All About World Heritage Sites

The conservation minister wanted to expand a remote island marine sanctuary – but Kiwi leaders threatened legal action.

Source: How the spectre of legal action loomed over an aborted plan to extend the Campbell Island marine sanctuary

It’s one of the most pristine places left on earth – so why has the Government ignored advice to protect it?

Source: Lost at Sea: Labour and Greens split over Campbell Island sanctuary

An essay by Matt Vance in response to a monumental study of one of the world’s great birdlands – the bleak, uninhabited, and spectacular Auckland Islands.

Source: To see the albatross is to belong to a higher cult of mortals

Join Rand Rudland at the Sunshine Coast Natural History Society meeting on Friday, March 6 for an illustrated presentation that will take you to the Southern Ocean in the Roaring Forties and . . .

Source: Explore New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands

If you love birds and crazy weather, you’ve come to the right place!

Source: Campbell Island is my happy place

One of the most diverse and biologically rich places in the Southern Ocean, it’s a place that will blow your mind every moment of the day.

Source: Auckland Islands: Visiting one of the last protected wilderness areas on earth

Venturing out to the remotest islands on the planet is rewarded with otherworldly vistas and close encounters with incredible wildlife, some of which are found nowhere else.

Source: 10 of the least known islands you should visit to see wildlife

The most remote tree in the world is more than 170 miles from its nearest neighbor.

Source: World’s Loneliest Tree

Read more from source

Imagine wandering black volcanic sand beaches on Macquarie Island, mingling with 800,000 Royal Penguins totally unconcerned by your presence. As interested in you as you are in them.

Or visiting Snares Island, boasting more birdlife than that found in the entire British Isles. This is a bird watcher’s (and photographer’s) nirvana!

Far flung these islands may be, yet far from barren. Often referred to as ‘The Galapagos of the Southern Ocean’ these UNESCO World Heritage Sub Antarctic Islands throb with life. Protected by their remoteness they are breeding grounds for vast colonies of penguins, home to pods of orcas, fur seals and sea lions. “Almost half the world’s albatross and penguin species reside here in a pristine environment where tourism, frankly, does not exist” observes Mick Fogg who will be heading the Expedition Team in 2019.

Read more

With more than 1,070 Unesco World Heritage sites across the world, it can be difficult to appreciate their wonder. So here we present a shortlist of the most visually stunning.

• The Unesco World Heritage List celebrates geographical locations of cultural or physical significance 
• Revised by a board of officials each year, the most recent list boasts a staggering 1,073 global destinations 
• Here, we highlight 21 of the most stunning listings, ranging from historic Cairo to Australia’s Fraser Island

Some represent a masterpiece of human creative genius, while others bear testimony to cultural traditions.

But, whatever their credentials, the Unesco World Heritage sites are always places to behold.

Areas of unparalleled excellence, each destination is geographically or historically unique in the footprint it has left on earth.

Read more

I love traveling to places that are lesser known, but spectacular. It makes me feel like I’ve found this great little secret. New Zealand of course is well known, but the New Zealand islands are not, and that’s exactly why they should be on your New Zealand itinerary. The Subantarctic Islands, aren’t really a secret to Australians and New Zealanders, because they’re in their backyard. However to many other people, specifically North Americans, you’ve probably never heard of these island groups that lie in the Southern Ocean…until now.

The discovery of most of these islands occurred in the early 1800’s. Whalers and sealers set up temporary bases, the islands becoming one of the principal sealing stations in the Pacific in the years immediately after their discovery. The wildlife was nearly decimated during that time.

Read more

“Galapagos of the Southern Ocean” is how Heritage Expeditions Rodney Russ describes the subantarctic islands.

Once harvested of their wildlife, the islands are now recognised as among the most significant natural habitats in the world, and are UNESCO World Heritage sites. They have the highest level of protection and entry is by permit only. Deep in the Southern Ocean between New Zealand and Antarctica, access is difficult and few people are able to visit these barren locations.

One company taking passengers to visit – and to sea kayak with me as their guide – is Christchurch-based Heritage Expeditions, which was started by Russ after working as a biologist with the NZ Wildlife Service on the islands in the 1970s. His aim was to create “wilderness ambassadors” – people who would become advocates of these special places.

Read more

On New Zealand’s Campbell Island near Antarctica, some plants grow surprisingly large despite the inhospitable conditions. We may finally know how they do it.

For many people, New Zealand is an exotic destination in a far corner of the world. For New Zealanders, of course, it is just home. But even the locals have to travel a surprisingly long way to reach the most remote part of the country. In fact, they have to sail south of the mainland for 600km.

At the end of a journey that can take almost three days, you would reach New Zealand’s most southerly territory: Campbell Island.

Campbell Island received Unesco World Heritage Site status in 1998 for its unique biodiversity, but nobody is offering tour packages. Perhaps it is because the long journey seems hardly worth it.

The island is cold, wet and windy.

Read more