Hookers and Yellow-Eyes on Enderby Island
Amazing Wildlife of Enderby Island
Enderby Island is one of the Auckland Islands group of New Zealand sub-antarctic islands. It is just a short distance from Auckland Island. I visited Enderby on a Silversea expedition cruise on the Silver Discoverer. Our ship spent two days in the Auckland Islands--the first at Auckland Island, and the second at Enderby Island. Enderby Island has a large group of New Zealand sea lions (also called Hooker sea lions) and rare yellow-eyed penguins.
We arrived at Enderby Island in the early morning and went ashore in the Zodiacs soon after breakfast. The expedition team had two organized walks. The first was about 7.5 miles and circumnavigated the island. Most of this hike did not have a fixed trail, and so the hikers wore their rubber boots. Only a handful of guests did this long hike, but they all agreed it was worthwhile. They saw more of the island, but not any different wildlife species than those who either explored on their own or did the second hike.
The second hike was less than 2 miles and was mostly on one of the wooden boardwalks we saw on many of the New Zealand islands. This hike went through the Rata forest and across the grasslands covered in Ross lilies and daisy-like megaherbs. Almost everyone went on this hike, which allowed plenty of time to observe the colony of New Zealand sea lions on the beach at Sandy Bay. My friend and I stood on the small hill overlooking the beach for almost 3 hours. The mating rituals and interaction of the huge group of sea lions was mesmerizing, and we had a perfect vantage point.
The photo above shows one of our expedition leaders keeping a male sea lion at bay. We all had brief lessons on using our walking sticks or back packs as a barrier between us and an aggressive sea lion. Fortunately, we could avoid most of them, but it was good to know that this technique worked on the trail.
After lunch back on the ship, we all went exploring in the Zodiacs with the expedition team. We slowly worked our way along the volcanic basalt cliffs, seeing many types of birds and marine mammals. These photos document our day on Enderby Island from the Silver Discoverer.
Page 2 >> Red Coat Invasion of Enderby Island
Page 3 >> Hiking across the Bulbinella
Page 4 >> Hike Objective -- Cliff Overlooking the Sea on Enderby Island
Page 5 >> Hiking through the Rata Forest
Page 6 >> Silver Discoverer at Anchor at Sandy Bay
Page 7 >> Wildflowers on Enderby Island
Page 8 >> Yellow-eyed Penguin in the Bush
Page 9 >> Silver Discoverer Guests and their Ship at Sandy Bay
Page 10 >> Large Male Hooker Sea Lion (New Zealand Sea Lion)
Page 11 >> Baby Sea Lion Pup
Page 12 >> New Zealand Sea Lion Beachmaster with His Harem
Page 13 >> Exploring Enderby Island's Coast on a Zodiac
Page 14 >> Steep Cliffs on Enderby Island
Page 15 >> Zen Yellow-eyed Penguin
Page 16 >> Auckland Island Teal Ducks on Enderby Island
Page 17 >> Columns of Volcanic Basalt
Page 18 >> Auckland Island Shag on Enderby Island
Red Coat Invasion of Enderby Island
Our Zodiacs from the Silver Discoverer landed at Sandy Bay on Enderby Island. We disembarked and went ashore. The buildings in the photo were built by the New Zealand meteorological service, but are no longer manned.
Shipwrecked sailors and farmers lived on Enderby Island in the 19th century, but the island is uninhabited today. Some remnants of buildings and emergency huts the government left for stranded sailors still remain along the trail.
As we hiked across the island, it was very weird to see many New Zealand sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins up in the bush. Usually they are much closer to the ocean. A boardwalk covered part of the trail that might be peat-like or marshy. It was nice to see so many brilliant yellow bulbinella (Ross lilies) blooming on the island.
Hiking across the Bulbinella
Enderby Island is windswept, but has a nice boardwalk. The bright yellow flowers are megaherbs call bulbinella or Ross Lily that only grow in the sub-antarctic. We also saw them on Campbell Island.
The walk across the island to the cliff on the other side was only about a mile, and seeing the Rata forest, bulbinella, and the view from the cliff was worth the effort.
Hike Objective -- Cliff Overlooking the Sea on Enderby Island
The boardwalk on Enderby Island stretches from Sandy Bay to the edge of this cliff. Leaving the cliffside, we walked back across the bluff and through the Rata forest to Sandy Bay.
Hiking through the Rata Forest on Enderby Island
The Rata forest on Enderby Island looks as spooky as the ones we saw on Auckland Island. Some of the trees had gorgeous red flowers on them. As we walked back towards Sandy Bay on the boardwalk, we had a nice view of the Silver Discoverer.
Silver Discoverer at Anchor at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island
Isn't this a nice photo of Sandy Bay and the Silver Discoverer? It was interesting to see the sea lions, wildflowers, and penguins up in the bushes.
Wildflowers on Enderby Island
In addition to the yellow bulbinella (Ross lilies), these daisy-like flowers were also prevalent on Enderby Island. Visitors need to look carefully in the bulbinella and daisies--they might see a solitary penguin.
Yellow-eyed Penguin in the Bush of Enderby Island
Yellow-eyed penguins are some of the rarest in the world, but about 500 pairs live and breed on Enderby Island. Unlike other penguins, they are often seen alone. One of our expedition leaders called them "Zen" penguins since they often seem to be alone and just staring at the horizon.
Leaving the Rata trees and grassland, we made our way to the Sandy Bay beach.
Silver Discoverer Guests and their Ship at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island
This photo looks like all the red-backed Silver Discoverer guests are longingly looking at their ship. In actuality, we were watching the action on the beach at Sandy Bay. Dozens of New Zealand sea lions were demonstrating their mating rituals, sunbathing, or nursing the new born pups.
Baby Sea Lion Pup on Enderby Island
This huge bull New Zealand sea lion was up on the cliff in the grass, but he left us alone, while we kept one eye on him and the other on the beach. The baby sea lions were so cute!
New Zealand Sea Lion Beachmaster with His Harem of Cows
The Sandy Bay beach had many tiny pups with their moms. One of the expedition leaders guessed this one was just a few days old. Like all baby animals and birds, he's really cute. I couldn't help but remember the baby penguins we had seen just a few days before on Macquarie Island.
Most of the sea lions on the beach were grouped into small family units--a large male beachmaster, the females, and pups.
Exploring Enderby Island's Coast on a Zodiac
This beachmaster has gathered his harem of cows and is trying to either keep other bulls from his territory or keep the females from defecting to another bull. It's quite entertaining to watch nature in action.
Steep Cliffs on Enderby Island
After watching the show on the beach for a few hours, we returned to the Silver Discoverer for lunch and then did a Zodiac tour of Sandy Bay.
Yellow-eyed Penguin on Enderby Island
Most of Enderby Island is surrounded by steep volcanic basalt cliffs like these. We got a great view of them from the Zodiacs.
Auckland Island Teal Ducks on Enderby Island
Doesn't this solitary yellow-eyed penguin have a contemplative look? I can see where they get the "Zen" penguin nickname.
Columns of Volcanic Basalt on Enderby Island
The Auckland Island teal duck is endemic to the Auckland Island group. These flightless birds are rare, and the birders in our group were thrilled to add them to their life list. Note the floating kelp, which was all around the island. It ebbed and flowed with the tides and looked much like wide spinach fettuccini noodles.
Auckland Island Shag
We decided these columns of basalt looked like pencils or crayons lined up in a box.
The Auckland Island shag is a prominent sea bird on Enderby Island. They nest in colonies along the cliff edges. We call shags "cormorants" in the USA.
All too soon our day on Enderby Island was over. However, the Silver Discoverer had one more sub-antarctic island group to visit--The Snares.
Back to page 1 of article on Enderby Island
Cruise Log of Silver Discoverer Expedition to the Wild Islands of the Southern Ocean
Enderby Island is one of the Auckland Islands group of New Zealand sub-antarctic islands. It is just a short distance from Auckland Island. I visited Enderby on a Silversea expedition cruise on the Silver Discoverer. Our ship spent two days in the Auckland Islands--the first at Auckland Island, and the second at Enderby Island. Enderby Island has a large group of New Zealand sea lions (also called Hooker sea lions) and rare yellow-eyed penguins.
We arrived at Enderby Island in the early morning and went ashore in the Zodiacs soon after breakfast. The expedition team had two organized walks. The first was about 7.5 miles and circumnavigated the island. Most of this hike did not have a fixed trail, and so the hikers wore their rubber boots. Only a handful of guests did this long hike, but they all agreed it was worthwhile. They saw more of the island, but not any different wildlife species than those who either explored on their own or did the second hike.
The second hike was less than 2 miles and was mostly on one of the wooden boardwalks we saw on many of the New Zealand islands. This hike went through the Rata forest and across the grasslands covered in Ross lilies and daisy-like megaherbs. Almost everyone went on this hike, which allowed plenty of time to observe the colony of New Zealand sea lions on the beach at Sandy Bay. My friend and I stood on the small hill overlooking the beach for almost 3 hours. The mating rituals and interaction of the huge group of sea lions was mesmerizing, and we had a perfect vantage point.
The photo above shows one of our expedition leaders keeping a male sea lion at bay. We all had brief lessons on using our walking sticks or back packs as a barrier between us and an aggressive sea lion. Fortunately, we could avoid most of them, but it was good to know that this technique worked on the trail.
After lunch back on the ship, we all went exploring in the Zodiacs with the expedition team. We slowly worked our way along the volcanic basalt cliffs, seeing many types of birds and marine mammals. These photos document our day on Enderby Island from the Silver Discoverer.
Page 2 >> Red Coat Invasion of Enderby Island
Page 3 >> Hiking across the Bulbinella
Page 4 >> Hike Objective -- Cliff Overlooking the Sea on Enderby Island
Page 5 >> Hiking through the Rata Forest
Page 6 >> Silver Discoverer at Anchor at Sandy Bay
Page 7 >> Wildflowers on Enderby Island
Page 8 >> Yellow-eyed Penguin in the Bush
Page 9 >> Silver Discoverer Guests and their Ship at Sandy Bay
Page 10 >> Large Male Hooker Sea Lion (New Zealand Sea Lion)
Page 11 >> Baby Sea Lion Pup
Page 12 >> New Zealand Sea Lion Beachmaster with His Harem
Page 13 >> Exploring Enderby Island's Coast on a Zodiac
Page 14 >> Steep Cliffs on Enderby Island
Page 15 >> Zen Yellow-eyed Penguin
Page 16 >> Auckland Island Teal Ducks on Enderby Island
Page 17 >> Columns of Volcanic Basalt
Page 18 >> Auckland Island Shag on Enderby Island
Red Coat Invasion of Enderby Island
Our Zodiacs from the Silver Discoverer landed at Sandy Bay on Enderby Island. We disembarked and went ashore. The buildings in the photo were built by the New Zealand meteorological service, but are no longer manned.
Shipwrecked sailors and farmers lived on Enderby Island in the 19th century, but the island is uninhabited today. Some remnants of buildings and emergency huts the government left for stranded sailors still remain along the trail.
As we hiked across the island, it was very weird to see many New Zealand sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins up in the bush. Usually they are much closer to the ocean. A boardwalk covered part of the trail that might be peat-like or marshy. It was nice to see so many brilliant yellow bulbinella (Ross lilies) blooming on the island.
Hiking across the Bulbinella
Enderby Island is windswept, but has a nice boardwalk. The bright yellow flowers are megaherbs call bulbinella or Ross Lily that only grow in the sub-antarctic. We also saw them on Campbell Island.
The walk across the island to the cliff on the other side was only about a mile, and seeing the Rata forest, bulbinella, and the view from the cliff was worth the effort.
Hike Objective -- Cliff Overlooking the Sea on Enderby Island
The boardwalk on Enderby Island stretches from Sandy Bay to the edge of this cliff. Leaving the cliffside, we walked back across the bluff and through the Rata forest to Sandy Bay.
Hiking through the Rata Forest on Enderby Island
The Rata forest on Enderby Island looks as spooky as the ones we saw on Auckland Island. Some of the trees had gorgeous red flowers on them. As we walked back towards Sandy Bay on the boardwalk, we had a nice view of the Silver Discoverer.
Silver Discoverer at Anchor at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island
Isn't this a nice photo of Sandy Bay and the Silver Discoverer? It was interesting to see the sea lions, wildflowers, and penguins up in the bushes.
Wildflowers on Enderby Island
In addition to the yellow bulbinella (Ross lilies), these daisy-like flowers were also prevalent on Enderby Island. Visitors need to look carefully in the bulbinella and daisies--they might see a solitary penguin.
Yellow-eyed Penguin in the Bush of Enderby Island
Yellow-eyed penguins are some of the rarest in the world, but about 500 pairs live and breed on Enderby Island. Unlike other penguins, they are often seen alone. One of our expedition leaders called them "Zen" penguins since they often seem to be alone and just staring at the horizon.
Leaving the Rata trees and grassland, we made our way to the Sandy Bay beach.
Silver Discoverer Guests and their Ship at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island
This photo looks like all the red-backed Silver Discoverer guests are longingly looking at their ship. In actuality, we were watching the action on the beach at Sandy Bay. Dozens of New Zealand sea lions were demonstrating their mating rituals, sunbathing, or nursing the new born pups.
Baby Sea Lion Pup on Enderby Island
This huge bull New Zealand sea lion was up on the cliff in the grass, but he left us alone, while we kept one eye on him and the other on the beach. The baby sea lions were so cute!
New Zealand Sea Lion Beachmaster with His Harem of Cows
The Sandy Bay beach had many tiny pups with their moms. One of the expedition leaders guessed this one was just a few days old. Like all baby animals and birds, he's really cute. I couldn't help but remember the baby penguins we had seen just a few days before on Macquarie Island.
Most of the sea lions on the beach were grouped into small family units--a large male beachmaster, the females, and pups.
Exploring Enderby Island's Coast on a Zodiac
This beachmaster has gathered his harem of cows and is trying to either keep other bulls from his territory or keep the females from defecting to another bull. It's quite entertaining to watch nature in action.
Steep Cliffs on Enderby Island
After watching the show on the beach for a few hours, we returned to the Silver Discoverer for lunch and then did a Zodiac tour of Sandy Bay.
Yellow-eyed Penguin on Enderby Island
Most of Enderby Island is surrounded by steep volcanic basalt cliffs like these. We got a great view of them from the Zodiacs.
Auckland Island Teal Ducks on Enderby Island
Doesn't this solitary yellow-eyed penguin have a contemplative look? I can see where they get the "Zen" penguin nickname.
Columns of Volcanic Basalt on Enderby Island
The Auckland Island teal duck is endemic to the Auckland Island group. These flightless birds are rare, and the birders in our group were thrilled to add them to their life list. Note the floating kelp, which was all around the island. It ebbed and flowed with the tides and looked much like wide spinach fettuccini noodles.
Auckland Island Shag
We decided these columns of basalt looked like pencils or crayons lined up in a box.
The Auckland Island shag is a prominent sea bird on Enderby Island. They nest in colonies along the cliff edges. We call shags "cormorants" in the USA.
All too soon our day on Enderby Island was over. However, the Silver Discoverer had one more sub-antarctic island group to visit--The Snares.
Back to page 1 of article on Enderby Island
Cruise Log of Silver Discoverer Expedition to the Wild Islands of the Southern Ocean
Source...