17 Jan 2019

A Perfect Day on Macquarie Island

Image (c) R Sagar

Cruising in on a calm Southern Ocean we're greeted by clear blues skies over Macquarie Island on day 7 of our 'In the Wake of Scott & Shackleton' voyage down to Antarctica. Picking up our Rangers from the Australian Base in the early morning, we make our landing at Sandy Bay, truly one of the most beautiful spots on the island, and spend four enlightened hours observing the nature documentary unfolding around us among thousands of proud King and Royal Penguins, curious Elephant Seal weaners and aloof adults, Giant Petrels and opportunistic skua on the look out for their next meal.

Having enjoyed an unforgettable shared moment on this small sandy beach packed with wildlife, we head back aboard Spirit of Enderby for a quick lunch before landing at the isthmus where the crew from the Macquarie Island Station give us a tour en route to their mess where we trade stories over a cup of tea, oven-warm cakes and the opportunity to mail some postcards. With the exceptional weather stretching into the evening, we invite Rangers Chris and Luke back to the ship to join us for dinner followed by an entertaining, impromptu Q&A on Macquarie Island life in the bar as the sun sets on another incredible day on the Southern Ocean.