Galapagos of the Southern Ocean: New Zealand & Australia’s Subantarctic Islands

Remote, windswept and spectacularly alive, the Subantarctic Islands remain one of the planet’s last great wildlife strongholds. Scattered across the Southern Ocean south of New Zealand and Australia, these isolated islands support immense seabird colonies, vast marine mammal gatherings, and ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth. Travelling aboard the Heritage Adventurer with Heritage Expeditions, this small-group photography expedition led by Rachel Bigsby explores Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, the Auckland Islands and The Snares, offering extraordinary opportunities to photograph Penguins, Albatross, Seals, and the wildlife of the Southern Ocean in some of the most remote environments accessible anywhere on Earth.

Expedition Highlights

• 12-day expedition voyage through the Southern Ocean

• Explore Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, Auckland Islands, and The Snares

• Limited to just 8 photographers for highly personalised guidance

• Photograph Royal Penguins, King Penguins, Yellow-eyed Penguins, and Snares Crested Penguins

• Southern Royal Albatross at close range on Campbell Island

• Southern Elephant Seals during peak breeding activity

• Extensive opportunities for pelagic seabird photography at sea

• Daily Zodiac excursions and shore landings (conditions permitting)

• Access to a private Zodiac for increased photographic flexibility

• Onboard image reviews, photography sessions, and one-to-one tuition

• Creative techniques including high key, low key, and in-camera multiple exposures

• Strong emphasis on producing finished images in camera

The Subantarctic Islands feel almost impossible to describe. Cliffs pulse with seabirds. Penguins gather in numbers that seem difficult to comprehend. Albatross circle endlessly above the ocean while Elephant Seals battle across black sand beaches beneath relentless Southern Ocean winds. These islands exist in isolation, shaped by weather, distance and the powerful marine systems that surround them. Reaching them is an expedition in itself. Travelling aboard the Heritage Adventurer, we journey deep into one of the most biologically rich regions of the Southern Hemisphere. Conditions dictate the rhythm of each day. Wildlife encounters unfold in real time, shaped by sea state, light, wind, and the unpredictability that defines true expedition travel.

Macquarie Island offers some of the most overwhelming wildlife spectacles anywhere on Earth. Endemic Royal Penguins crowd the beaches in astonishing density — the only place on the planet where they breed — while King Penguins move through the colonies with a calm, unmistakable presence. Along the shoreline, Southern Elephant Seals dominate the beaches, their interactions ranging from moments of stillness to explosive confrontations between rival bulls as Giant Petrels nest between.

On Campbell Island, the pace changes. Here, Southern Royal Albatross nest across open slopes swept by near-constant wind. Photographing them becomes less about spectacle and more about attention: subtle interactions between pairs, delicate movements of birds weighing several kilograms, and the extraordinary precision with which they move through the air. Few places in the world allow such close and prolonged encounters with these immense seabirds. The Auckland Islands and Enderby Island offer equally intimate moments. Endangered Yellow-eyed Penguins emerge cautiously from dense vegetation before crossing open ground toward the sea, following the same narrow pathways between nest and shoreline. These quieter encounters provide opportunities to slow down and focus on atmosphere, behaviour, and storytelling.

At The Snares, steep coastlines and dense seabird colonies create entirely different photographic possibilities and zodiac cruises allow close views of endemic Snares Crested Penguins moving between sea and colony along natural rock chutes carved by generations of use.

Long days at sea are not simply transitions between islands, but a defining part of the experience. The Southern Ocean is home to some of the world’s greatest flying seabirds, and photographing them from the deck becomes an exercise in anticipation, timing, and understanding movement within constantly changing conditions.

Wandering, Royal, Black Browed, Bullers, Campbell and other Albatross species, Petrels, Prions, and Shearwaters glide effortlessly alongside the vessel, often passing within metres. For photographers, these pelagic days offer exceptional opportunities to refine birds-in-flight techniques while working with dramatic weather, fast-changing light, and open-ocean compositions.

Throughout the expedition, Rachel offers tailored, in-field tuition shaped around each participant. Guidance is grounded in real conditions from exposure and autofocus in difficult environments to the more nuanced process of recognising behaviour, refining compositions, and developing a personal visual style. You will work with Rachel’s distinctive creative techniques including high key and low key imagery, in-camera multiple exposures, and motion-based approaches such as intentional camera movement and shutter drag. Central to her teaching is a commitment to creating images in camera, refining light, composition, and timing in the field, rather than relying on post-production.

This is an expedition shaped not only by wildlife, but by immersion and, an opportunity to work within one of the most remote and ecologically extraordinary environments left on Earth. For more information, follow the link: https://www.heritage-expeditions.com/rachel-bigsby/#season-rachel-2026-27-4

About Rachel

Rachel Bigsby is a wildlife photographer specialising in seabirds, known for work that balances visual impact with behavioural depth. Her images are shaped as much by observation and fieldcraft as they are by composition and light, an approach developed through years of independent study and time spent volunteering with seabirds in remote coastal environments. She is the winner of the 'Natural Artistry' category in Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Portfolio Winner of Bird Photographer of the Year. Her work has been published by organisations including National Geographic, and she is a Nikon Europe creator and RSPB ambassador. Rachel has photographed extensively across the Antarctic, subantarctic islands, the Falklands, the Arctic, and the British Isles, often working in challenging marine conditions. Alongside her photography, she lectures internationally, with talks hosted by institutions such as the Royal Geographical Society and the Natural History Museum. As an IAATO-certified expedition guide, licensed powerboat operator, and advanced first aid professional, she brings a high level of operational experience to her workshops. This ensures that participants are supported not only creatively, but practically, allowing them to focus fully on their work in the field. Her teaching combines tailored, in-field tuition with an emphasis on observation-led photography, helping participants develop a personal visual style while working with light, movement, behaviour and creative technique in a deliberate and considered way.