with the flowering of the Pleurophyllum speciosum, an endemic daisy carpeting the hills and startling in size with leaves sometimes half a metre wide. Adapting unusually to survive the harsh climate, its nearest relatives can be found in the baking Canary Islands but its presence here at the edge of the world remains a mystery. Campbell Island has around 128 native vascular plants, which include several endemic herbs and grasses. Largely due to the farming attempts, there are approximately 50 species of introduced plants on the island.

There will be a range of walks offered, all accompanied by guides. We can explore an abandoned Meteorological Station at the head of the harbour or take the Col Lyall Saddle walk which boasts all three daisy species of Pleurophyllum: speciosum, criniferum and hookerii and an opportunity to view and photograph the Southern Royal Albatross nesting amongst the flowers and tussocks. Alternatively, walk to remote North West Bay across the tussock tops and megaherb fields to a sandy beach that New Zealand Sea Lions and Yellow-eyed Penguins call home. For the more energetic the beautifully-named Mt. Honey, the highest peak on the island at 507 metres can be climbed. From the summit there are dramatic views and you can continue down to Southeast Harbour - in all, an enjoyable full day's walk.

Day 7: At Sea
A day at sea provides a great opportunity to reflect on the voyage and the Subantarctic Islands that we have visited. Today spend time on deck and view pelagic species that come close, we may also see cetaceans; it is not unusual to spot dolphins in the distance or up close - sometimes they surf the bow waves of the ship. The day is interspersed with illustrated lectures of the biology and history of the area we have visited and the Southern Ocean.

This is also a good opportunity to download and edit photos while they are fresh in the mind and our expert expedition team are on hand to answer any questions. We will recap the highlights of our voyage later today. This short voyage to the Subantarctic Islands provides many highlights in a short time frame - perfect for first time expeditioners, those with time restraints or travellers wishing to venture further south of the New Zealand mainland and add these islands to their travel adventures. Enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travellers and new friends as with each passing hour the Spirit of Enderby steams closer to the mainland and our final port.

Day 8: Invercargill
On arrival at the Port of Bluff this morning, we have our final breakfast and say our farewells before disembarking.