Finding waves in the subantarctic islands of New Zealand is a bit of a needle in a haystack quest. There's a lot of very active ocean down there – the islands are smack bang in the firing line of the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties on the edge of the Subtropical Convergence where the warmer water from the north meets the cooler waters of the Antarctic.
Getting to the furthest island group, Campbell Island is a 378 nautical mile (about 700km) journey from Bluff by ship. We head past Stewart Island's east coast and then give The Traps a wide berth – they're two very shallow sandmounts just beyond Stewart Island. I wonder if they might hold waves like some kind of Cortez Bank of the south, but the watchman isn't keen to go any closer. "We're seven nautical miles from them," he explains in his Russian-accented English. "Not close enough to see breaking waves."
The Snares are next – a jagged rocky impediment of islands that caught many sailors by surprise, as much for its ominous appearance as it appeared through the Southern Ocean mists as for the fact it was charted incorrectly on early maps.
From The Snares there is nothing but ocean all the way to Campbell Island. Somehow we crossed that water with a dying northeast swell, which is extremely uncommon – a following sea for us. And luck continued to shine on us – Campbell Island has 325 days of rain or drizzle each year and we awoke to sunshine at anchorage in Perseverance Harbour.
In our brief window on Campbell Island we managed to find a couple of spots with potential for good surf. You can read the full story of our Campbell Island surf discovery over on New Zealand Surf Journal. Let's just say these waves are the preserve of the hardiest surfers only.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS We'd like to thank Heritage Expeditions, New Zealand Geographic, The North Face and Nikon New Zealand for supporting our adventures in the subantarctic islands. Without these companies, none of this would be possible.
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