I was lucky enough to find 10 species of orchid while I was in New Zealand, some on the South Island and some on the sub-Antarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands.
Read MoreOf yellow eyes and rock hoppers
It's hard to not love penguins. Very hard, in fact. Cuteness factor is through the roof, and I'm convinced that most people actually just want to hug them. I am happy to report that sub-Antarctic penguins do indeed look very cute, with a healthy dose of comical and adorable.
Read MoreMegaherbs: botanical curiosities
The name gives it away. Megaherbs are particularly large herbs. 'Carrots', 'cabbages' and giant diasies up to 1.5 meters tall with big, colourful flowerheads and leaves the size of dinner plates. They are only found on a handful of islands south of New Zealand in the middle of the Southern Ocean, in a zone between the temperate and the Antarctic. The sub-Antarctic. Here, extreme temperatures are not the main problem: rather, the near-constant wind, rain and general cloudiness make it challenging for both the plants and their pollinators.
Read MoreA day on Enderby Island
On our first morning, we awoke close to the Snares, with hopes of a zodiac cruise and Snares Crested Penguins. But 60 knot winds left that idea dead in the water. Instead, we headed onwards toward Auckland Island...
Fast foward 24 hours and we awoke to complete calm: the sun was rising, the wind was still, the waters of Ross Harbour were smooth, and everyone was smiling. It was going to be a good day.
Read MoreThe forgotten islands: sub-Antarctic New Zealand
A few months ago I was lucky enough to be awarded an Enderby Trust scholarship. The Trust was set up by Rodney Russ, the founder of Heritage Expeditions, and the scholarship aims to provide young people with an opportunity to visit the sub-Antarctic and Antarctica, who otherwise wouldn't have the financial means. The scholarship pays for 70% of the Heritage Expeditions voyage fare, and the recipients pay the rest. For all four of us scholarship recipients who went on this voyage, it was a rare opportunity to visit an amazing part of the world which, but for the scholarship, we would not have been able to experience.
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