Charter Options

Tiama is a very comfortable sailing vessel, crewed by a competent, qualified and pleasant crew.

However she is not a luxury liner and guests are encouraged to involve themselves with the operations of the vessel in the areas where they have interest or capability.

The crew will be cooking the meals but everybody is encouraged to have a go in the galley. Washing up after a meal is taken in turn by all on-board where possible. Tiama is equipped with a hot shower, an efficient cabin heater and a very functional interior layout. There is a wide selection of books and music on-board, contributing to making Tiama a comfortable ocean going vessel.

2008/09 southern summer season  charter options

Besides  our research support voyages for various organizations and the  NZ Government we will also be doing  one 12 day voyage to the NZ sub Antarctic islands visiting the Snares, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island. These are great opportunities for bird watchers,  photographers, or for those people who simply would like to see some of  these remote forgotten islands. Tiama is a purpose built  expedition sailing vessel well suited for these regions. The beautiful thing about going on a smaller vessel is that we cater for your individual needs and if you want to spend time in one location and not in another then we just adjust ourselves to your wishes.

We hold a concession from the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC) to visit the recognized landing sites on these specially  protected islands and a DOC representative will be onboard on every trip.

Dates

Voyage:  Dates are  from 7 January 2009 to 18 January 2009 a 12 day voyage to Auckland  and Campbell island

Departure and return: On the first day everybody gathers onboard Tiama at 10 am  at the island Harbour Dock 1 Port of Bluff., estimated time for departure is 11 am. We will aim to be back in Bluff at the end of the voyage 12 days later around mid day.

Price: Individual bookings $4930.-  per person plus Dept of Conservation permit fees, landing fees and DOC Representation $870.-  per person Total all inclusive price is $5800.- NZ per person

Price: Group bookings $27,000 for a maximum of 5 clients onboard.

Suggested route description day by day:

Day 1: 0930: Join the boat in Bluff Harbour and get comfortably settled in. Then we will have a safety briefing and head out to sea, where we will encounter the big birds of the Southern Ocean in their element.

Day 2: Is spend at sea, there will be plenty of opportunity to observe the sea birds of the Southern Ocean.

Day 3 : We plan to  arrive early in the morning in Port Ross and anchor off  Erebus Cove or Enderby island (depending on weather conditions) and go ashore to have a look at the old  historic abandoned Hardwick settlement.

Day 4: We will spend the day on  a walk around Enderby Island where there is a  big colony of Hookers Sea Lions on Sandy Beach as well as nesting Royal Albatross and Yellow -Eyed Penguins in the tangled scrub.  There are plenty off Bellbirds, Red Crowned Parakeets and Tomtits in this area. We will also see Mega Herbs flowering and on display at this time of year. Also at this time we may see the flightless and rare endemic Teal  doing its thing in the surf as Sandy Beach close to our landing spot.

Day 5: We will visit the remains of the old  WWII coast watcher's hut at Ranui Cove, with the opportunity to walk up to the restored hidden lookout overlooking the northern  end of the Auckland Islands. In the afternoon we will sail down the East Coast to Garnley Harbour and anchor there for the night.

Day 6: A walk up to the cliffs of South West Cape to visit the White Capped Albatross colony. It is a bit of a walk but well worth it. At the end of the day we will depart for  Campbell Island - a 24 hour sail.

Day 7: A day spent at sea en route to Campbell Island. Normally this is a comfortable  down wind sail giving ample opportunities to observe the different species of albatross in their natural habitat. We will probably arrive late in the day and depending on wind directions, anchor in North West Bay.

Day 8: An opportunity to visit the big penguin rookery in Penguin Bay. At the end of the day we will up anchor and sail down the South Coast to Perseverance Harbor with a possible stop at the penguin rookery in "Majestic" Monument Harbour. Then at the end of the day anchor in Perseverance Harbour.

Day 9 and 10 We will be spending the next 2 days in Perseverance Harbour doing a few more of the splendid Campbell Island walks. Some of the options are Col-Lyall up to the summit ridge and walks to South East Bay, with  lots of opportunity to see the Southern Royal Albatross and the regeneration of the Mega Herbs that are re-colonizing the  now  rodent free island. There is also the remains of the 2 old abandoned weather stations, as well as artifacts of the various  failed human occupations of the Island. At the end of Day 10 we will start heading back north again

Day 11 and  12:  Will be spent at sea.  Our estimated time of arrival back  in Bluff  will be around mid day.

This voyage should be interesting as well as good fun.  We have  a great professional crew onboard who love the NZ Sub Antarctic Islands. This summer will be our seventh year that we are  working in the area. We will also be doing a variety of other charters to the Sub Antarctic as a  logistical support vessel for the NZ Dept of Conservation, and NIWA research trips.  It is in part thanks to that work we have an extensive library onboard covering the human and natural history of these fascinating islands.

We are also available for  expedition charters to the Antarctic, the Arctic and anywhere in between, please contact us directly for a competitive quote.