A flotilla of hundreds of icebergs that split off Antarctic ice shelves is drifting toward New Zealand and could endanger ships in the south Pacific Ocean, experts said.

The nearest one, about 30 meters high, was 160 miles south east of New Zealand's Stewart Island, Australian glaciologist Neal Young said.

He could not say how many icebergs in total were roaming the Pacific, but counted 130 in one satellite image alone and 100 in another.