See these extraordinary islands before they change forever

It’s near the end of my journey, standing on a boardwalk on remote Campbell Island, more than 600 kilometres south of New Zealand, when I experience a moment of clarity.

For the first time during the trip, I’m alone. Other passengers have headed back to our ship or are still up on the hill behind me, watching albatrosses.

There’s no one else in sight and no sound save for the strong wind. I look out on the landscape – treeless, but green, covered in thick shrubs and long grass, with rocky hills rising in the distance – and realise that I’ll probably never see this place again in my lifetime. And if I do, it’s likely it will never be the same.

Heritage Expeditions is one of the few companies that operate cruises to the sub-Antarctic islands of Australia and New Zealand, and I’ve boarded its expedition ship, the Heritage Adventurer, for its 12-day “Galapagos of the Southern Ocean” journey.

It’s an appropriate title, as the islands we visit are home to abundant endemic wildlife, much like Ecuador’s famous islands.

I arrive, along with the other passengers, in Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island, where we spend the night before transferring to Bluff at the southern tip of the island to board our ship.

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Although we’re all on board in the afternoon, due to strong winds and swell the ship doesn’t depart until 1am. We awake to rough seas – something to be expected in this part of the world. Seasickness hits several passengers, including me. Fortunately I have strong and effective medication with me that relieves my nausea, if leaving me a little drowsy.

Despite our late departure, we arrive at our first destination, by lunchtime. Dramatic granite landscapes jut from the ocean in jagged cliff faces, some forming proper islands, others mere rocky outcrops like wizened fingers pointing skyward. These are the Snares, a collection of islands named for their hazardous nature, whose ruggedness means they remain virtually untouched by humans.

Although the waters are still choppy, our captain finds a calmer spot to board Zodiacs and cruise the coastline. We won’t make landings here, given the geography, but the steep terrain doesn’t deter the local Snares penguins, sporting stylish bright eyebrows, who have little trouble jumping up the rocks to higher ground when they return from the ocean.

Despite the swells and splashes – I quickly learn the difference between “waterproof” and “water-resistant” clothing (and regret wearing the latter) – we’re able to get within a few metres of penguin colonies, along with New Zealand sea lions and fur seals lazing on the rocks.

By the next morning we’re already at our second stop, the Auckland Islands, formed by the remains of an ancient volcano.