| | | | | Arrive | Depart |
| 6th06 | JanJan | 202626 | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, embark on the Scenic Eclipse II | | |
| Straddling the Derwent River at the foot of Mt. Wellington's forested slopes, Hobart was founded as a penal settlement in 1803. It's the second-oldest city in the country after Sydney, and it certainly rivals its mainland counterpart as Australia's most beautiful state capital. Close-set colonial brick-and-sandstone shops and homes line the narrow, quiet streets, creating a genteel setting for this historic city of 215,000. Life revolves around the broad Derwent River port, one of the deepest harbors in the world. Here warehouses that once stored Hobart's major exports of fruit, wool, and corn and products from the city's former whaling fleet still stand alongside the wharf today.Hobart sparkles between Christmas and New Year's—summer Down Under—during the annual Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race. The event dominates conversations among Hobart's citizens, who descend on Constitution Dock to welcome the yachts and join in the boisterous festivities of the crews. The New Year also coincides with the Tastes of Tasmania Festival, when the dockside area comes alive with the best of Tasmanian food and wine on offer in numerous cafés, bars, and waterfront stalls. Otherwise, Hobart is a placid city whose nightlife is largely confined to excellent restaurants, jazz clubs, and the action at the Wrest Point Casino in Sandy Bay.The Hobart Tasmanian Travel and Information Centre hours are weekdays 8:30–5:30 and Saturday 9–5. Fly from the UK to Hobart.The Tasmanian capital always makes an impression, from the boats bobbing in its pretty harbour to its thought-provoking galleries and produce-driven restaurants. The crew will warmly greet you as you seamlessly board Scenic Eclipse. Settle into your luxurious suite and acquaint yourself with the world-class facilities of your Discovery Yacht. Toast the start of your voyage as you sail away from Australia. Please book your flight to arrive into Hobart prior to 02:00 PM. |
| 7th07 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 8th08 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 9th09 | JanJan | 202626 | Macquarie Island, Tasmania, Australia | | |
| Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its major geoconservation significance. It is the only island in the world that is entirely composed of oceanic crust and rocks from the mantel. The unique diversity of the island makes it a truly remarkable place to visit. Sand Bay is located on the east coast where you will find Royal and King Penguin rookeries as well as Southern Elephant Seals, and if the weather permits, you will have the opportunity to get closer on a Zodiac®. Macquarie Island is a place that sparks every sense. First smell, then sound… then sight. From a distance, Macquarie’s earth appears to be moving. As Scenic Eclipse approaches you realise that the land is, in fact, heaving – under the weight of millions of penguins.
Subject to permits, you will get to see this spectacle of epic proportions, an extraordinary landscape hosting one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Southern Ocean. You may witness countless tuxedoed, bushy eyebrowed and golden crowned penguins – king, rockhopper, gentoo and the endemic royal. Or they may you may greet guests who step ashore with squarks and squeaks. Occasionally one flops down for ice surfing, paddling on its belly like a torpedo-shaped toboggan. The youngsters, fluffy, impossibly cute, have the gleeful look of children allowed to stay up past their bedtime for a grown-up gathering.
You’re likely to see leopard seals that patrol the waters, southern elephant seals that peek from tussocked dunes, and sooty albatrosses that circle overhead. |
| 10th10 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 11th11 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 12th12 | JanJan | 202626 | Balleny Islands, New Zealand | | |
Almost completely mantled by ice, Young Island is the northernmost island in the Balleny archipelago, a 160-kilometre-long chain of volcanic islands (some of them still active) that is a delightful surprise and completely different to the rest of the Antarctic landscape.
The Balleny Islands are remote and ravishing, their location straddling the Antarctic Circle leaving them heavily glaciated. Landings aren’t permitted, but in favourable weather conditions you may have the chance to explore by Zodiac for a front-row seat to one of the greatest convergences of wildlife in the world.
Humpbacks, fin and minke whales may put on a show while we are nearby, breaching and blowing and slapping their tails. Crabeater, Weddell, elephant and leopard seals loll about, sunbaking between swims. And Adélie and chinstrap penguins march and squark, creating a cacophony that is strangely melodic.
Make sure you head to the Observation Deck for an unbroken view or enjoy the comforts of your private verandah to take in every moment navigating this incredible region. |
| 13th13 | JanJan | 202626 | Balleny Islands, New Zealand | | |
At the other end of the chain, Sturge is the southernmost island in the Balleny archipelago. Pull out your binoculars or head for the telescopes in the Observation Lounge, because this particular slip of land has been declared and Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.
Twitchers will rejoice at spotting the enormous breeding colonies of southern fulmers and snow petrels, which set up base on the ice-free cliffs along the western and northern coasts. Trust your expert Discovery Team for insights about the region and its rich birdlife. |
| 14th14 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 15th15 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 16th16 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 17th17 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 18th18 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 19th19 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 20th20 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 21st21 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 22nd22 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 23rd23 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 24th24 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 25th25 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 26th26 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 27th27 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 28th28 | JanJan | 202626 | At Sea | | |
| 29th29 | JanJan | 202626 | Dunedin, New Zealand, disembark the Scenic Eclipse II | | |
| Clinging to the walls of the natural amphitheater at the west end of Otago Harbour, the South Island's second-largest city is enriched with inspiring nearby seascapes and wildlife. Because Dunedin is a university town, floods of students give the city a vitality far greater than its population of 122,000 might suggest. Its manageable size makes it easy to explore on foot—with the possible exception of Baldwin Street, the world's steepest residential street and home to the annual "gutbuster" race, in which people run up it, and the "Jaffa" race, in which people roll the namesake spherical chocolate candy down it.Dunedin, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, was founded in 1848 by settlers of the Free Church of Scotland, a breakaway group from the Presbyterian Church. The city's Scottish roots are still visible; you'll find New Zealand's first and only (legal) whisky distillery, a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and more kilts, sporrans, and gillies than you can shake a stick at! The Scottish settlers and local Māori came together in relative peace, but this wasn't true of the European whalers who were here three decades before, as places with names such as Murdering Beach illustrate.Dunedin has always had a reputation for the eccentric. Wearing no shoes and a big beard here marks a man as bohemian rather than destitute, and the residents wouldn't have it any other way. The University of Otago was the country's first university and has been drawing writers ever since its founding in 1871, most notably Janet Frame and the poet James K. Baxter. Dunedin also has a musical heritage, which blossomed into the "Dunedin Sound" of the 1970s and '80s. Your voyage ends in Dunedin – knowing there’s still nothing between you and Antarctica but swathes of icy ocean. After breakfast, it’s time to bid farewell to your intrepid new friends and your incredible Scenic Eclipse crew, who have made your voyage so remarkable. Transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK. Please book your flight to depart out of Dunedin after 12:00 PM. |
