2073: In the Wake of Scott & Shackleton 8 February 2020

Day 1: Sunday 9th February Invercargill, New Zealand

Southland (Murihiku) is the southern region of New Zealand and has 3400km of coastline. The region includes Stewart Island (Rakiura) and Fiordland National Park of 7860km2 dominated by mountains, fjords, and glacial lakes with the last ice age 75,000-15,000 years ago.

Southland has a long history with early Maori and Europeans that included sealers, whalers and missionaries. By 1912 Maori travelled extensively and a Maori House was built in 1831, for trade from Ruapuke Island and Stewart Island. On 10 June 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on HMS Herald at Ruapuke and in 1853 Walter G. Mantell purchased the Southland region from local Maori. Part of the agreement allowed for schools and hospitals to be provided alongside each Ngāi Tahu village. However, this was not fulfilled and boundaries of land were not made clear.

In 1861 Invercargill ceded from Otago and over the decades, large numbers of Scottish settlers arrived and an export industry based on butter and cheese, led to dairy farming. The population (June 2018) is 100,400 and today, Southland’s economy includes agriculture, tourism, fishing, forestry, coal and hydro power.

Today our expedition began at the city of Invercargill which has a population of 48,700 or 48.1% of the region (June 2019). Most of us were already booked into the Kelvin Hotel and the staff looked after us extremely well.

This evening we had a fine dinner with hot pumpkin soup, roast lamb and vegetables followed by, pavlova, ice cream, fruit salad and vegetarian option. It was a good opportunity also to meet our fellow explorers who will be with us. We also enjoyed meeting Nathan Russ, Heritage Expeditions Director of Operations, Samuel Blanc from France our Expedition Leader and Rachael our Cruise Director. Over two days, fuel, freshwater and provisions were loaded on our ship and expedition staff arrived.

Day 2: Monday 10th February
Excursion in Southland. Depart Bluff and pass Stewart Island
Noon position - Bluff: Latitude: 46o 35.613’S; Longitude: 168o 20.327’E
Air: 10oC Water: 14oC

This morning we rose to a cold, cloudy morning, with occasional light rain, a cool 10oC and 20 knot south-west wind.

Staff leaving the ship for Invercargill, were seen to walk the plank. At the Kelvin, Heidi from the Heritage Expeditions Christchurch office, Dan and David of the expedition staff, checked and labelled our luggage which was loaded in a truck for conveyance to the ship. Then 43 from our total of 49, chose to see the Southland country side and beautiful southern end of The Catlins. Our coach driver for McDermott’s was Kerry, and David provided a commentary on the Southland region, its history and on Invercargill the capital.

Because of damage to roads after heavy rain this week when a state of emergency was declared for Southland, we headed inland to Wyndham a small town similar to others in the region, before turning back toward Fortrose on the coast. We had views of the various farming activities and of stock including dairy cows, including Belted Galloways, sheep, red deer and some alpacas. At Edendale and as light rain fell, lawn bowlers were observed playing and on the large estuary near Fortrose, in addition to various birds such as Black Oystercatchers and Stewart Island or Pied Shags, a wind surfer was braving the elements.

Near Waikawa an unusually large flock of Paradise Ducks was seen as we left more open country for hills and a special swamp plough to create or extent drainage was observed. Long stretches of old dunes with beyond ancient sea cliffs from the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic, was seen and soon we were at our destination, Curio Bay.

Curio Bay
At Curio Bay, we walked along paths with flax borders and boxes to trap predators, to the world-famous Jurassic fossil forest, thought to have once had 550-850 trees/hectare. Ancient conifers were closely related to modern New Zealand Kauri and Norfolk pines. There was excellent signage and embedded in sandstone, were trunks, some with bark, stumps and with growth rings, indicating a likely seasonal climate. The orientation of the trunks and height of stumps, suggested the trees may have been flattened in an eruption blast.

The trees were well preserved because wood was impregnated with silica within weeks or months since volcanic eruption with massive floods of ash and debris, or from later heavy rain on a barren volcanic mountain and the forest is thought to have grown back at least four times in 20,000 years. It is thought to have existed when there was a semi-tropical climate and before grasses and flowering plants came into existence.

Younger rocks in Southland range from 0.25 to 40 million years ago, while older and hard basement rocks are of 150-280 million years. It is not known when the site was found although geologists perhaps from the University of Otago may have been aware of the well preserved fossils about 100 years ago.

In the vicinity the world’s most endangered penguin, the Yellow-eyed Penguin or Hoiho, with less than 300 breeding pairs on the New Zealand mainland and 80% of fledglings dying in their first year at sea breed here, although none were seen today. Hector’s dolphin, New Zealand Fur Seals and Sea Lions are know to frequent the area.

Many of us enjoyed walking the 10 minute circuit through the lush, cool, “Living Forest” with many beautiful trees. These included a 15m tall Southern Rata that unlike others of the species in Dunedin and Auckland Islands was not flowering. The forest was peaceful, and only a light breeze kept us company. Various trees identified by signage, included Wheke ponga which unlike Katote, the soft tree fern, had a trunk of wood but a similar crown of fronds; Hall’s Totara; Miro or Brown pine; Rimu or red pine, Manuka or tea tree and a Comprosma named Mingimingi. We left the forest and were soon in an area of tall, straight Rimu poles.

We observed after leaving the bush that some of the trees had a dense canopy, which from beyond the forest, was seen to be bent over from the wind and a further adaption to the environment was a tolerance to salt in the air. The few birds seen or heard included Tui, Bellbird and a Brown Creeper which harried under the ground cover of fern, seedling trees and shrubs.

At noon, we boarded our coach and travelled the short distance to the Niagara Falls Café.

In 1893 a classroom was located here and the school is named, tongue in cheek, after the ‘other’ North American falls, by a surveyor who could see the similarity between the two. An arrow points to a photograph of the local landscape. Education for the children of saw millers (The Catlins has a long history of saw-milling) and farmers, ceased here when the mill closed. In 1972 school classes and pupils went to Quarry Hills, along with those children from Waikawa and Progress Valley Schools.

Lunch with beef or vegetarian lasagna, a blueberry or banana and chocolate muffin with a coffee or tea was served by a very friendly staff. This enabled a further opportunity to talk amongst ourselves. By now the day had cleared and we then headed to Invercargill and the Kelvin Hotel where possessions and other passengers were collected.

Bluff
From what we saw of Bluff 27km from Invercargill, it appeared an interesting place and was discovered by the brig Perseverance in 1813. Already there was a Ngāi Tahu Maori settlement on the seaward side of Bluff Hill (265m). The town became a trading post and in 1836, a whaling station was established. In 1917 Campbell Town as the place was named was renamed Bluff, although the name had been in regular use by locals for many years.

Today, Bluff is a busy port noted for its annual oyster festival and following the Piping in of the traditional Ode to the Oyster, there are oyster opening and eating competitions. Other fish include the famous blue cod and crayfish (rock lobster) and more fish is landed here than at any other New Zealand port.

After a 20 minute trip, we then arrived at the ship 3 p.m. Here we first visited the Bridge to clear Customs, were shown by staff our cabins, then had an opportunity to explore the ship. We parted from the wharf at 5.10 p.m. and with a wild sea upon us, it was interesting to see the Pilot clamber down a rope ladder and onto the deck of the Pilot launch Takitimu 2. His bag of documents was lowered using a rope and the Pilot received a good shower from a starboard wave. Several sea birds including Sooty Shearwaters and Antarctic Terns were seen as we headed into Foveaux Strait.

At 3.45 p.m. we assembled in the lecture room. Samuel introduced the staff who briefly spoke and then Rachael went through a check-list to help us be familiar with the ship and what was expected of us. Samuel then gave a safety briefing which included the general emergency and abandon ship alarms and lifeboat drill. We were not long in our cabins when at 6.30 p.m. as we neared the east coast of Stewart Island, all passengers were advised to report to their life boat, of which two are on board. The seemingly ancient but reliable engine, was started by a Russian crewman and soon the drill was over.

Nearly an hour was enjoyed in the bar/library and at 7.30 p.m. we had an excellent meal, with the Main choices being New Zealand lamb rack with herb crust on thyme jus, or crispy skin New Zealand salmon, a vegetarian option and the final, was a delightful vanilla panacotta with pineapple and plum.

With often the possibility always of rough weather ahead, Samuel suggested we make sure our possessions were carefully stowed and to remember the advice of “one hand to the ship and one for yourself.” We were soon passing the east coast of Stewart Island/Rakiura and with a calmer sea, many decided to have an early night.

Day 3: Tuesday 11th February
Southern Ocean enroute to Campbell Island
Noon position - Latitude: 49o 35.613’S; Longitude: 168o 17.570’E
Air: 8oC Water: 11oC

At 9.25 a.m. Samuel advised the weather is likely to remain the same however, no lectures will be held this morning and for lunch at 1 p.m. the ship will again make a slight course change, as was done for breakfast today. By 9.40 a.m. course had been changed and we continued towards Campbell Island which is administered by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.

A small group of hardy souls was in the bar/library however, most were using the quiet morning for a lie down. A few birds about included Sooty Shearwaters and at noon a solitary Wandering Albatross was gliding above the waves. The sea had calmed a little although there was the occasional roll with one registering nearly 50o on the Bridge clinometer.

Today we had as usual, lunch at 1 p.m. although there was not many takers. The pasta dish with a filling of sliced mushroom and zucchini and with melted cheese on top was excellent.

There was little done all afternoon and the sea was calmer although an occasional wave hit a port hole with a loud boom and which resembled a view inside a washing machine. The bar opened for a few and the Chefs did an amazing job with Rachael and Dan assisting with drinks and the fine meal of steak or tuna.

Our ship returned to its course with a few unwanted waves to help our way. Most of us had an early night, in preparation for tomorrow.

Day 4: Tuesday 11th February
Campbell Island. Col Lyall
Noon position – Latitude: 52o 32.940’S; Longitude: 169o 09.590’E
Air: 7.6oC Water: 10oC

Most of us managed some sleep last night however, this morning the Southern Ocean still has a long way to go, before the rolling of the Spirit of Enderby eases. Seabirds beginning to appear included Light-mantled Sooty Albatross and Southern Royal Albatross, both of which nest on Campbell Island. Black-billed Storm-petrel and Northern Giant Petrel were also observed.

We had a hearty breakfast with preserved and fresh fruit, bacon, scrambled egg and porridge, then a comfortable morning as we looked forward to going ashore on Campbell Island.

Later this morning, as we entered the lee of the island, the sea calmed for us and the following notes on Campbell Island should be of interest. There is also several books published on the island including wildlife and the human history, with some in the ship library.

Campbell Island – a few notes
Campbell Island on the Campbell Plateau is the dissected remnant of a volcano and at Perseverance Harbour can be seen excellent columnar basalt, one of several elsewhere on the island and the result of slow cooling of the basalt lava. Basement rocks are schist and are overlain by Cretaceous sandstone, conglomerate, carbonaceous mudstone and limestone outcrops in a few places. In the Paleozoic (dating from 2mya) the island was glaciated and evidence for this, includes cirque basins which at one stage were ice-filled with perhaps an icefall and later a lake with an outlet stream. The highest hill is Mt Honey (569m) and if a good day, wonderful views are enjoyed.

The island has a unique flora with an upper alpine zone, lower alpine zone and a sub-alpine zone. There are 29 species of bird life including six species of albatross, shag, pipit, teal and snipe; the last four endemic to the island. The Southern Royal Albatross is closely related to the bird breeding at Taiaroa Head near Dunedin.

Campbell Island has a long and fascinating history. The island was discovered 4 January 1810, by the same mariner who discovered Macquarie Island, Captain Frederick Hasselburgh of the whaling ship Perseverence. It was named after a Sydney-based company, Campbell and Co. The name of the impressive harbour we entered was also taken from the ship. Captain Hasselburgh was drowned in the harbour, together with Elizabeth Farr, a young woman born on Norfolk Island, and a 12 or 13 year old Sydney boy, George Allwright.

The island became a seal hunting base and in 1810-13, 140,000 skins and 400 tuns (this was the early spelling) of oil were taken. Needless to say, the seals were almost totally exterminated. The first map was drawn in 1816 and in 1828 the Perseverance was wrecked and became the only ship lost on the island. James Clark Ross’s expedition arrived in 1840 and both ships (HMS Erebus and HMS Terror) were almost lost when they became grounded on a shoal in the harbour. Botanists Drs Hooker and Lyall collected over 200 specimens and the book Flora Antarctica became the first scientific publication for work on the sub-Antarctic.

In 1874 the French expedition under A. Bouquet de a Gyre arrived to examine the Transit of Venus. This was the first chance since Cook had observed the Transit in 1769 at Tahiti. As Venus crossed the Sun, its position could be measured at several points on Earth’s surface.

A technician M. Paul Juris died from suspected typhoid and is buried in a lonely grave, on a small headland at the head of the harbour. Staff from Heritage Expeditions and the Royal New Zealand Navy have tidied and fenced the grave to keep out sea lions and a replica of the original cross has been placed with the original presently at the Otago Museum and awaiting conservation.

In 1878 the Seal Fisheries Protection Act, banned sealing between 1 October and 1 June.

In the late 19th century, the island became a pastoral lease which lasted for 30 years for sheep farming along with a few cattle, until 1931 when it became a casualty of the Great Depression. About 4000 sheep and some cattle were abandoned.

In 1901-02, Lord Ranfurly arrived to collect specimens and he also planted a Sika spruce, now known in the Guinness book of records as ‘the loneliest tree in the world.’ The first New Zealand scientific expedition this by the Philosophical Society arrived a few years later in 1906, when magnetic and other observations were obtained. Beginning in 1910, whalers had two bases on Campbell Island and 56 Southern Right Whales were taken, however, the whaling did not last long.

During WWII a Coast watcher station operated and after the war, the facilities were used as a meteorological station until 1958, when a new station was established at Beeman Cove and behind Beeman Hill. One of the huts can be seen from the boardwalk. The met station on Beeman Point opened in 1954 and the IGY (International Geophysical Year) station lasted between July 1957 and December 1958. The post office closed in 1952 and the met station was fully automated in 1995.

The island is now a scenic reserve and with removal of cattle and sheep in the 1970s - 1980s and in 1992 the island was declared pest free after the largest rat eradication in the world. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and is administered by the Department of Conservation and the wildlife and flora have recovered considerably since the eradication and was declared successful in 2004-2005.

By 10.45 a.m. we were 650km from Bluff and off the north-east corner of Campbell Island. With Bull Rock prominent offshore and resembling more like a sitting cat we focused on the wonderful bird life with numerous species including, Grey-headed Albatross; Southern Royal Albatross; Light-mantled Sooty Albatross; Campbell Island Albatross; Northern Giant Petrel; Cape Petrel and Antarctic Tern. Two flocks of Sooty Shearwaters was seen and a number of large purple jellyfish. Some jellyfish were white and may have been taken for food by albatrosses.

We had excellent viewing of Campbell Island Albatross with at least three groups which Dan thought had 26,000 individuals, forming a colony spread along terraces of volcanic lava. The volcanic rock was also a distinct feature of the landscape on lava layered cliffs, with waves breaking well up these. Much of the sky had clouded over however, where the sun found an opening, tussock slopes were lit up a golden yellow, while the moderately rough sea was flecked with white caps.

We began turning into Perseverance Harbour at 11.40 a.m. and enjoyed the views of the tussock covered slopes, small caves in the cliffs and at 12.10 p.m. the anchors were lowered in 21m of water.

Lunch was at 12.30 p.m. after which we assembled in the lecture room at 1.20 p.m., for an important briefing on Zodiac travel including use of the red life vest (different to those in our cabin), recommended clothing; the tag system; bio-security and finally, how to deal with a sea lion should one be on the boardwalk.

Soon we were being shuttled over to the dry landing near the NIWA (National Institute Water and Atmosphere). We then set off along the boardwalk for a wonderful afternoon at Col Lyall.

We enjoyed the interesting botany with examples of some of the megaherbs (as described by James Clark Ross) with Bulbinella now finished, Pleurophyllum hookerii mostly finished and the Purple daisy starting to die off. Other plants seen included Hell’s Bells; Campbell’s gentian Mountain kie kie and prickly shield fern; both having a lovely orange colour to the fronds.

A few Campbell Island Pipits were seen and 7 Campbell Islands Snipe (including a small chick) spotted by Carol and Alan, Nigel, Allan, Dan and one other in our party. The snipe was unknown until 1997, when discovered on Jacquemart Island. When passing Beeman Hill, we also hear the “calling” from Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses which has a small colony nesting on or near the summit. The Campbell Islands Teal was elusive today.

Only a few New Zealand (Hooker) Sea Lions and an elephant seal (reported by DOC staff) were seen or heard and six species of albatross are present on Campbell Island.

It was however, the elegant Southern Royal Albatross which we had come to see and we were treated with flying displays, gamming and pair bonding. Dan was for a while, lying in the tussock and will always remember the loud wishing sound as a low-flying bird came in to land. To see such magnificent birds a few meters away will provide a lasting memory of our visit to Campbell Island.

By 7.30 p.m. most of us were on board and after a drink in the bar/library, we enjoyed a superb dinner of pork belly or pasta with prawns and a sticky date pudding to finish it off. Samuel thanked the chefs for the excellent dinner and said we will remain at anchor this evening and engines will be started at 6.30 a.m. Most of us retired early so as to get a rest, before we are again confronted with the Southern Ocean.

Day 5: Wednesday 12th February
Southern Ocean. Enroute to the Great White Continent
Noon position – Latitude: 53o 16.873’ S; Longitude: 168o 36.080’E
Air: 8oC Water: 10oC

We had a good rest last night and woke to sound of the engines being warmed up. Away to Starboard was an interesting cluster of islands. We headed past Shag Point. Southeast Harbour, Monument Harbour and La Botte with its distinctive shape of a boot, a beautiful needle-like volcanic stack with a further similar geological feature and close by Jacquemart Island. Many of these features were named during the French scientific expedition in 1874.

A few albatross were accompanying although nothing like the many birds encountered yesterday on arrival at Campbell Island and we are now on our way to Cape Adare. We will now spend four days at sea and later today, up to 35 knots of wind is expected.

At 10.30 a.m. we had a recap providing an opportunity to ask questions about Campbell Island. Samuel did his Introduction to Campbell Island with Dan (plants), Agnes (Albatrosses) and David (Whaling). There were some good questions and soon afterwards, Samuel and Dan released over the stern the first of the NIWA instruments attached to a rubber tube and with a cardboard (which dissolves) package on top, which presumably had the antenna.

Before lunch we saw the programme about the rat eradication on Campbell Island along with a second programme on the Campbell Islands Teal.

Wind and the ocean
Four years ago, Rodney Russ in conversation with David, was certain the Southern Ocean had become windier. Rodney was right as recent published research, indicates faster winds are adding more energy to the surface of the world’s oceans, leading to faster currents and an acceleration of
ocean circulation.

There is a tremendous impact of wind energy and is according to scientist Chris Money “a mega scale consequence of climate change.” Research has suggested that increased distribution of heat around the planet would affect temperature distribution and could affect weather patterns. This concentration however, is not driven entirely by winds – it is also propelled by the density of cold seawater, which determines how much water can sink and flow back from the north to south.

By late afternoon, the sea decided to get rough and we took a few waves mid-ship. A few of us have wondered about the height of some of the waves we have encountered. Perhaps four metres although not so large as one recorded by a buoy at Campbell Island. The Sydney Morning Herald reported this wave as being 23.8m. We had an enjoyable get together in the bar/library then an excellent dinner of chicken breast with bacon or Stargazer fish – which is not unlike a flounder or sole.

Today we had crossed over the Campbell Plateau formed 5-2 mya and then moved onto the Campbell Rise with beyond, the steep Antarctic Slope. This evening the sea is reasonably calm although the wind is expected to increase during the night. It had been a most interesting day with wonderful bird life and two whales (unidentified) were seen. We decided an early night would be in order.

Day 6: Thursday 13th February
Southern Ocean. Enroute to the Great White Continent
Noon position – Latitude: 56o 18.303’ S; Longitude: 166o 01.352’E
Air: 5oC Water: 9oC

Last night we enjoyed a reasonably calm sea with just the occasional roll of the ship. The morning started with a day of scattered stratus-cumulus cloud with the sun trying to creep through. By 9.40 a.m. we were making steady progress and expect to have the same conditions as last evening. Our latitude was 65o66’S.

By 10.30 a.m. cloud was clearing and we were enjoying bright sunlight. Many of us went to the lecture room to see Part 1 of the acclaimed documentary “Longitude”. Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth’s surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambola). The prime meridian is assigned the value of 0 degrees and runs through Greenwich England.

The film is the story of the British clock maker John Harrison, who in the 18th century invented the chronometer that mariners could use for safe navigation. A prize was offered and awarded to Harrison who by now was an old man in poor health and unfortunately unable to enjoy his reward. In the film 20th Century Gould, is obsessed with restoring Harrison’s chronometer.

The second part was shown this afternoon although with sea conditions still rough, the audience was not so large. A few of us were content to be in the Bar/Library and our chefs worked under difficult conditions with staff helping as needed.

Samuel said the weather is improving and the objective is to keep ahead of the next front. We are still making for Cape Adare and look forward to better conditions there. The second buoy for NIWA was deployed at 57oS today and in addition to these, air sampling is being done by Agnes.

Only a small number of us spent time in the bar/library before dinner and after a lovely dinner, we headed for our cabins.

Day 7: Friday 14th February
Southern Ocean. Enroute to the Great White Continent; Now under Antarctic Treaty regulations
Noon position – Latitude: 60o 02.779’S; Longitude: 167o 23.735’E
Air: 3.8oC Water: 7oC

As the day wore on, we enjoyed a sea which was becoming calmer each hour. There were just a few good rolls and a number of us visited the Bridge. It was an opportunity to also catch up on any lost sleep and attend to our photographs and diary.

For lunch we had a very nice pie with salad which kept the wolf from the door. Many of us enjoy a brief nap after lunch and relaxed for the remainder of the day. Samuel is making plans for the start of our lectures and we look forward to these also, the sweep-stake for sighting the first iceberg, has received a lot of interest. This could happen any time from this evening and into tomorrow and is likely to be picked up on radar.

At 5 p.m. we saw Part 2 of Sir David Attenborough’s acclaimed “Life in the freezer”.

The bar opened as usual at 6.30 p.m. followed by an excellent meal again which included Peking roasted duck and blue cod in the Main. There are still a few grey beards on the equally grey Southern Ocean and the ship gives an occasional lurch as we move closer to our objective - the Ross Sea and the north-west corner, the Adare Peninsula. Today a further two weather buoys were put overboard at latitudes 60o and 61o.

Ross Sea
The Spirit of Enderby is not the only ship that has departed from Campbell Island for the Ross Sea.
Ross has already been mentioned for almost losing his ships at Perseverance Harbour and it was Ross who was in 1841, was first to break James Weddell’s furthest south in what is now known as the Weddell Sea.

When entering the Ross Sea, at its head is the vast, floating Ross Ice Shelf the area of France, Ross Island is tucked up against ice of the Ross and McMurdo ice shelves. Beyond are high peaks of the Transantarctic Mountains bordering East Antarctica, which has the oldest rocks on the continent and merging with the Polar Plateau with ice averaging 2.3km thick and over 98% of the continent. In contrast, the Ross Sea teams with life ranging from mammals and fish, to oceanic flying birds, penguins and rich, benthic communities of invertebrates.

Ross with his discovery, had opened the door for others to follow, the first being Henrik Bull with his 1895 whaling expedition and the ship Antarctic. Within a decade other expeditions would follow and do so to this day.

Since Ross’s time, mariners heading south have seen Cape Adare on the end of the Adare Peninsula and often the high peak of Mt Herschel (3335m) in the Admiralty Range is noticed first. Cape Adare was named by Ross in January 1841 with Cape Adare for his friend Viscount Adare MP from Glamorganshire. Mt Hershel was also named by Ross after the English astronomer John Hershel and was first climbed by the late Sir Edmund Hillary’s party on 27 October 1967.

Day 8: Saturday 15th February
Southern Ocean. Enroute to the Great White Continent
Noon position – Latitude: 64 05.430’S; Longitude: 168o 18.382’E
Air: 0.2oC Water: 2.8oC

We had a good rest last night and the morning sea is calm. The temperature is falling and at 7.30 a.m. when at 63o 25’S 168o20’E it was 0.3oC and the water was at 3.3oC.

This morning the first lecture was from Agnes. Titled, Antarctica the Great White Continent. This was a very useful lecture which touched on many of the features that make Antarctica a unique continent compared to the other continents on Earth. The key aspects of the continent being high, windy and dry, was carefully explained.

Numerous maps were very helpful and the animation showed the break-up of the super continent Gondwana was perhaps the best most of us have seen. Last evening we crossed the Antarctic Convergence or Polar Front, which is 32-48km wide and thus it was appropriate that this should be mentioned today.

The lecture was barely over when Samuel announced that the first iceberg was in the vicinity. It was soon after 11 a.m. when we all headed for the Bridge and there it was. A fine weathered example with the most beautiful shades of blue, indicating the ice was very old. The position was 64o03.042’S 168o17.938’E and the winner was Heather. The sea was calm, scattered pieces of ice were around us and it was foggy. Several birds were seen including Cape Petrels, Wilson’s Storm-petrel, Antarctic Prion and the first Antarctic (Southern) Fulmar. A pair of Hourglass dolphins and a Pilot Whale, were seen, followed by a pod of 3-4 dolphins.

At 11.45 a.m. we returned to the lecture room for an Introduction to the Ross Sea from Samuel. Again useful maps were screened showing the region to comprise two main elements – the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf which form an embayment and is in fact, the area of France. Some of the figures given made us realise how large the area is - ˃ 4000km of coastline; 480,000km2 of ice shelf; a sea area of 960,000km2 and mountains with seven ˃ 4000m.

We learned that the Transantarctic Mountain Range began to rise 65 mya (million years ago) and that these mountains divide West and East Antarctica. There are also areas of volcanic rock divided into provinces with volcanoes varying in age. On Ross Island, Mt Erebus (3794m) is 1.3m years old; Mt Terror (3262m) is 1.3-1.7m; Mt Bird (1800m) is 3.8-4.6m and Mt Melbourne (2730m) formed 35 mya.

Significance of the land, sea and diversity was covered. Some of the points which we will learn about in the days ahead included 30% of the population of Antarctic Petrels; 38% of Adelie Penguins; 20% of the population of Emperor Penguins; 95 species of fish; 2000 species of invertebrates and that 20,000 years ago the Ross Ice Shelf is thought to have extended to Cape Colbeck in the east and Cape Adare in the west.

Samuel then focused on the Ross Dependency (July 1923) and Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) which included significant sites such as historic huts and areas of importance for botany, zoology, and the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area for an initial 35 years.

At 2.30 p.m. we assisted Rachael by presenting our credit cards and at 3 p.m. the staff organised our Antarctic jackets. These lovely blue jackets are double lined and will doubtless have good use.

The last event for the day in the lecture room was a presentation by David, with an Introduction to Exploration of the Ross Sea Part A. This began with reference to the Challenger Expedition and with oceanography the primary goal. The results of this expedition along with the Geographical Congress in 1895, was fueled with knowledge of the (then thought to be) first landing on the continent during Bull’s whaling expedition. A paper by Carsten Borchgrevink, was no doubt instrumental in gaining support for Borchgrevink’s British Antarctic Expedition (1898-1900).

The main expeditions of the “heroic-era” (1895-1917) - the National Antarctic (Discovery Expedition 1901-04 led by Scott; the British Antarctic Expedition (907-09) led by Shackleton; the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition led by Amundsen; Shirase’s Japanese Antarctic Expedition and the Ross Sea party of Shackleton’s British Transantarctic Expedition led by Mackintosh, were all briefly mentioned and will be covered in later lectures.

Whaling by Norway in the Ross Sea during the 1920s and 1930s, was mentioned and graphs showed the extent at which species of whales were almost exterminated. To conclude, plans for the first sea operated tourism industry in the Ross Sea and which never got under way was discussed.

At 6 p.m. the bar opened and a selection of excellent cocktails prepared by Dan was available. For the record, they were Ross Sea Storm; Sex on the Ice; Erebus and Seaman’s Special. At 7 p.m. we adjourned to the dining rooms for an excellent meal and looked forward to a further interesting day tomorrow. This evening the sea is calm and a nice tinge of lemon-yellow is beneath the grey clouds.

Day 9: Sunday 16th February
Southern Ocean. Crossed the Antarctic Circle
Noon position – Latitude: 68o 46.213’S; Longitude: 169o 26.024’E
Air: -2.2oC Water: 0oC

We had a good rest and this morning at 9 a.m. the temperature was -3 oC. It had been snowing in the night and the decks were icy.

We crossed the Antarctic Circle 31.5 minutes after midnight. The author was the only person, who visited the bridge for this auspicious moment that features in the writing of the early expeditions and the position was 66o33.7’S latitude and 168o52.817’E longitude.

A full programme has been arranged for the day and this began at 9.30 a.m. with a lecture by Samuel on ice charts. The first part “About ice charts” dealt with the general pattern in the Ross Sea. And the second part covered the Ross Sea region and the sea ice situation today.

Satellites in the 1970s were the key to obtaining data on the extent and thickness of sea ice and in 1979 the first data was available to the world. From the scanning multichannel microwave radiometer or SMMR different colours were used and showed the concentration of ice is relative to the amount of area covered by ice, when compared to some reference area. Today we use tenths for example 6/10ths = 60%.

The WMO or World Meteorological Organisation uses a colour code and this identifies open water, very open water, open ice, close ice, very close ice and fast ice. Open ice for example, is 4-6 tenths and has many leads and polynyas with floes generally not in contact with each other. This gives us an idea of where to go. Two websites used are Polar View and the University of Bremen. With Polar View, squares on the map indicate areas where the satellite view is present and one is able to select the best resolution such as 26mb for any particular square. The Norwegian Ice Service archive and NASA World View are two further useful sites. However the down side is that there is a delay from when the imagery is obtained to when it is accessible, although is usually 12-48 hours. For the Ross Sea, September is the maximum extent for sea ice and there is a very brief window when the area is accessible in summer and before the ice reforms.

We returned to the lecture room at 10.45 a.m. to hear our next speaker. Dan’s presentation was titled An Introduction to Expedition Photography which he described as, an amalgamation of hints and tricks over several years - why do we take photos and is it to provide memories, art, for pleasure, telling a story, for reference, social media or all of the above?

Examples of images were shown and we were then told how to get to know one’s camera. For those of us who did not know what RAW meant, we soon learned that this enabled one to manipulate an image post shooting and that this is quite different to JPEG. Such features as Aperture (F stop) and ISO (light sensitivity) were carefully explained, again using some spectacular images We were told to be aware of our surroundings, to get to know one’s subject (eye level) and consider the composition.

At 12.15 p.m. we assembled in the bar/library for the Antarctic Circle crossing ceremony The Antarctic Circle is one of five major circles or parallels of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is roughly 17 662km long and the degree angle of about 23.67 from the vertical, comes from the tilt of the Earth’s rotation axis. For everywhere within the Antarctic Circle, there is at least 24 hours of continuous daylight on the summer solstice in December (21 or 22) and at least 24 hours of continuous night time on the winter solstice in June (21 or 22). The length of continuous day or night increases southward from one day at the Antarctic Circle to six months at the South Pole.

Today we were joined by two hybrid penguin species (costumes) and Samuel then outlined the history of early expeditions that had crossed the Antarctic Circle, beginning with James Cook on 17 January 1773 on the ship Resolution (a further two crossings was made), the discovery of the first land south of the Antarctic Circle by Thaddeus Bellingshausen seen on 21 January 1821 and the first landing on land south of the Circle by John Balleny’s expedition in 1839.
Dan read the Ode, with us repeating after him, selected passages. We were then asked to receive the Mark of the Penguin and this was applied to the forehead. An excellent brew of mulled wine was provided and soon the ceremony was over. “Do we have a second ceremony on our return” one of us asked.

We had yet a further excellent lunch and at 2.15 p.m. with light snow falling, we had the most excellent viewing of three large Humpback Whales beside the ship. The viewing was outstanding and included whales beneath the surface with their shear bulk, whales on the surface and diving with a magnificent display of the tail flukes, blowing and much more. This will have to be one of the finest moments of our expedition and the position was 69o11.955’S, 169o 36.065’E.

Our third presentation of the day was at 4.00 p.m. by David with Part 2 of his Introduction to exploration of the Ross Sea. This mainly concerned two eminent American explorers Admiral Richard Byrd who had served in WWI and son of a millionaire Lincoln Ellsworth who on a 4th attempt, completed the first crossing of Antarctica by air from Dundee Island off the Antarctic Peninsula to the Bay of Whales, although near the end they ran out of fuel and walked the rest of the way before rescue.

Byrd led five expeditions in the 1930s-40s to the Ross Sea region and all had bases on the Ross Ice Shelf, with the first three on or near the site of Little America 1 at the Bay of Whales. The expeditions marked the beginning of a new era in Antarctic exploration and technology. Extensive use of air power, mechanized land vehicles, wireless for communication and later large icebreakers, were to set the pattern for future research.

With New Zealand responsible for administration of the Ross Dependency, reference was made to the situation as concerned the US which had already indicated claims and Britain in particular. Then construction of McMurdo Station, Pole Station, the Joint NZ/US Hallett Station and Scott Base and linked to these the International Geophysical Year 1957-58, the dawn of today’s science programme. The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1955-58 with the first crossing of the Continent achieved Dr (later Sir) Vivian Fuchs with assistance of Sir Edmund Hillary and depot-laying, achieved in 99 days, what Shackleton had tried during WWI.

We returned to the lecture room at 5.15 p.m. for a mandatory briefing by Samuel. This had four components – IAATO, the Polar Code, Cape Adare and the Code of Conduct for historic sites.

The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators which meets annually, of which Heritage Expeditions is an early Member, introduced Guidelines in 1991 for Visitors to the World’s largest Wilderness Area. This includes historic sites which are within ASPAs (Antarctic Specially Protected Areas). We all need to be aware of these and to importantly Stay Safe when on landings. Reference was made to the Antarctic Treaty (1959) which gave limited protection for the environment including historic sites and it was not until the Environmental [Madrid] Protocol to the Treaty (1992) that there was greater protection and since then all activities have to be regulated.

The Polar Code applies to all ships operating in Antarctica. The emphasis is on safety and ships carry emergency rations, clothing and equipment. The Spirit of Enderby has a number of immersion suits and Samuel demonstrated the use of one of these.

The briefing then focused on Cape Adare where it is hope a landing can be made in the early hours tomorrow. This important historic site (ASPA 159) is cared for by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, which began work here two years ago and the Trust is already preparing to undertake work on the unroofed stores hut. The roof was removed in 1900 when Borchgrevink planned to reuse the hut elsewhere but then changed his mind and the unroofed hut remained on site.

The evening meal was at 7 p.m. today and we then organised our clothing for a potential landing at Cape Adare. At 8 p.m. it was -3oC outside and the sea was still calm. After a lovely meal we prepared for an early night or start tomorrow.

Day 10: Monday 17th February
Cape Adare, Robertson Bay, Downshire Cliffs, Possession Islands, Hallett Peninsula
Noon position – Latitude: 71o 54.107’S; Longitude: 171o 07.587’E
Air: -2.4oC Water: 0.3oC

There was no need for us to receive a wake-up call this morning. Before 4 a.m. many of us were on the Bridge or decks enjoying the superb panorama of the Admiralty Range unfolding before us. The high peak of Mt Sabine (3720m) often referred to in the diaries of early explorers as they headed for the Ross Sea and further to the west, the outstanding peaks of Mt Minto (4165m) and Mt Adam (4010m), stood out prominently against an almost clear pale blue sky.

These magnificent peaks were named by James Clark Ross after prominent military personnel – Sabine after Lt. Col. Sabine of the Royal Artillery; Minto after the Earl of Minto, First Lord of the Admiralty and Adam after Vice Admiral Sir Charles Adam, a Senior Naval Lord of the Admiralty.

Ahead lay the prominent Cape on the end of the Adare Peninsula which rose to the south until lost in a large whaleback cloud that slowly assumed a number of layers.

Around us were some fine tabular icebergs which took on a golden hue as the sun rose and brightened there sheer ice walls. One had large boulders of grey-brown rock and was probably lateral moraine debris that remained after the end of a glacier calved.

We soon moved into Robertson Bay and to port had an excellent view of the largest Adelie Penguin colony in Antarctica which was almost clear of penguins. Only a few were in places along the beach and a large number was lustered on a sloping part of an iceberg. On the beach an elephant seal was seen and one or two Leopard Seals were observed off shore.

Toward the head of Robertson Bay we had a good view of the Warning Glacier, with cloud over the higher slopes. Football Pass was shrouded in strato-cumulus clouds and toward the west, the Duke of York Island and Murray Glacier was prominent. With the sun rising behind the Adare Peninsula, slopes of the lower peaks became a delicate lemon yellow, valleys were a light cerulean blue and rock faces were a pale grey tinged with light brown. We had an excellent view right along the coast to the west in the direction of Yule Bay and the Pennell Coast.

On top of the Adare Peninsula we could make out the grave of Nicolai Hanson while on the pale brown guano surface of Ridley Beach, we had an excellent view of Borchgrevink’s two huts, the porch of the Campbell’s Northern Party hut and spread along the beach away from the penguin nesting area, the various huts consisting of “turks and dog boxes”, making up the camp of the Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Extensive push ice along north and south beach coupled with a low tide unfortunately meant that we were unable to make a landing from our Zodiacs. However, there is always a possibility on the return journey. By 6.35 a.m. we were making our way in bright sunlight around the end of the Adare Peninsula, along the steep Downshire Cliffs with the top concealed by cloud and rising to 2000m. The rocky slopes with layers of lava, were coloured yellow ochre to vandyke brown and Payne’s grey. These impressive cliffs and Cape Downshire, were named at the request of Commander Francis Crozier of HMS Terror, for a friend; the late Marquis Downshire.

By 7.30 a.m. we were heading south in mostly ice-free water toward the Possession islands named by Ross to mark the planting of the British flag on 12 January 1841. The morning had been a most unique experience for all of us and one which is difficult to adequately describe. As Shackleton wrote
Indeed the stark polar lands grip the hearts of men who have lived on them in a manner that can hardly be understood by the people who have never got outside the pale of civilization.
By 9 a.m. we were making steady progress toward Possession Islands, passing the Fenwick Ice Piedmont named for Sir Robert Fenwick, formerly Chairman of the Antarctica New Zealand Board, while ahead was volcanic Cape McCormick, named by Ross for the surgeon on HMS Erebus.

By 11 a.m. we had passed Cape McCormick, now shown to be an island connected by a glacier to the Adare Peninsula, and ahead in beautiful weather, we had a fine view of the Possession Islands. The main Possession Island was a brown wasteland of dry guano, with the Adelie Penguins which cover a large area, now mostly gone to sea. Many South Polar Skuas were seen. The nearby islands Kristensen Rocks (2 islands), and Foyn, had striking colours and features which we took advantage of with our cameras. The islands were surrounded by a deep cobalt blue sea, also stood out as did the great peak of Herschel (3334m) behind Mowbray Bay and Sabine the latter of which, we saw earlier today. The sun was very bright and the sea was a little lumpy.

Samuel launched a Zodiac, however conditions were not suitable for a landing on Possession or Foyn Islands and we left the Possession group and made our way on a westerly course across the Ross Sea and toward the Hallett Peninsula and later toward Franklin Island in the center of the Ross Sea. The day became foggy and at 4.30 p.m. light snow was falling and the air temperature lowered to -4oC.

At 5 p.m. we assembled in the lecture room for a lecture by David. This was tilted Carsten Borchgrevink Amateur adventurer and explorer. The lecture began with Borchgrevink’s early life, education, marriage and family. However, not everyone liked Borchgrevink and Sir Clements Markham even less, when Borchgrevink was donated ₤40,000 for his proposed British Antarctic Expedition.

Borchgrevink however, assembled a team of 10 which in addition to himself included two scientists, a Canadian collector; medical doctor, two dog handlers and a handyman. He also obtained a former sealer the Pollux built in 1886 and renamed Southern Cross; 75 Siberian dogs and a huge quantity of stores which included dehydrated vegetables; ½ a ton of tobacco and a generous supply of alcohol. Captain Bernhard Jensen an experienced Arctic ice captain was appointed.

The expedition was based on Ridley Beach at Cape Adare for nearly a year and obtained much data in meteorology, magnetism and marine biology. Sledging was confined to the head of Robertson Bay and on one occasion, those not sledging and who remained at Camp Ridley, almost burnt the hut down, and on another occasion suffered from carbon monoxide from the coal stove. It was not a happy party as Borchgrevink was a little too fond of alcohol and during one incident, one of the Laplanders who had a fiery temperament, pulled a knife on one of the party.

On 14 October 1899, biologist Nicolai Hanson died and was buried on top of Cape Adare. Then nearly three months later on 28 January 1900, the Southern Cross arrived and after partially dismantling the stores hut, the expedition departed for the Ross Sea. On 19 February during a ski trip on the Great Barrier, Ross’s furthest south was passed and after calling at Auckland Island then Stewart Island where the dogs were left, the men arrived in Hobart on 18 April 1900.

It had been a very successful expedition and Borchgrevink after some years, received awards that were rightly due. In his report written on 30 January 1900 he ended his account by stating “The expedition has been excellent throughout”. However, in a further letter to W. Colbeck RNR his magnetic scientist, he finished up with stating “I miss you all very much – bad lots you are!” This can be seen as a joke rather than a reminder of bad times during the expedition and Joanna and Pawel agreed there is much that can be written about key personalities, without denigrating those who by their efforts made their significant contribution.

At 6 p.m. the bar opened and the usual convivial gathering was held. The chefs produced a further excellent meal which began with smoked salmon pate with seeds and dill, a main with a seafood Thai green coconut curry with jasmine rice and roti bread, or sirloin with pumpkin puree, broccoli and mushroom sauce or cauliflower and egg plant or Thai green coconut curry with jasmine rice and roti bread.

All in all, we had enjoyed our first day in the Ross Sea and added considerably to our knowledge of this part of Antarctica. During the day a solitary Antarctic Petrel and two Weddell Seals were seen. Having had an early start with many who did not go to bed last evening, tonight we decided to retire early.

Day 11: Tuesday 18th February
Ross Sea; Terra Nova Bay; Continental landing at Gondwana Station
Position 12.55 p.m. – Latitude: 74o 32.107’S; Longitude: 166o 03.278’E
Air: -7.5oC Water: 0.9oC

We had a very comfortable night and got up to a fine day and a wild Ross Sea with spray off white caps and the occasional iceberg prominent in the morning sun. We were at 74o12.142’S 167o52.895’E and pushing into about a 3m sea at 5.9 knots and a SW blowing at nearly 30 knots. The air temperature was -5.8oC at 7. Away to starboard, the Transantarctic Mountains were visible from time to time while bands of strato cumulus made up the cloud cover.

Without land visible, for most of the time we now had an appreciation for the great expanse of the Ross Sea. The bow with a fringe of short icicles and deck was really iced up and a crew member spent a short time knocking off accumulated ice. When a decent wave washed over the Bridge windows, they were cleared of a veneer of ice only to instantly freeze over. As we headed for Terra Nova Bay conditions began to improve and a lone skua hovering in front of the Bridge, checked us out before flying away.

It was very appropriate that at 9.30 a.m. we assembled in the lecture room for a presentation by Samuel on Sir James Clark Ross and the British Antarctic Expedition. As background Samuel explained how he had become familiar with the name Ross on maps, soon realized its significance and then read extensively and proceeded to research and write about Ross.

Ross was born in 1800 and entered the Royal Navy rising to the rank of Midshipman and sailed with his Uncle John Ross on four expeditions of Admiral William Parry to the Arctic in search of a Northeast Passage. By 1841 Ross was made Second in Command when he tried with sledging to reach the North Pole by way of the “Open Polar Sea” in June 1847, with each man carrying 90kg of equipment and achieving only one mile/day as far as 82o North. Extensive exploration was done and four winters was spent in the Arctic during which, the Magnetic Pole was located on 1 June 1831.

Ross now 43 and with 30 years of experience in the Arctic, was the obvious person to lead an expedition to Antarctica and selected his friend Francis Crozier as his Second in Command. Two ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror each with a crew of 64 men and with three years of food then headed south via Kerguelen Island. Tasmania was reached and the expedition turned south.

The meridian was followed south from Campbell Island and after discovering and naming Cape Adare and other features for naval officers and supports, a landing was made on Possession Island 12 January 1841 when the British flag was flown and on the 27th Franklin Island was discovered and named for the Governor of Tasmania, Sir John Franklin Major, discoveries further south were made and the icy barrier (Ross Ice Shelf) where several soundings and dredgings was undertaken and a depth of 750m was recorded.

The High Island with the volcanoes Erebus and Terror (the latter active) was later named by Scott Ross Island. An extraordinary measurement made from the ship to obtain the latitude for Mt Erebus was the calculation of 78o10’ and that is precisely what it is. Ross returned next year when he nearly lost his ships and named many features on the Antarctic Peninsula. An attempt was made to try and establish the other end of the Icy Barrier, however winter was near and the ships headed north.

Ross married Ann who predeceased him and having said he would not return to the polar regions he made one trip with an unsuccessful expedition to locate the ships Erebus and Terror of Sir John Franklin’s expedition when every man died. Traces of the men trying to reach safety, some remains and artefacts were later discovered and in the last few years both ships have been found. Ross died aged 62 in 1862 and is buried in St. James Churchyard at Ashton Abbots, Buckinghamshire UK.

At 11.45 a.m. we returned to the lecture room for a presentation. Agnes gave a further excellent lecture, titled “Icebergs, cathedrals of ice”. We were firstly reminded of the three types of ice, that glaciers on each continent equals 10% of the land area of the continents and of the sequence whereby ice crystals are formed from snow, are granular with 50% air, after which we have ice, firn and glacial ice with 20% air bubbles.

An interesting time lapse illustrated a glacier moving was shown and we heard how water beneath the glacier acts as a lubricant which combined with weight and gravity, can have the glacier moving several metres a day, although this can differ in the polar regions from temperate latitudes.

The International Ice Patrol has names according to the size of a piece of ice. Brash (a few cms); Growler ˂1m to ˃ 1m above sea level (asl); Bergy bits 1-5m asl; Small icebergs 5-15m asl; medium icebergs 15-45m asl; large icebergs 45-75m asl and very large bergs ˃ 75m+.

We were shown by way of very simple yet good graphics, how glaciers coalesce to form an ice shelf with the Ross Ice Shelf at 472,960km2 and 800km long with up to 160m below the surface. The NOAH National Ice Centre tracks icebergs and Antarctica is divided anticlockwise from A at the Antarctic Peninsula to B, C and D by the Weddell Sea. The web site www.polarview.aq can be seen for details of icebergs and ice coverage. Some very large icebergs were shown and how these are using satellites , the largest so far is B15.

Examples of large icebergs and their areas, was given and the volume below is 8x the visible portion. Icebergs last according to the water temperature (-10 to -20C) and melt from beneath but also for the ice above the water which can be subjected to wave action and grounding lines can be seen in an iceberg that has turned over.

Why then is ice seen as blue?
Glaciers, shelf-ice and icebergs, often exhibit crevices and cracks emitting areas of deep, iridescent blue and some fine illustrations were given. Snow appears white, because air trapped between ice crystals scatters, reflecting all wave lengths of sunlight back into our eyes, and seen by us as white. However compacted ice deep in a glacier or glacial ice retains small air bubbles which scatter the light allowing the penetration of sunlight deep into the ice. Ice crystals absorb six times as much light as the red end of the spectrum and since the ice absorbs most of the red light, only the blue end of the spectrum remains reflected back to us to see.

Agnes’s lecture finished with reference to the French explorer de Lozier who was first to comment on icebergs which he compared to rocks and remarked, “if we hit one we will be lost” of the Challenger expedition when the first photographs of icebergs were taken.

By early afternoon we were approaching the east side of Cape Washington and the entrance to Terra Nova Bay. Here is located ASPA 173 for an Emperor Penguin colony and for Silverfish. The wind was blowing at 28.9 knots, the sea was very busy and more ice had accumulated on the bow. The air temperature had also lowered to -7.5oC and by 7 p.m. we expect to be on the coast near Inexpressible Island.

The Sea Shop opened for an hour and provided an opportunity to obtain a memento of our expedition and the final presentation for the day was by Dan who spoke on sea birds. This was a very interesting lecture which he said was presented for the first time. The title was “Living on the edge. Seabird ecology”.

How sea birds survive and adapt to various environments began with reference to an early sea bird from the Cretaceous, known as Hesperonis regalis and there are more sea birds in the fossil record than land species. Reference was made to the great auk and the origin of the word penguin which perhaps originated from Pengwyn of Welsh origin meaning white head. Early sailors in southern regions saw a similarity of penguins to auks which dived for fish and used wings for propulsion in water.

We were told where sea birds occur and how wind and currents are fundamental for their mobility around the world’s oceans. Even though there are global populations of millions, humans are responsible for the loss of many species. Seabirds however have adapted to an aquatic life and a key feature is the presence of the uropygial gland near the tail. This provides an oily secretion used to waterproof the feathers. Cormorants also dry their feathers by spreading their wings.

The presence of a salt gland in the head is coupled with the ability to excrete excess salt such as done by the “tube-noses’ although some birds are able to regulate their salt requirement in the crop. Methods of feeding was mentioned and includes strategies such as surface feeding, foraging, pursuit diving (the most abundant group), plunging and as predator including scavenging.

Colonial habitats which have 95% of sea birds, were discussed and are important “information centers” for species and we were shown wonderful footage of seabirds habitats including of young birds learning to fly. Migrations of sea birds also involve huge distances such as for the Antarctic Tern that fly 45,000km from the High Arctic to Antarctica to feed in summer, the Sooty Shearwaters and albatross species that circle the globe. The lecture concluded with major problems for birds such as loss of habitat, ingesting of plastics and predators such as cats, wekas, and rats.

Terra Nova Bay
At 3.30 p.m. the wind that was still blowing 27 knots, was showing signs of easing. We sighted a Snow Petrel earlier and it was -6.1oC, and we had five icebergs one of which Captain Alexander said was over 600m wide along the front near us. Off the bow we had an excellent view of the landscape around a portion of the head of Terra Nova Bay and could just imagine when frozen the six men of Scott’s Northern party, having endured a winter and over 200 days living in a snow cave, then sledging over the sea ice as they passed this part of the coast.

Nansen Peak (2737m) as prominent on the skyline and the pale brown exposed rock of nearby hills had been shaped and smoothed by ice during the last glaciation in the area, a few thousand years ago. Some of the extensive Nansen Ice Sheet was also seen. By 5.30 p.m. we also had a wonderful view of Mt Melbourne (2730m) against a pale blue sky. This dormant volcano has important moss areas on warm ground near the summit. The peak was named by Ross in 1841, afterword Melbourne Prime Minister when the expedition was being planned.

Nearby we all had an excellent view of Italy’s Mario Zucchelli Station at Baia Terra Nova, named after the founder of Italy’s Antarctic programme, now a few years old. On a nearby hill were three wind turbines for electricity with only one functioning today, and the neatly laid out complex of blue buildings, wharf with crane etc. One vehicle was seen being driven at the station where scientific research is focused on marine biology, meteorology, geology and other sciences. Much of the data here is sent by satellite to Genoa and a small team of 14 is preparing the station for the winter.

The bar opened for what proved to be a most enjoyable hour, courtesy Pawel and Joanna who celebrated 20 years of their marriage and we toasted the occasion with a nice drop of Lindauer sparkling wine. Dan also using his phone made a video of all present. We then enjoyed an excellent meal at 7 p.m.

With the wind now deceasing to 3-4 knots and the sea moderately calm, the Captain moved the ship to a position which made it comfortable for us to go ashore at the site of Germany’s unoccupied Ganovex Station (Geology Antarctic North Victoria Land Expeditions) in Gerlache Inlet. Soon we were being shuttled ashore and stepped off the Zodiac onto the ice foot and then a surface of grey gravel. Nearby were a Weddell Seal and a solitary Adelie Penguin.

We were then left to ourselves and enjoyed a couple of hours wandering over the interesting stony surface, snow fields and doing our best to avoid a squadron of 25+ skuas (one had bands on each leg) some of which were protecting well advanced chicks, seen strutting about the larger rocks. Dan and Rachel found patches of moss below large boulders and in some places with lichen growing on the moss. The geology consisted of a considerable amount of granite, gneiss and other metamorphic rock with evidence of folding. There was an abundance of mica and also garnets in some of the rock, along with numerous erratics, dropped by retreating ice.

Many of us after examining Germany’s closed station (the small elevated orange painted hut with numerous expedition labels, is the original Ganovex Station hut which opened in 1983), then walked over to a ridge from which we had a good view of South Korea’s Jang Bojo Station. The German Station is a summer only station and available for use. We had a very good view of the beautifully designed complex with nearby two large helicopters; one of a Canadian contractor. Allan heard a series of loud reports which were likely to be emitted from the nearby Campbell Glacier grounded near its source, with its rugged surface of big seracs and crevasses.

For some of us it was a late night and by 11 p.m. most of us were back on board after for many, an exhilarating first landing on the Antarctic continent.

Day 12: Wednesday 19th February
Ross Sea; Terra Nova Bay; Inexpressible Island
Noon position – Latitude: 74o 54.373’S; Longitude: 163o 46.674’E
Air: -12.7oC Water: 0.4oC

Those of us on the starboard side of the Spirit of Enderby, were greeted this morning g with bright sunlight entering the port hole. It was a beautiful morning although the wind was blowing at nearly 30 knots and a brisk -8.3oC was the outside temperature. This was somewhat colder than +19oC in our cabin. The sea was at 0.7oC and our position at 7.20 a.m. was 74o38.452’S 164o14.515’E. A small tabular iceberg had the most beautiful green lining and a very dark blue band of ice in a cave.

We tucked into a hearty breakfast and were soon on the Bridge enjoying the superb geology with ochre coloured cliffs, snow fields terminating in ice cliffs and text book glacial geomorphology with Richter slopes and roches moutoné – rounded hills formed by glacial ice and named from the French for a sheep when lying down. As we left we had excellent viewing of the landscape and could see snow blowing off hillsides from the katabatic. The air temperature had risen to a warmer -7oC.

The ship was now taken further out into Terra Nova Bay and we made our way to Inexpressible Island. At 9.30 a.m. the wind had picked up to 40-50 knots and we were advised to stay inside the ship.

At 9.45 a.m. an instrument recorded a maximum gust of 58.8 knots or 120 km/hr with a wind chill of -25 to 32oC. and by 10.35 a.m. the wind was really blowing at the high 40s-50s and the air temperature was -12.1oC. The short period, small waves, were over the entire sea surface and spray was whipping off the crests. At McMurdo Station today the temperature was down to -22oC. We passed Cape Russell, the southern extremity of the Northern Foothills and named for Lieutenant Commander R.E. Russell USN Officer in Charge of the helicopter detachment on the icebreaker USS Glacier in 1958-59.

David gave a brief commentary on Scott’s Northern Party and passing Inexpressible Island, Samuel pointed out the location of the snow cave used by Scott’s men. We now moved along the coast, with a good sea still running, and the wind having certainly not eased. Our course was now being set for McMurdo Sound and today we had an earlier lunch at 12.30 p.m. with excellent burritos and a baked slice for desert, before heading south-east towards the great Drygalski Ice Tongue named by Scott, for the explorer who led the first German expedition.

At 3.30 p.m. David gave a lecture with an appetising title of “Biscuits, Saltwater and Hoosh - Scott’s Northern Party 1911-12.” This was the second of two parties that Scott planned for conducting field work in 1911, the first involving two geological expeditions in early 1911 and the following season.

The second party of six men led by Lieutenant Victor Campbell, originally named the Eastern Party, decided when it could not work in King Edward Land met Amundsen, then became a Northern Party. They based themselves at Cape Adare for 12 months and we saw the remains of their hut.

After being collected in early 1912, the Terra Nova took the men south to Terra Nova Bay where they undertook extensive survey and geological work. However because of heavy ice, Captain Pennell was unable to collect the six men who then after their own field work and with tents damaged by katabatic wind, had no choice but to implement survival procedures.

A snow cave was excavated where 205 days was spent including the entire winter and departing in the spring and with two men in poor health, they sledged down the Victoria Land coast, picking up supply depots as they went. They arrived at Hut Point only to learn of the death of the polar party, reaching Cape Evans the two of the men made the second ascent of Mt Erebus and undertook surveying about Cape Royds.

When the news initially broke on the Scott tragedy, the survival of the Northern Party of six in a snow cave attracted more attention in many of the newspapers. It is recommended that you read Meredith Hooper’s excellent book “The Longest Winter.”

At 5.15 p.m. we returned to the lecture room for a recap on the day and our observations. Samuel began by saying “there have been only 2500 questions today”. The geography and history was covered and we have travelled 430 km since Cape Adare which extends from Cape Washington to the Drygalski Ice tongue a distance of 80 km.

At 7.30 p.m. visibility was reduced to foggy conditions and somewhere in the murk, was the CHINARE (Chinese) icebreaker Xue long. Now with a 13.6 knot wind and an outside temperature of -7oC, the ship was rolling slightly after a lovely dinner with lamb and blue cod, then most of us decided to have an early night.

A quote to end the day. “Have you been in contact with him since you left ?” “Certainly not!”

Day 13: Thursday 20th February
Ross Sea and McMurdo Sound; Cape Evans; Cape Royds
Data as at 10.30 a.m.– Latitude: 77o 37.902’S; Longitude: 166o 24.200’E
Air: -9.8oC Water: 0.4oC

We had a fairly restful night and many of us were on the Bridge soon after 6 a.m. We were now heading up McMurdo Sound and off the west coast of Ross Island. Beaufort Island was by now off the stern to starboard and we had excellent views of the coastline south of Cape Bird with beyond Mount Bird and along the coast the Shell Glacier and Quaternary Icefall.

At 6.50 a.m. it was blowing 37 knots and the temperature was -9.2oC. Soon the bulk of Mt Erebus loomed ahead with the Fang Ridge very distinct on the left side of the mountain. As the sun came up from behind the mountain, we were able to obtain some good images.

It was also very windy at Cape Royds and as we passed it was possible to have a glimpse of Shackleton’s Hut. We then continued along the coast, past the Barne Glacier and arrived at Cape Evans before 8 a.m. to assess conditions and drop anchor. Conditions were ideal for landing and the ship’s hull had a generous coating of ice and the decks were also icy from snow last night.

At 9.45 a.m. we assembled in the lecture room for a briefing for landings at Cape Evans and Cape Royds and before 11 a.m., were being landed on the grey sandy beach near the flag pole east of Scott’s Hut (ASPA 155). The tide was out and the ice foot had a fringe of icicles. There were also “toadstools” of ice with a fringe of icicles, on the beach, against which small waves lapped.

We assembled outside the hut and here brushed our boots and also had snow removed so as to no take it into the hut and damage the floor in particular. David was waiting inside and a further seven of us were allowed inside at any one time. The first time he visited Scott’s Hut was in 1977 and over the years he has been involved with the Antarctic Society and more recently the Antarctic Heritage Trust. Inside it was not as cold as expected and the temperature was -2.7oC.

We found our visit an extraordinary experience and could not get over the size of the structure, the variety of Edwardian food, utensils and clothing with much of this, modified garments made on site by Shackleton’s Ross Sea party. The expedition led by Mackintosh, arrived two years after the hut had been vacated.

There was a “feel” about the place that we could not explain and many of us also walked about outside, examining the many artefacts and also climbed Windvane Hill with the cross for lost members (Mackintosh, Hayward, Spencer-Smith) of the Ross Sea party in 1916 and to enjoy the views. It was interesting to see a copy of the famous Ponting photograph with Scott at the head of the Wardroom table and to imagine he and his men sitting around the now vacant Wardroom. It was quite an unnerving experience and many who have visited the hut have, had some unusual experiences.

Soon it was time to depart, off the beach was an unusual iceberg with two layers of icicles and rilling on the surface and one side had the appearance of an aircraft wing.

Lunch today was at 2 p.m. with piping hot bean and vegetable soup and focaccia bread along with freshly baked cake. By 15 minutes to three we were on our way again past the Barne Glacier and towards Cape Royds and Shackleton’s Hut (ASPA 157). We had an excellent view of a large grey Leopard Seal on a drifting ice floe, which moved slightly but was reluctant to leave the floe.

On landing at Black Sand Beach which had only a small ice foot, we were greeted by six well developed Weddell Seals and of course, there had to be a few Adelie Penguins.

Soon we were marching up a steep area of grey Kenyte rock to one of the highest points on Cape Royds and in the direction of Shackleton’s Hut. The rock sparkled in the sunlight from the small feldspar crystals and we also saw numerous small to very large granite erratics. These boulders had originated from across McMurdo Sound (there is no granite in the Cape Royds area) and been stranded after the retreat of ice that was once over the area. Clusters of rounded rock were “pillow lava” that had formed in the sea during ejection of the lava.

It was an interesting walk and soon we were passing the site of the US Antarctic Program camp from which research is done on the Adelie Penguin colony during summer. Lower down and near the old hut was a small green wannigan used for accommodation by members of the Antarctic Heritage Trust and other groups in the New Zealand programme.

Shackleton’s Hut is quite different and along with the artefacts, has been fully restored by the Trust. We could not get over the fact that 15 men had lived in such a small area, along with all their belongings. Inside David was able to point out where different people slept, with two of the beds having been taken from Cape Evans, probably by members of the Ross Sea party. Shackleton was the only person with a separate cubicle which he also used as an office and the only item remaining in here which can positively be attributed to his occupancy, was a brass coat hook. Diaries are an important source of information and some of the activities recorded in Dr. Eric Marshall’s diary were told.

About the hut were numerous Adelie Penguins moulting, and soon it was time for us to return to Blacksand Beach with now the col southerly behind us. This had been a wonderful visit and back on board a very convivial time was spent in the bar/library.

For dinner this evening we enjoyed a hearty beef and venison stew with mashed potato and other courses and before we retired for the night, we had an interesting view of the sea beginning to freeze with small and large pancakes and in places an oily looking surface. Beyond Mt Discovery the Transantarctic Mountains were superb in the soft evening light.

Day 14: Friday 21st February
McMurdo Sound; Hut Point - Discovery Hut; Scott Base – TAE/IGY Hut
Data as at 1.05 p.m. – Latitude: 77o 50.924’S; Longitude: 166o 38.666’E
Air: -2.8oC Water: 0.0oC

Farthest South 6.22 p.m. 77o54.85’S 166o 41.7’E

This morning the engine was started at ten minutes to seven and we began to make our way up McMurdo Sound towards Hut Point. By 7.30 a.m. we were moving through new ice fields with grease ice appearing grey from the stratus cloud and the air temperature was a warm -5.7oC.

At 8.30 a.m. we left the new ice and were in open water. We were at this time, perhaps the most southern ship in Antarctica, as the US icebreaker Polar Star and cargo ship along with the Chinese ice breaker having left over the last two days.

We enjoyed a marvelous panorama from Cape Bird and Mt Bird, along the western side of Ross Island, to Cape Royds, Cape Evans, Mt Erebus and the Erebus icefall, the Erebus Glacier Tongue, Dellbridge Islands to the Hut Point Peninsula with prominent, Castle Rock and Observation Hill. The three meridian wind turbine towers could be made out and continuing were White Island, Black Island, Minna Bluff, Mt Discovery (in cloud) and the sweeping line of the Transantarctic Mountains. Outside there was a light wind blowing and a temperature of -5.7oC.

This morning at 9 a.m. we began landing below the Discovery Hut at Hut Point and almost where the Discovery was moored in 1902-04. The Spirit of Enderby was nearby and anchored in 37m depth and opposite was the expanse of the US McMurdo Station, which was almost like a town in the High Arctic. The station is scheduled for a major rebuild and this will lessen the overall footprint.

A lazy wind of about 12 m/sec was blowing and we made our way over the scoria and snow to the hut. Paul our Government Representative and David were there to meet us and after having our boots cleaned and checked by Paul, we entered the historic building.

David then gave a brief discussion on the history of the hut which he considered because of its association with all the “heroic-era” expeditions since it was erected, as the most iconic. He said there were layers of history here, with around us artefacts from the early British expeditions which used the hut when heading south towards the Pole. For the record they were:

*National Antarctic (Discovery) Expedition 1901-04 – Cmdr Robert F. Scott - members lived on the ship
*British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09 – Ernest Shackleton. Hut at Cape Royds
*British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition 1910-13 – Capt. R.F. Scott. Hut at Cape Evans
*Ross Sea party (Aurora) of Shackleton’s Imperial Transantarctic Expedition 1914-17 – Capt. Aeneas Mackintosh and J.R. Stenhouse.

For many of us, this building had more character and Joanna found it the best of the three visited during the expedition. We returned to the ship by 1 p.m. and moved from Winter Quarters Bay around Cape Armitage below Observation Hill and saw two Emperor Penguins and later a Minke Whale.

After a good lunch of chicken fillet, chips and a lovely salad, we prepared for our last landing in the area. Light snow was falling and at 2.10 p.m. when in Haskell Strait which extends under the McMurdo Ice Shelf, the anchor was dropped in 104m (the anchor was initially in 160m of water) of water and our position was 77o51.018 S 166o47.221’E. To starboard was the cluster of green buildings comprising New Zealand’s Scott Base first established on 21 January 1957. Of interest nearby, were an estimated 100 Weddell Seals and the ends of four pressure ridges cut off, when the bay ice went out.

Samuel with the kind assistance of Rory O’Connor, Winter Base Manager for Scott Base, arranged for us to inspect the TAE/IGY Hut. At 3 p.m. we began landing as snow fell and were met at the hanger (1959) by Rory and another staff member (12 are wintering at Scott Base), then made our way to the hut. This was initially cared for by veterans of the TAE and a committee of volunteers and is now cared for by the Antarctic Heritage Trust which undertook a full restoration of the building. This was the first of several huts for Scott Base, and linked with a central covered way. It was known as A-Hut and was later moved down slope a few metres from its original site. It is now an historic building, protected by the Antarctic Treaty.

Here David who had meals here on his first visit to Scott Base, pointed out the various rooms, mentioned who used them and told us about life at Scott base in those early days. An interesting feature was the No.72 President Cooker. This was manufactured at Bonnybridge Scotland, as had been the Mrs Sam range in the Cape Royds hut. Today 47 of us landed at Scott Base. Today Scott Base is a large complex with numerous buildings for accommodation, dining and relaxation, workshops, reverse osmosis for production of water from salt water, laboratories, ablutions, waste disposal and storage.

For David this visit was a very sentimental occasion as the present Scott Base, is soon to be replaced with a modern base to serve New Zealand’s science and logistic support programme for the next few decades. A small number of us walked past the base to view the Koru which serves as a memorial to the lost personnel on the tragic Air New Zealand flight. We departed as heavier snow was falling and soon Scott Base was lost in cloud. We greatly appreciated this special visit, arranged by Samuel and the Winter Manager of New Zealand’s southern outpost.

At 5.05 p.m. the anchor was lifted and our position when we left was 77o51.263’S 166o48.078’E. At 5.30 p.m. we began following the edge of the McMurdo Ice Shelf against the Ross Ice Shelf and about 2.5m high, we sighted a pod of Minke Whales which the dived perhaps beneath the ice shelf as we did not see them again. By now the late afternoon was brightening up as we headed westwards across McMurdo Sound. We had a very good view of a pair of Emperor Penguins and as a result the meal was later this evening. A Crabeater Seal was seen and some Orca was spotted.

The evening light was superb and we enjoyed time on deck and the Bridge, as we passed along the edge of the McMurdo Ice Shelf which is linked to the Ross Ice Shelf. The objective this evening was to view wildlife and we were not disappointed. We had a spectacular sighting of ten Emperor Penguins and a pair of Minke Whales. Dan also identified a pod of Arnoux’s Beaked Whales which are deep divers and may have swum under the ice shelf as we did not see them again. Beyond with the sun going down, there was a spectacular view of the sun lit sky and peaks of the Transantarctic Mountains which disappeared in a clear sky, far to the north.

We had an excellent view of the vast Koettlitz Glacier named for Dr. Reginald Koettlitz biologist on the Discovery, then to the north the Blue Glacier, both lit up brightly by the low sun which brightened the peaks of the great Royal Society Range. Many of us were still on the Bridge at 10 p.m. enjoying the evening, the seals including a Crabeater and the magnificent polar environment including the refreezing of the sea with its many artistic patterns. It was one of those nights that we will long remember.

Day 15: Saturday 22nd February
McMurdo Sound; Orcas, Cape Crozier; Mt Terror; Ross Ice Shelf; Ross Sea; Franklin Island
Noon position – Latitude: 77o14.792’S; Longitude: 169o 33.121’E
Air: -5.1oC Water: 0.0oC

We slept well last night as the ship was making its way along the west side of Ross Island, then Cape Bird and across Lewis Bay until at 7 a.m. we had in the distance the lower slopes to port of Mt Terror and below near the end of the Ross Ice Shelf, Cape Crozier, one of the geographic features named by James Clark Ross. Long ice cliffs with patches of black volcanic rock below was along the coast and as we drew closer, the location of the second or third largest Adelie Penguin colony in Antarctica could be seen.

Breakfast was later than planned as Samuel announced the presence of about three pods of Type-C Orca which Dan thought was about 40 of the mammals in total. As we drew nearer there was soon a good photo opportunity. One large male tended to be behind the others – perhaps keeping guard on the females and calves? Females with the distinctive markings on the “saddle” behind the dorsal fin were of interest. With their blowing and cruising on the surface, they were a spectacular sight. It was a fairly bleak morning with light snow flurries. The position was 77o 19.528’S; 168o 40.138’E and outside a warm -4.2oC.

We had a hearty breakfast and by 9 a.m. we were approaching Cape Crozier and the Ross Ice Shelf with its front about 800km across and between 156-50m above the surface of the sea. It covers an area of roughly 188, and features prominently in the diaries of the early explorers.

With aid of a 1962 New Zealand survey map, possibly the last complete survey to have been done for Cape Crozier, David pointed out Igloo Spur, the locality of the famous rock “igloo” made by Wilson, Bowers and Cherry Garrard in July 1911, during the famous “worst journey in the world” and then gave an outline of the journey including the conditions experienced to return safely with to Cape Evans, three Emperor Penguin eggs. One egg can be seen on permanent display at the Natural History Museum in London however, it is strongly recommended that one reads Cherry Garrard’s book The Worst Journey in the World.

Soon we were alongside the dramatic ice cliff of the shelf. Ross wrote that he would no sooner try and sail through the Ice barrier than could through the White Cliffs of Dover. Andre was Helmsman and at one stage when asked, the Captain said we “may be 15 metres from the ice [shelf]”. The Spirit of Enderby has a 12 meter beam.

Dan observed a Leopard Seal and the Captain a further seal beside the ice cliff. Other Snow Petrels and skuas were seen, at least one Minke (?) Whale and in places, the sea was beginning to freeze.

After this wonderful morning, at 11 a.m. course was set for Franklin Island in the center of the Ross Sea. When leaving the Ross Ice Shelf, our position was 77o24.955’S; 169o45.169’E. Air temperature -4.9oC. As we left Cape Crozier and Mt Terror (the lower slopes of Mt Erebus was barely visible below cloud) behind off the port bow, we had a distant view of Beaufort Island, which we had passed on our way south. The sea was calm and only a few scattered bergy bits and a distant berg were visible.

We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on calm seas and viewed the New Zealand Wild South documentary Solid Water Liquid Rock which focused on Mt Erebus, the sea ice and benthic life below the ice. This excellent programme with filming by Max Quinn formerly of the Natural History Unit Dunedin, began with exploration of the sea bed and undersurface of the Erebus Glacier Tongue, by divers and using a remote operated vehicle named Phantom. The ice tongue is 10km long, 300m thick and grows at 100m/yr. We saw amazing denizens of the deep including sea spiders and isopods resembling giant woodlice, which are far larger than their equivalents in temperate regions.

The programme then moved to the active volcano Mt Erebus which is thought to have originated during a widening of the Ross Sea and possibly 600m below sea level. Of interest to scientists in 1977, was the liquid lava lake 200m below the crest.

Dr. Werner Giggenbach descended to an inner crater with sulphur-coated rock 80m below, then a further 100m in an effort to sample gases from the lava. He was lucky to escape with his life, when the volcano suddenly erupted, spitting out lava that burnt his climbing rope and trousers. On the ground can be collected large feldspar crystals that have been formed in the lava and ejected during eruption. The next attempt by NASA with a special remote vehicle was also unsuccessful and Erebus has retained its secrets.

At 4.30 p.m. David gave his lecture, Heroes that History Forgot, which covered Shackleton’s Ross Sea party 1914-17. This lecture had the following objectives – to make reference to the last expedition of the “heroic-era” (1895-1917); to state the situation concerning Shackleton and the Endurance and to recognise the four Australians who were with the supporting Ross Sea party.

The purpose of the Ross Sea Party, was to lay crucial supply depots for Shackleton who proposed to make the first crossing of the continent with dogs and six men in the 1914-15 season and if not then, the following season. In the end each party got into difficulty. The Endurance of the Weddell Sea party was lost and the Ross Sea party ship Aurora was close to being lost, but the depots for Shackleton were laid over the Ross Ice Shelf to Mt Hope at the entrance to the Beardmore Glacier. This was at great cost with the death of three men from scurvy and misfortune or perhaps one might say, also misadventure. In the end Shackleton never achieved his poorly managed and under financed expedition.

It has often been said that Sir Ernest Shackleton, never lost a man on his four Antarctic expeditions. This is true for his Weddell Sea party but not the Ross Sea party. Shackleton having saved all his men on the Weddell Sea party did however, achieve the rescue of seven survivors of ten men stranded when the Aurora was taken out in a blizzard with all the stores. These seven Ross Sea party men, were eventually rescued in 1917 and as with members of the Weddell Sea party, some contributed to the War effort.

Success was eventually achieved by Dr. (later Sir) Vivian Fuchs using Snocat tracked vehicles and with assistance of a Ross Sea party laying depots and led by Sir Edmund Hillary that had airpower support.

At 6.30 p.m. the bar opened and we enjoyed before dinner a convivial pre-dinner drink.

We arrived at Franklin Island (discovered 27 January 1841and named by Ross) at 6.55 p.m. with at present the swell in the wrong direction and at 8.17 p.m., our position was 76o09.380’S 168o 19.624’ E. The island is 80km north of Beaufort Island and at one end is Bernacchi Head named for Tasmanian physicist Louis Bernacchi, by Borchgrevink in 1900. A 13.7 knot wind was blowing and the temperature was -3.4oC.

We were anchored in 25m on the west coast of the island which is 8km long and 3km wide, and the rocky cliffs and ice cap looked beautiful in the evening sunlight. Here the icecap extends down to sea level at one end while at the other is a steep rocky cliff and the headland named by Carsten Borchgrevink. The semi-circular beach has a series of old beach ridges and it is on these that the penguins have their nest sites.

The swell on the beach had begun since we arrived and a scout boat was sent to see if a landing was possible. We were advised if a landing would go ahead, it would not be easy and would be a stern landing with four staff holding the Zodiac and might be difficult for some people. On the large beach were numerous moulting Adelie Penguins and using binoculars, Samuel counted 150+Weddell Seals including many young pups. Samuel was on the beach assessing the conditions and Rachael then advised that unfortunately a landing was unable to be made. We then raised the anchor and prepared to continue on to Inexpressible Island.

Most of us after an excellent dinner with duck and monkfish, having taking some photographs then had an early night.

Day 16: Sunday 23rd February
Ross Sea; Terra Nova Bay; Inexpressible Island
Noon position – Latitude: 74o 54.168’S; Longitude: 163o 46.211’E
Air: -10.1oC Water: 0.0oC

This morning under a cloudy sky and with a moderately rough sea with white horses, we made our way toward Terra Nova Bay and by 7 a.m. had Cape Washington to starboard. It was a beautiful morning as we arrived at Inexpressible Island, with conditions far calmer than on our previous visit, although by 7.23 a.m. the wind was at 20.2 knots.

Ahead we had the most amazing panorama with the entire coast of Terra Nova Bay before us. Beyond in the early morning sun, a beautiful landscape of brown rock was highlighted by the sun. Above a very pale blue sky which was tinged yellow above the mountain peaks. A large flat-topped mountain range of exposed rock and an extension of the Albert Mountains had prominent Mt Bellingshausen (1390m). Other peaks were Mt Nansen (2737m), Mt Mackintosh (2468m) and Teall Nunatak, a dome-shaped peak on the lower Reeves Glacier. To starboard Mt Melbourne (2733m) stood out prominently.

We had an excellent breakfast to start the day and by 9.05 a.m. we were just off Inexpressible Island. Of interest was the deep blue of the terminal face of the Priestley Glacier with Hells Gate Moraine already exposed at the end of the glacier. To the south of us, could be seen antenna at the site of the new as yet unnamed Chinese station. The anchor was dropped in 80m and soon we were being shuttled to a perfect cove, by Dan and Yury.

From here, we made our way passed salt encrusted grey gneiss boulders and a sleeping Weddell Seal, beside the bay which is part of Evans Coves; the other being the bay at the end of the Priestley Glacier. After carefully following the icy snow surface beside the cove, we found an easier patch of gravel then small boulders and finally, very large boulders many with black lichens that were likely to be many decades old. Our route now had us selecting the best way through here to the snow field higher up.

David was waiting for us at the site of the 1912 Northern party snow cave. Here we were shown relics of the party’s sojourn in the form of seal vertebrae and skulls broken to extract the brain, penguin skeletons, a few pieces and one intact bamboo that formerly supported a seal skin over the entry to the cave and using an historic photograph and very large boulders at the site, it was possible to identify where the snow cave had been located – a little to the left of the cairn and in a boulder-free area. We also saw the original plywood notice board and the four Antarctic Treaty plaques.

Many of us went for a walk up the hill behind the site or wandered up Harrowfield Hill with some unusual weathered rocks and from here we had an excellent view of the Priestley Glacier, Vegetation Island and of the Nansen Ice Sheet. It really was an interesting place and a further bonus was a solitary adult Emperor Penguin which we were able to enjoy a few metres from and also hear the dramatic calls made by the very fine example of the species.

On the way back we had good viewing of several Adelie Penguins and dried seaweed along the shore reminded us of the covering used by Scott’s Northern party on the floor of their cave. Soon we were back on board and by now the wind was starting to increase and blowing at nearly 30 knots. The anchor was lifted and we continued our journey toward Colman Island and Cape Adare.

The Transantarctic Mountains
Some details on the geology courtesy of Wikipedia, states the mountains extend across the Antarctic continent for a distance in excess of 3500km, and comprise peaks over 4000m high. They divide the continent into two geological provinces. East Antarctica the larger of the two is geologically a very stable area, composed of very old rocks, which we refer to as a craton. In South Victoria Land, most of the craton is covered by ice of the Polar Plateau and some rocks have been dated as 2, 200,000,000 years. In contrast, West Antarctica is composed of a collage of crustal sediments, unrelated to the craton, and is much younger (Courtesy - lecture by Dr. Alan Cooper).

Pre-Devonian basement rocks are overlain by a Devonian-Jurassic sequence, which in early Jurassic times was overlain by extensive basaltic rocks and intruded by sills. Younger rocks consist of upper alkaline basaltic rocks and glaciogenic strata. The Beacon Super Group has a record of the geologic history of Gondwana from the early Devonian to the late Triassic. During the Discovery expedition, a party led by Armitage, including the geologist H.T. Ferrar, crossed McMurdo Sound and explored the mountains of Victoria Land, discovered the Polar Plateau and ascended to the edge of the Plateau.

The brown Beacon sandstone base is marked by an unconformity and is composed of the Devonian Taylor Group of quartzose sandstone sequence and a late Carboniferous to early Jurassic Victoria Group consisting of glacial beds, sandstone shale, conglomerate and coal. The beacon Sandstone was named by Ferrar during the Discovery expedition using the Beacon Heights survey points as reference. Glossopteris (leaves from a tree) fossils dated the sandstone as Permian and linked the lithology to neighbouring continents. Generally flat-lying, the Super Group is up to 3.2km thick and is fairly continuous from South Victoria land to the Beardmore Glacier along the Transantarctic Mountains. The Ferrar dolerite intrudes at various levels.

The Super Group originated in a shallow marine sedimentary environment and the lack of nutrients or soil (due to the purity of the sandstone) has led the Beacon Sandstone being considered the closest analogue on Earth to Martian conditions.

Cenozoic volcanic rocks of which we have seen a great deal, in North and South Victoria Land, are late Tertiary in age. Lavas are alkali rich and contain inclusions of granulite from the deep crust and ultramafic rocks from the lithospheric mantle and are located on the East Antarctic rim of the West Antarctic rift system.
We had a quiet afternoon on a calm sea with a few small icebergs about and at 5 p.m. we had a de-brief in the lecture room.

Samuel began with speaking about McMurdo Station. The Station leader had mentioned, 1100 are present in the summer at McMurdo and 100 at the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station. Over 100 personnel are still in the field and at Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula, 40 staff are present. This summer 20 million pounds of fuel was delivered for McMurdo and Pole Stations and this is two years supply. On 14 February flights ended to the Pole and the next flight is scheduled for 1 November. This winter, 45 staff will be at the Pole and the last summer flight from McMurdo was 21 February. A further five flights will take place before the end of April and before the “real reduction” in population before the rest of winter.

David then commented on the TAE/IGY hut history and gave background to the Commonwealth Transantarctic Expedition (1955-58). We then moved into aspects of the natural history enjoyed over the last few days. Rachael commented on the lichens we saw today with some found at latitude 87oS and having an extraordinary slow growth rate of about .01mm/year.

Dan spoke about the Type-C Orca with about 470 present in McMurdo Sound and at Cape Crozier and perhaps as many as 300 in addition to these. Dan and Samuel then talked about the Emperor penguin one of two we had seen. Of interest was the observation today of the very fat adult seen drinking snow and calling. It was thought to be preparing to moult and the bright neck colour may be a reflection on the health of the bird.

Agnes now spoke on the three species of seals we have seen – the Weddell Seal with a 60% diet of tooth fish and a cat-like face; the Leopard Seal with a snake-like head and the Crabeater Seal with a dog-like head of which there are 10-75 million.

This evening the chefs produced a fine chicken and cognac parfait as a starter, then a fantastic roast meal with beef, pork or salmon or roasted Portobello mushrooms. This was served with roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, pumpkin and peas with complimentary sauces such as horse radish. The final was Berry short cake with berry sorbet. An excellent meal, for our last night in the Ross Sea.

By 8 23 p.m. we were nearing Cape Anne at the Southern end of Coulman Island with the cape named by Ross after his wife. There was a beautiful evening light and many of us took advantage of this. We had a great view of distant Mt Melbourne, four distant bergs, Mt Murchison (3051m) and Mt Lubbock (1630+m). a volcano with a small crater in the top. Around us was a calm grey sea, with just a gentle swell, four bergs away to port and grey stratus cloud over the horizon.

At 9.50 p.m. five Snow Petrels flew past as if to say farewell and we had off the port bow, Cape Anne with patches of rock, the ice cap and ice cliff was clearly visible. Some narrow bands of cumulus cloud extended halfway up the side of the island, snow slopes were a yellowish and light pink in the setting sun. The Captain said after sunset (about 2 a.m.) a major calving of ice occurred off the end of a glacier on Coleman Island and he estimated the “huge cloud of snow” to be half the height of the island. As the sun dipped lower, crepuscular rays were reflected in the sea which was calm and in places beginning to freeze.

It had been a perfect way to end our last night on the Ross Sea. It was now time to retire for the night.

Day 17: Monday 24th February
Ross Sea; Possession Islands; Adare Peninsula; Cape Adare; Robertson Bay
Noon position – Latitude: 74o 46.073’S; Longitude: 171o 04.745’E
Air: -3.4oC Water: 0.4oC

Although somewhat late in our expedition, it should be pointed out that the water temperatures come from the engine room. These are not a true record of the sea water as when in McMurdo Sound the water is about -1.86oC. It is suggested that while ocean temperatures appear to be increasing, the extent of this is not as shown.

We had a very comfortable night and at 7 a.m., we were nearing the Hallett Peninsula with at its northern end Edisto Inlet; named after a former USN icebreaker of the 1950s and 60s. We were at 72o38.562’S; 171o 34.202’E and doing a comfortable 11.5 knots on a calm grey sea. The air temperature was -5.9oC and wind 15 knots.

It had been snowing since 6.30 a.m., with light flakes dancing in the breeze and only a slight ripple on the sea beneath an overcast sky. The sea was mostly ice-free. Just one or two bergy bits and occasional patches of ice off the port bow. A small number of birds was seen and included four Snow Petrels, two Antarctic Petrels and three skuas. At 8 a.m. the sun began to break through and we were on track to reach Possession Islands about 10.30 a.m. when conditions would be accessed for a landing.

By 10.30 a.m. Foyn Island in the Possession Islands was off the bow and we had a first class view of all the islands in the group. At the same time we enjoyed an iceberg with various tunnels and arches close to collapse. Many of us were on the Monkey Bridge and added to our record of images. There was also much amusement with a “snow fight” on the bow, between our two Chefs and Bek sent a snow ball missing Al, as it went through a port hole and another up to the audience on the Monkey Deck.

Earlier through cloud, we viewed Hallett Peninsula with occasional black rock visible and on Possession Island, a similar contrast between the black volcanic rock and snow. A considerable amount of ice and a large swell breaking on the beach, where landings are normally made, meant that a landing was impossible today. There were quite a few penguins on the beach and we had a good view of the upended US landing craft well up on the beach, where it ended up after being washed off the USS Edisto in the 1960s and then abandoned.

Today we had lunch at 12.30 p.m. with a nice a dish of pasta with melted cheese and green beans, as we made our way along the Adare Peninsula with along its edge, eight icebergs of various sizes.

At 3.05 p.m. the number of bergs including off the end of Cape Adare had increased to 40+. There were many shapes and sizes and one was a very dark blue along an edge, but unfortunately the Spirit of Enderby was on the wrong side. We rounded the cape past Gertrude (still shown on the chart as The Sisters) and had a great view of the top of the Adare Peninsula. However there was a tremendous swell along North and South beach, with sheets of spray being thrown up. It was quite clear no landing at Borchgrevink’s Huts (ASPA 158) was possible today. Many juvenile Adelie Penguins were in groups along the beach and on turning Von Tunzelman Point, there was considerably more ice and also no calm water or openings.

Penguins and guano were still on the side of an iceberg we observed when we made our visit here over a week ago and five Weddell Seals were seen lying side by side on a floe. A Wilson’s Storm-petrel was photographed by Terry this pleasing him immensely. These small birds are fast flyers and difficult to photograph, as Nigel also discovered. Numerous skuas and a few giant petrels were seen. A convection fog came down the peninsula and was also observed moving down the Warning Glacier, but did not last long.

At 4.05 p.m. Samuel advised we would move to the head of Robertson Bay and return to anchor near Ridley Beach for the night. As we proceeded up the bay, we were on a direct course for Duke of York Island where in Crescent Bay, guano of the probably now vacant small Adelie Penguin colony was visible. To the right was the great Murray Glacier named for Sir John Murray and to the left was the much smaller Newnes Glacier. At the head of the bay was the Adare Saddle with Football Pass to one side. Mt Ruegg (1867m) which had clearly visible on a shear rock face, the beautiful folds in the stratigraphy.

The mountains of the Admiralty Range with all the high peaks seen previously were outstanding with text book examples of aretes terminating in sharp peaks, cirques and other geomorphic features. Glaciers, most very crevassed and a pale blue in the late afternoon light, ended in ice cliffs at the sea (bay ice appeared to be below the Murray Glacier) and many including big mountains, have never been explored and are unnamed.

By 5.40 p.m. a southerly was blowing at 23 knots, although Andy found it quite comfortable on the fore deck in the bow. As we moved closer to the Duke of York Island, an ancient cirque was visible and although perhaps two outlet streams may have drained the basin, no evidence for a terminal lake was seen. The Newnes Glacier was crevassed in the lower reaches and shallow basic beside the headland adjacent to Colbeck bay had an extensive snowfield.

The wind began to pick up and at 6.30 p.m. was blowing 27.2 knots and the air temperature was -4oC. We were at 71o39.649’S 170o 12.249’E and now turned for Cape Adare and at one stage we were 200m from the face of the Nameless Glacier which this afternoon, was jokingly renamed on the chart, Denis Glacier, for our Chief Mate. We had enjoyed very much this interesting end to the day and using early photographs, Samuel was able to do further research on where Borchgrevink may have placed his stone hut.

Our chefs Bek and Al certainly went the extra mile for us this evening. Our final meal in Antarctica was superb and included ribeye steak, blue cod and a very fine desert of Italian origin; Tiramisu with Kalua. With the possibility of an early start, most of us retired for the night. However, a small group was on the Bridge enjoying a spectacular sky when the sun went down behind the mountains, as a golden ball at 9.35 p.m. and the anchor was also dropped in over 30m of water. Our position for the night was 71o 18.865’S 170o 11.632’S.

Day 18: Tuesday 25th February
Robertson Bay; Cape Adare; Borchgrevink’s Hut; Zodiac cruise; Southern Ocean; Blue Whale and Humpback Whales
Data as at 1 p.m. – Latitude: 71o 18.725’S; Longitude: 170o 11.497’E
Air: -0.6oC Water: 0.8oC

Today we were up bright and early to a beautiful crisp morning and a temperature of -3.5oC. The sea was calm with a scattering of ice fragments, a few larger floes and gentle swell. The peaks and glaciers of the Admiralty Range were cold and beautiful as they slowly brightened when the sun rose. Penguins were on the same grounded iceberg as seen on our first visit to Cape Adare. It really was a fine start to the day and probably for many of us, our last morning in Antarctica. What a way to finish.

At 8.30 a.m. Samuel, Agnes, Dan with Yuri driving checked out potential landing areas and landed briefly. Of interest further along the beach, was a Leopard Seal that kept putting its head above the water as it observed a solitary Adelie Penguin on a small floe. Later Terry and others saw perhaps the same seal flailing a penguin making one less bird in what was left of the colony.

By 9 a.m. the sun was over the top of the peninsula and we had a good view of the three historic huts (the 1911 Scott Hut is almost gone) and the end of the guano-covered cuspate foreland which is only three meters above sea level. The scouting team arrived back and reported an opening in the ice but conditions were marginal and had inspected from the outside, Borchgrevink’s hut and many moulting Adelie Penguins in the vicinity.

At 9.30 a.m. a 50 minute documentary, Ice Bird, on Adelie Penguins was arranged, while landing conditions were further assessed. However, Samuel then advised conditions had improved and an attempt would be made to land, although we had to leave our life jacket on. Staff went ashore, Paul opened the hut and David was soon inside with three others as only four in total are allowed. In total 8 passengers and 7 staff entered the hut, before Samuel said they had to leave the beach as soon as possible.

There was only time to sign the visitor book and to be shown in addition to who slept where in 1899, a few items of interest. These were a side of Wiltshire bacon, some chemical bottles, dog coats with nice red braid, the pencil drawing by Assistant Kolbein Ellifsen (23), the scorched roof and burnt curtain when a candle set the hut alight, Zoologist Hanson’s initials on the wall beside his bed and the bow of the whale boat in the unroofed stores hut.

Outside, the Antarctic Heritage Trust had carefully cached equipment, a strapped stack of specially machined boards in preparation for the work next season and other equipment. The departure was not an easy one and full marks to Yuri for his superb boat handling and to Samuel and Dan who with split second timing, got people into the Zodiac between the big surge and a wave that lifted the boat. As the first boat load with staff left, a Crabeater Seal eyed them from a distance. The second boat and occupants also had to leave as soon as told with David doing his barrel roll off the tube and onto the floor, then held by Bek and Al.

With the landing over and now back on board, many already dressed in anticipation of landing, were however, able to enjoy a Zodiac cruise. This began near the cliff at the end of South Beach, where David said “Just look at that Richter slope and pro-talus rampart” to which one of those on board, quickly replied “Thank you for sharing that with us” and laughter followed. A Crabeater Seal was seen swimming (five were ashore), then further along the beach toward the point, we viewed a young male elephant seal. On Von Tunzelman Point, several Southern Giant Petrels including two white morphs and on North Beach a second elephant seal, a Weddell Seal, an Antarctic Fur Seal and a King Penguin; was seen. It was very rare to see a King Penguin this far south and which, the fur seal was briefly chasing.

An unnerving experience however, was for Parvel and Joanna, sitting in the end of the Zodiac driven by Rachael, as they were “stalked” by a Leopard Seal with its activities recorded by Parvel on his phone. The seal was clearly interested in not only the Zodiac but its passengers. Today we saw five species of seals.

A huge swell was along North Beach and waves crashed along the shore between giant boulders of ice and with the backwash, basalt cobbles and pebbles were rattling as they rolled up and down the beach. There were also some nice bergy bits and one in particular, had the most beautiful translucent light green.

At 1 p.m. a Polar Plunge was held with ten participants including our Government Rep. and four women. Rachael had the sauna on “for defrosting”. We then sat down to an excellent lunch of bangers and mash with seconds for those who wanted them. At 1.25 p.m. Bosun Yuri lifted the anchor and we were north bound. It had been a wonderful few hours and soon Cape Adare and the Admiralty Mountains were fading in the distance.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent quietly, with many preferring after the early morning start, to have a rest. However, just before 6 p.m. two Humpback Whales were seen close to the ship and there was more to come. At 6 p.m. Samuel and Dan sighted a Blue Whale. We were at Latitude 70o36.455’S Longitude 169o 05.3478’E and the water was around 1000m deep.

All of us had an excellent view of the young mammal with distinctive high blow and accompanying sound as it exhaled, the mottled steel-blue back, the small dorsal fin and shear bulk of the whale as it appeared to be feeding just below the surface. A man could stand in the blow hole of an adult whale.

For some time, Captain Alex (for a while Captain Samuel) moved the ship slowly so we could have a good view of the giant denizen of the deep. Even images were obtained on “point and shoot” cameras. At this time we had a gentle swell and the large “footprint” surrounded by bubbles as the whale sounded, was clearly visible. There are at present 2860 Blue Whales in Antarctic waters and 5-15,000 globally.

Birds seen included several Wilson’s Storm-petrels, an Antarctic Fulmar; Cape Petrel, a White morph Southern Giant Petrel and skuas.

To starboard and even though well off, we had a magnificent panorama of the Transantarctic Mountains and coastline of the continent. The peaks were perfectly clear and vast snow fields stood out prominently with a very cold, pale blue.
Dinner this evening was of the usual high standard and Happy Birthday was sung for Lauren. Samuel came on the PA at 8.45 p.m. and advised that as we have some time to spare, we are heading on a north-west course for the Balleny Islands and should arrive early tomorrow afternoon. However, the weather will change between midnight and 2 a.m. and we were advised to secure our cabins. And so, we did just that and prepared for rock n’ roll.

Day 19: Wednesday 26th February
Southern Ocean; Balleny Islands and Humpback Whales
Noon position – Latitude: 67o 35.033’S; Longitude: 164o 25.471’E
Air: -2.6oC Water: 0.4oC

Last night as it turned out, was a very calm one and we surfaced this morning to a lumpy sea with scattered white horses.

The first item for the day was a lecture by David at 9.45 a.m, The Tactician – Roald Amundsen and the lead-up to the South Pole. David began by giving a background to Amundsen’s early life including his family, love for the sea, the outdoors and of his hero Fridtjof Nansen, the great Norwegian explorer. By 1895 he was interested in the outdoors, with cross-country skiing and nearly lost his life who hypothermia.

Amundsen then joined as second mate, the Belgian Antarctic Expedition 1897-99 led by Adrien de Gerlache and wintered over in Antarctica for two and a half years. He learned much about diet, clothing and extended his interest in science. In 1900 he acquired the fishing vessel Gjoa and following Nordenskjold’s Vega Expedition 1878-90, when the Northwest Passage was traversed. Amundsen then set out on a scientific expedition where he spent the winters of 1902 and 1903 and learning from the Inuit, the use of dogs, their food, clothing and means of travel.

Roald Amundsen then had his sights set on the Arctic Ocean via the Bering Strait and in September changed his plans, so as to head south to Antarctica. By now Scott was announcing his plans with a goal to reach the South Pole. Ultimately it would be dogs that would be the key to Amundsen’s success and it is well-known how when at Madeira, he told his men of his revised plans and sent a cable to Scott that would be received in Melbourne.

After a 6440km journey, Amundsen arrived at the geographic South Pole on 14 December 1911 (after adjustment for the International Date Line) and returned to his base Framheim on the Ross Ice Shelf. During WWI Amundsen became involved in shipping but then with a new boat Maude he set out to resume his Arctic drift and completed the Northeast Passage. He then linked up with the American Lincoln Ellsworth and made the first flight over the Arctic basin. However, in 1928 when looking for Nobile and his airship Italica, he disappeared and no trace was ever found. Nobile turned up a few days later.

Several books have been written on Amundsen and in addition to Roland Huntford’s Scott and Amundsen, Stephen Bown’s book The Last Viking, is highly recommended.

About 11.45 a.m. we approached the southern end of Sturge Island with the highest peak, Russell Peak (1524m) at the northern end. The Balleny group of three large (Sturge, Buckle and Young) and two smaller islands (Borradaile and Row) were discovered by John Balleny on 9 February 1839, during a sealing expedition for the Enderby Brothers London. The captains of the two ships Eliza Scott (Balleny) and Sabrina (Freeman) both made the first landing south of the Antarctic Circle and collected a few stones. The Sabrina a small schooner and her crew of seven were however, lost when later caught in a storm.

We then moved along with west coast. It was very foggy and the sea was rough from a 30 knot easterly, with white horses and sheets of spray off the wave crests. Not a day for Zodiac travel. At 11.30 a.m. a fulmar which breed on the islands, flew by and fragments of ice along with some large “growlers” were seen. From the radar it could be seen that a band of ice was along the west side of Sturge Island and we were passing over water between 500-900m depth. At 12.30 p.m. nothing could be seen of the island and while wind coming over the island from the east was still strong, the sea had calmed somewhat.

After a fine lunch of salad, fish and chips (perfect for the day outside), we moved along the west coast of Sturge Island and at 2 p.m. had wild, vertical, sheer cliffs of black basalt rock and ice. Large numbers of Snow Petrels, a few Antarctic Fulmar, Mottled Petrels and Cape Petrels were seen and on a floe two Crabeater Seals. Samuel and David spoke on the history of the islands and we spent time on the decks doing our best to photograph birds as they flew about the ship. The ice cliffs on Surge were spectacular and a mass of snow was seen to fall.

At 2.40 p.m. a mother and calf Humpback Whales were sighted feeding near the ship, which was over 116m of water. With a backdrop of basalt cliffs and the ice cap this provided the perfect backdrop for much of our photography which included images of blows, the back and dorsal fin while feeding, the tail flukes when diving (adult only) and Ian obtained a fine photograph of the head and pleated throat when the calf was breaching, then went vertically downward. At the time we were at 67o25.697’S 164o36.325’E. Also on a floe were three Crabeater Seals and a further seal swimming.

At 4.30 p.m. we were nearing the end of Sturge Island and a further two Humpback Whales were seen. We now headed for Buckle Island, the next island in the chain. The sun was now out and the sea was calm.

At 5.10 p.m. a lecture was given by Dan on “Identification of whales in the Southern Ocean. Knowing your whales from your dolphins.”

This lecture was very timely, given the species we have seen in the last few days. Dan began by first saying that deep water makes a great location for seeing whales and we presently have in the world, 90 species of whales and dolphins. For many species, genetics is used for identification.

Below New Zealand and toward Antarctica, the water is very rich with food however much identification is done by the process of elimination. For example, the shallow water at Bluff when compared to Auckland Islands also has deeper water alongside shallow areas. Further south at Macquarie Island, deep water is either side of the ocean ridge. The continental shelf is comparatively shallow when compared to the abyssal water and where there is food there are sea birds and where there are sea birds there are whales. The Antarctic Polar Front or Convergence moves all the time and such factors as water temperature determine where the Convergence is.

When identifying cetaceans, we need to look at size and whether it is small medium or huge. Is there a blow or no blow? What is the fluking behaviour? Is the dorsal fin large or small or absent? Where is the position of the dorsal fin? What is the nature of the blow – they all vary in size, height and direction. A Humpback Whale for example is 8-10m high. The tail fluke is only found in the Sperm, Humpback, Blue and Right Whale. Where present the position and size of the fin also varies.

We need to consider behaviour – what is the whale doing? Such as when there is a full breach of the entire animal usually seen when surfacing. Also pectoral fin slapping, tail flapping and the surfacing sequence such as how the whale comes out of the water. This was a very useful lecture an clearly we have much to learn, before we can positively identify our whales and dolphins.

By the time the bar opened, we were crossing the Southern Ocean between Sturge and Buckle Islands. The sea was calmer although with a swell and the late afternoon was fine with very bright sunlight. The evening was spent quietly and many of us are attending to our photographs and diary record for the expedition. About 9 p.m. we arrived at Buckle Island with at the south end wonderful volcanic geology including Eliza Cone named after Balleny’s ship; Sabrina Islet with Chinstrap Penguins and the impressive Monolith a volcanic spire of 110m.

Day 20: Thursday 27th February
Southern Ocean; Balleny Islands; Balleny Seamount; enroute to Macquarie Island
Noon position – Latitude: 66o 23.035’S: Longitude: 162o 16.329’E
Air: -2.1oC Water: 0.2oC

The ship pitched much of the night, grating was heard from the anchor chain in the hawse pipe. There were a few bleary eyes this morning as we passed the coastline of Buckle Island with the highest point 945m. At 7.45 a.m. we were at 66o52.575’S; 163o10.159’ E. The wind was at 5 knots, we had a following sea with a reasonable swell and the temperature was -2.5oC. As with yesterday the forbidding coastline had areas of black rock and shear ice cliffs of a very pale cerulean blue.

Two Antarctic Fulmar was seen early this morning, as we passed over water of 23m which rapidly dropped to 400-500m then to over 2000m along the west side of the islands.

At 8.30 a.m. a group of 4-5 Humpback Whales was seen resting on the surface and the ship approached slowly so as to not disturb them. We then continued on our way north and just before 10 a.m. a large iceberg was passed. This had interesting dirt bands and the smooth rounded surface that had previously been under the sea surface, had two groups of about 130 resting Snow Petrels and nine Antarctic petrels. The birds on the white surface were only just visible to the naked eye and the berg was a spectacular finish to our leaving Antarctic waters.

At 10.20 a.m. we were off Borradaile Island with Cape Beale at the south end and Cape Scoresby on the north-east corner and not visible to us. This small island has its highest point 381m. On the northern end there is a long narrow spit with on the east side, a high bank and on the beach, very large boulders. Dan and Agnes by using their big lenses were able to see what was happening. Dan said “The sea was absolutely pounding over the reef and there was an explosion of water”. The huge waves could also be seen with the naked eye.

To port was the beginning of Young Island with ice cliffs disappearing into the mist and the highest contour 891m. Row Island off Cape Douglas lies to the south-east corner. At 10.45 a.m. we crossed the Antarctic Circle at 66o 33.4’S. Sorry, but no celebration today. As the sun brightened the treacherous icy slopes, we gazed in wonder at what would be our final viewing of an island with an ice cap.

This morning we had a feast of bird sightings. They included Cape, Antarctic, Snow, Wilson’s Storm, Southern Giant Petrels, also a Black-browed (or possible Campbell’s) Albatross, Antarctic Prion, Antarctic Fulmer and Short-tailed Shearwater. It was however the huge flocks of Antarctic Fulmer seen after 11 a.m. in two rafts with well over 200 individuals and a further large flock of hundreds of birds on a glacier, that attracted our attention.

Calving of ice was seen on one occasion and at one location three ice falls from the ice cap ended on a piedmont glacier with at its terminal face, snow-filled and have huge open crevasses. At the base of the ice cliff numerous caves had been opened by wave action.

At 12.25 p.m. we were approaching Cape Ellsworth and the north tip of the island with Seal Rocks and were now setting a course for Macquarie Island. The sun was bright and we had a pale blue sky. For lunch we had poppadoms and a nice but not too hot curry, followed by a cinnamon fruit cake. After lunch we took the afternoon quietly and worked on our photographs and diaries of the expedition. At 1.40 p.m. we again entered the ice although this will soon leave us.

At 2.30 p.m. Samuel and Agnes deployed another drifter buoy, with instrument package for NIWA and it was not long before the instrument was lost to sight. This is part of a global scientific programme. Many of us were on the Bridge and the sea had a light swell and an almost stippled appearance. An Adelie Penguin one of a small number seen this afternoon went by to which one of our fellow expeditioners said “is that a penguin or a water animal?”.

A large tabular berg was passed and also a weathered green berg. Most of us now have a good selection of iceberg images so only a few had their camera out. At 6 p.m. four Antarctic Prions were seen and a flock of 30 Short-tailed Shearwaters. This afternoon also, a Humpback Whale and a Crabeater Seal were observed.

We also at 6 p.m. passed over the Balleny Seamount with only 60m clearance under our keel. This was at 60o25.911’S, 160o54.364’E. To the west of the seamount which is essentially a mountain rising from the sea floor, the depth was about 500m but quickly fell to as much as 2756m. The east side was less steep and with a depth of 2262m noted on the chart. As with other places, areas were noted as “unsurveyed”. On the slopes of the seamount is an interesting range of benthic invertebrates and fish scientists have suggested the Ballenys is a Toothfish breeding area. The seamount is one of many in the Ross Dependency, others for example, being near Scott Island at the entrance to the Ross Sea.

We had a lovely meal again this evening. The blue cod with couscous, venison casserole with mashed potato and vegetarian option were all enjoyed. Tonight the wind is expected to increase a little although Samuel suggested, it will probably die out in the morning.

Day 21: Friday 28th February
Southern Ocean; enroute to Macquarie Island
Noon position – Latitude: 61o 50.737’S; Longitude: 160o 08.316’E
Air: 0.6oC Water: 0.0C

With calm seas, we had an excellent rest last night and this morning rose to a cloudy day and the sea still calm with a lone Short-tailed Shearwater for company.

A full programme for today was arranged by Samuel and Rachael and to take advantage of the calm sea conditions. This began at 9.30 a.m. with the first of seven episodes titled The Last Place on Earth and based on the book titled Scott and Amundsen, by Roland Huntford. The book when released in the early 1970s was not without controversy. The seven episodes are titled – Poles apart; Minor diversions; Leading men; Gentlemen players; The glories of the race; Fordone conclusion and Rejoice.

David who had met and corresponded with Sir Peter Scott, was asked in 1979 to release a Statement to the Press. For various reasons, this could not be done. Sir Peter who had given his confidence and access to papers of his parents to Mr Huntford, said what he was told by Mr Huntford only strengthened the confidence he had in him. Unfortunately with the publication of Huntford’s book, Sir Peter considered that Mr Huntford had to his mind, despicably maligned his father, Captain Scott. Sir Peter wrote that it is difficult to read more than two or three pages without derogatory comments interpreting the quotations from the documents which Sir Peter claimed were often lifted out of context and that he deplored the attempts to belittle his Father.

The end result of all this was, that legal proceedings were taken and the issue was settled out of court. Later authors notably the late David Yelverton who wrote the definitive book on the Discovery Expedition (1901-1904) and Sir Ranulph Fiennes who also wrote an excellent biography Captain Scott, did this to put the record straight. Huntford later wrote his biography on Shackleton.

It is not appropriate to undertake character assassination of the early explorers who contributed so much to their expeditions. In the case of Scott and Amundsen, both expeditions were different and achieved different results.

At 11 a.m. David returned to the lecture room with his presentation Antarctica Unveiled – Scott’s first expedition, the National Antarctic or Discovery Expedition 1901-1904.

The expedition which began less than two years after the return of Borchgrevink’s expedition was essentially a private one and involved construction of a new ship Discovery. The objectives were geographical exploration and science although before it even got underway, there was a fall-out between Professor John Gregory, the head scientist and leader of the land party, with Scott.

The ship after being dry-docked left Lyttelton on 21 December 1901 and was away for two years. Before leaving one man died when he fell from the crow’s nest on the main mast and another died in Antarctica when he went over an ice cliff. The Discovery was based in Winter Quarters Bay (named by the expedition) where a prefabricated house was erected and has been visited by us.

Two who had served as scientists with Borchgrevink, were destined to return – Louis Bernacchi as physicist and William Colbeck as Captain on the relief ship Morning.

Shackleton a member of the furthest south party was because of illness, sent home on the relief ship Morning but wasted no time in planning his own expedition which got underway in 1907.

At noon today a further buoy was put overboard and by now the sea was up a little with a few white horses and the wind about 13 knots. Two icebergs were visible with one off to starboard south of the ship and the other off the port bow. Perhaps these may be the last we will see?

The afternoon was a busy one. At 3 p.m. Agnes did her second lecture on sea ice since we have in recent days, become familiar with the ice. Sea Ice the eighth Continent. This was an excellent lecture which also considered by way of comparison the Arctic.

Agnes began with a description of the types of ice. She said there are three types – glacial of continental; sea ice and permafrost or permanently frozen ground. The later is very spectacular in the Arctic but to a lesser extent in the Antarctic, since only 2% of the continent is not covered by ice.

Sea ice covers 7% of the Earth’s surface and covers 12% of the oceans. In the north the Arctic is surrounded by continents, whereas for Antarctica there are continents surrounded by oceans. Of importance also is the inclination of the Earth. Agnes used very good graphs and animation to explain many of the points made and then went through the phases of sea ice formation. These are frazil ice which is composed of ice crystals that combine to form ice sheets; grease ice; nilas in which sheets of ice are attached; and pancakes.

Today satellites show the extent and rapid growth of sea ice with 60km2 a minute or 4km2,a day. Salt is also important by what is termed a brine exclusion process. “Brinacles” form and extend to the sea floor and the dense, cold seawater moves north.

There is an extensive vocabulary for ice. This includes ice floes which we have all seen, pack ice – a collection of floes; fast ice – attached to land; hummocks – sheets of ice are pushed up and hinged at the top; ice rivers where there is a crack in the ice and the air temperature is warmer; leads – opening in floes and polynya – areas of open water that do not freeze over. The importance of ice to animals and humans was noted and for the latter, this concerns food, travel and work and fresh water.

Agnes concluded her lecture with excellent animations which showed there has been a 1.5% increasing for Antarctic sea ice. For the Arctic the loss is about 50% of ice loss in the last 40 years. Loss of sea ice with albedo (reflection of solar radiation) in the Arctic has enabled new routes for transportation but there has been serious consequences for wildlife.

At 5.15 p.m. David was again in the lecture room and spoke about Preserving Icons of Exploration; the historic huts in the Ross Sea region. This lecture began by making reference to the long human history in the Arctic as compared to Antarctica and for the latter the variety of historic sites was discussed.

Early work by New Zealand Antarctic Society volunteers was mentioned and this was followed by reference to the government historic sites management committee and how the conservation work at the Ross Island historic huts was put on a professional footing. From the committee the Antarctic Heritage Trust evolved in 1987.

Work achieved by the Trust was mentioned with this including not only the huts but the thousands of artefacts that have been conserved as well. The Trust has now completed the three heroic era huts on Ross Island, the TAE/IGY hut at Scott Base and is now poised to start work at Cape Adare, with the artefacts also now ready to be returned to the hut once the carpentry work has been completed. Reference was made to the work also done with the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, at sites on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Before dinner this evening Dan was auctioneer for items provided by the AHT. This included a range of merchandise which was snapped up and resulted in US$2368 being raised for the Trust. A very fine effort and there may be a further activity undertaken for the Trust.

This evening Samuel advised that as we had crossed 60o South we were no longer in Antarctica and that we are expected to reach Macquarie Island in the early hours of 1 March. This evening the ship was beginning to roll and we decided to have an early night.

Day 22: Saturday 29th February
Southern Ocean; enroute to Macquarie Island
Noon position – Latitude: 57o 31.268’S; Longitude: 159o 20.364’E
Air: 2.7oC Water: 6oC

At 8 a.m. this morning the sun was welcome although the wind at 25 knots was gradually increasing and is expected to increase to 45 knots and a swell of 5-7 metres. We were advised to take care when moving about the ship and if need be stay in the cabin.

At 10 a.m. part 2 of The Last Place on Earth was shown. Samuel said at McMurdo Station this morning the temperature is -28oC (-30oC with Wind Chill).

The last of eight weather drifter buoys was put over at 58oS. The previous three on our way north, were put overboard at latitudes 66, 64 and 62 with four at the same latitudes on the way south. These have a three year battery life and are occasionally recovered from islands etc. They transmit direct to the NOAA satellite barometric pressure and sea surface temperature with data sent each hour. They are not cheap at NZ$5000 each. In addition Agnes is obtaining at the Monkey Deck, air samples for a scientist in Wellington.

The ship was very quiet this morning. A few hardy souls were on the Bridge and the occasional person in the library/bar and passage ways. By noon the sea had a good swell with plenty of white horses and spray over the bridge windows. For lunch today our Chefs produced a wonderful masala; a Greek dish with aubergine and a surprising number of us were present.

The afternoon was a quiet time for most of us to rest or catch-up photos on and the sea although picking up briefly, appeared to be easing and it was cloudy. The occasional sea bird was present and Nigel observed a Wandering Albatross, Light-mantled Sooty Albatross and a possible Grey-headed Albatross.

At 7.50 p.m. Samuel was on the tannoy and advised us of the situation for the evening. Macquarie Island is still 180km away. It was recommended that we have a quiet night and make sure the cabin is secure and without loose items. The sea conditions will be much the same as today.

The evening meal was excellent and it is amazing how our Chefs continue to have such good meals on time, when conditions are rough as they have been today. So two months of the year gone already and March now begins.
Day 23: Sunday 1st March
Macquarie Island; Zodiac cruise Lusitania Bay
Noon position – Latitude: 54o 33.021’S; Longitude: 158o 56.595’E
Air: 7.9oC Water: 7.4oC

There was a shortage of sleep for many of us last evening, as the ship rolled and even though we giddied our cabins, effects were scattered. This morning it was quite dark at 6.45 a.m., however, by 8 a.m. the sky was clearing, the sun was out, although there was still a good swell. Macquarie Island was on the horizon and by 8.30 a.m. we were approaching the most southern part of the island; Hurd Point.

Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island or Macca as it is affectionately known has an approximate length of 34km, a width of 5km, an area of 128km2 and an annual rainfall of 905mm. Rainfall of 1200mm has been recorded and snow can fall during winter. The highest point is Mt Hamilton (433m) named for Harold Hamilton, one of Mawson’s men here in 1912-13. In the 19th century, Emerald Island was supposed to exist south of Macquarie, however, various searches for it were unsuccessful and the island may have in fact been an iceberg.

On Macquarie the rocks are 10-30 myr. Basalt and include pillow lavas formed when super-heated lava is cooled very quickly under the ocean. These rocks are 2-12 myr. and some can be seen at Sandy Bay. On the plateau in the north are ultramafic rocks formed at least 6km below the earth’s surface. The island is therefore important geologically, as it is the only known area of oceanic crust in relatively pristine condition and which is independent of any other continent. The World Heritage rating was based on this geology. Along the coast rock “stacks” are remnants of a former coastline and from offshore one can see the extent of erosion.

The island is rich in bird life with Antarctic and Fairy Prions, Northern and Southern Giant Petrels; Grey, White-headed and Blue Petrels, Macquarie Island Shags (also called Blue-eyed Cormorants), Light-mantled Sooty, Wanderer and Grey-headed Albatrosses and Northern (Brown) Skuas. There are only 45 vascular plants (have vessels conducting fluids – water plus mineral salts and food) of which three plants are endemic to the island and insects are abundant. With special interest from Keryn and Bryan, research showed that insects include moths, a wasp, ice, beetles, fleas and 11 species of flies.

Because the island is too far south, there are no trees or shrubs and the flora is dominated with megaherbs, tussock grasses and ferns. Prominent plants are the Tussock grass (Poa foliosa); Macquarie Island “cabbage” (Stilbocarpis polaris) a megaherb and the Macquarie Island daisy (Pleurophyllum hookeri).

Following the islands discovery by Captain Hesselburgh, elephant seals, fur seals and both King and Royal Penguins, were almost exterminated for their skins and oil. Since the cessation of such barbaric activity for financial reward along with the eradication in 2010-14, of introduced species such as cats, rats and rabbits in particular, the islands flora has made considerable progress in return to the natural state. Sir Douglas Mawson saw a further public campaign he wrote
“This little island is one of the wonder spots of the world.”
The Australian National Antarctic Expeditions (ANARE) as was first known and now Australian Antarctic Expeditions (AAD) was established in 1947 to administer the science and logistic support programme. Dr Philip Law was the first Director and following the establishment of the station on Heard Island, the next station was established on Macquarie Island, in March 1948. The station is manned year round and cargo is brought ashore by amphibious landing vehicles and by helicopter.

At present there are 17 expeditioners at the Station although this can grow to 49 beds. All staff travel to and from the station by sea, on the icebreaker Aurora Australis, soon to be replaced with a new ship. Australia’s Antarctic stations also permanently manned are in order of construction, Mawson, Davis and Casey.

The Station operates a long established and interesting science programme. This includes magnetism, meteorology by the Bureau of Meteorology, GPS monitoring of the islands position and ARPANZA which undertakes monitoring for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. There is also detection equipment that registers any nuclear fallout in the air that may result from nuclear explosions.

Various buildings have main doors facing east (out of the prevailing wind). There are small windows, small rooms and curtains to keep the warmth in and light out during summer hours, buildings include the Fire Hut, engineering workshop, meteorological building, accommodation and main mess building with a sign Ye Olde Sealers Inn, has early sealers’ clay pipes and a pair of leather shoes; all from the early-mid 1800s. Here commemorative plaques and photos of all the winter-over teams are displayed. From the Bauer Bay hut is a telephone, found in sand hills near the hut in 1991 and a plaque with a dried rabbit skin is a reminder of the pest on Macquarie for many decades.

Behind the mess building is a home brew facility, where “a master brewer” oversees production of lager and draught which requires a minimum of three weeks after bottling but “tastes better after six weeks”. Darker ales such as stout, require a further two weeks, and are “much better with age” or so David was told last year.

One of the original Nissen huts of the late 1940s is still on the site and there is an excellent collection of artefacts associated with the sealing and oil industry of the past, along with teeth from a giant Sperm Whale which washed ashore two years ago.

By the station, a bronze plaque and anchor, commemorates the Division’s supply ship Nella Dan, holed on rock nearby and later scuttled in deep water. Bolt holes in a rock on the isthmus, is where Mawson’s 1911-13 party had their meteorological instruments attached. There is no sign of the wireless aerials on Wireless Hill now and remaining places are exhibited in the replica of Mawson’s Huts at Hobart. Plans are to do a total rebuilt of the station which will be located nearby.

Because of the growing coronavirus concerns across the globe we were unable to visit the station on this expedition, although we could see some of the buildings from offshore. We have however, been issued with a three-day permit for Sandy Bay and Lusitania Bay. By 9 a.m. we were cruising along the coastline toward Buckles Bay and the station. These ship cruises gave an opportunity to have a good viewing of the island. Some King Penguins were also seen and calling near the ship. We were now 1500km from Tasmania and 1100km from New Zealand.

By noon the day had brightened up and with little wind, the sea was going down. A few birds including a white morph giant petrel and an albatross were seen also a male Orca and two giant petrels eating a penguin on the sea surface. We entered the lecture room at 11 a.m. when Samuel gave us an introduction to Macquarie Island and what we hoped to achieve during our visit.

At 12.15 p.m. we saw from the ship, the weather balloon launched and this is done each day. This was as close as we can get with only 14m under the keel of the Spirit of Enderby. We then began our next transit south and many of us had a further nap after the lovely lunch of pasta with slivers of parmesan cheese and chopped bacon.

At 3.30 p.m. five Zodiacs were craned off the ship and we set out in a brief spell of rain and sleet, for a look (albeit from a distance) at the huge King Penguin colony here in Lusitania Bay. The bay was named by Captain Langdon RN in February 1822, after his 30 ton sealing supply vessel. The anchorage was similarly named. Numbers of penguins here are estimates and I would not like to find my home in the middle of the pack as I tried to find my way home. We cruised well off the beach where a big surge was breaking and the penguins were keeping their distance.

Not only the rusted steam digesters from Joseph Hatch’s oil industry when 2000 penguins were processed at a time each penguin yielding ½ a litre of oil were seen, but also a few hundred metres further south, what appeared to be an old hut with nearby, a set of four wheels which came off a DUKW which Chris said, breached on the way in. David in Yuri’s Zodiac gave a commentary on the digesters and how they operated. The hut as with the hut at Sandy Bay once held an engine for a Walrus amphibian flying boat.

Along with a close look at the erosion on hillsides with some of this having new vegetation growing, a few large elephant seals was observed and we also saw the big dorsal fin on two Orca and a very large number of giant petrels which appeared to be feeding on pickings of perhaps penguins taken by the Orcas. With a shortage of weaner elephant seals here the Orca may well have been living on penguins. One raft of giant petrels had at a rough count, 140 birds and included seven white morphs. A further penguin, a stray Rockhopper, was also added to our list. These nest close to the station and at Garden Cove.

The greatest enjoyment was seeing scores of beautiful King Penguins swimming around the Zodiacs. Some were swimming on the side and appeared to be cleaning their plumage. Others were swimming with neck out stretched and all the time there was a continual sound of calls being emitted by them. Many found the Zodiac fascinating and swam right up to the tubes before diving beneath the boat.

It really was an excellent finale for our expedition and as Nigel M. said it was “better than any documentary”. And the spectacle did not end in the Zodiac. Once on board, we had the opportunity to acquire more images of the many penguins swimming about the ship.

The bar opened at the usual time and later Samuel advised the ship will remain at anchor here (37m) for the night. Our position tonight is 54o43.146’S; 158o51.719’E. Tonight we will have wind from the north and the ship may be repositioned to Sandy Bay. We all look forward to a better night and above all some sleep.

Day 24: Monday 2nd March
Macquarie Island; Sandy Bay; Southern Ocean
Noon position – Latitude: 54o 34.118’S; Longitude: 158o 55.859’E
Air: 6.5oC Water: 7.3oC

We certainly had a better night last night, but could have stayed longer in the bunk. It was dark outside and at 6.20 a.m. the anchor was raised as we prepared to relocate to Sandy Bay. A fire alarm sounded and soon afterwards, we were advised this was a mistake.

After a good breakfast of fruit, hash browns and other delectables, we landed on the beach at Sandy Bay. Here we had a wonderful few hours until the last Zodiac took us back to the ship at 1 p.m. We were met on the beach by the Head Ranger Chris Howard, from Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife and after a briefing, we were soon free to enjoy ourselves.

For many of us, the first item of interest was the large male elephant seals or sea elephants as they were once referred to. Some were moulting or had recently finished the process. They were flopping about and moving like looper caterpillars, occasionally sparring or could it be termed chest butting and flicking sand over the back. The sounds emitted sounded like a bad case of indigestion and perhaps a prescription of Gaviscon may help. However, there was a further unpleasant problem as Heather discovered – “the hydrogen sulphide smell [perhaps from the rear end] was really powerful.” Large males studied us from a distance and almost gave a wink from their partially opened, large brown eyes which then closed again as they resumed dozing with their mates.

Over the years the elephant seals have been referred to in various ways. For example, one passenger claimed they reminded her of “my old boss” and “the eyes have a come to bed look”. Much research has been done on the species which has recovered well since their exploitation for oil.

A fur seal was also seen, the species has never fully recovered since the oil and pelt industry of the 1800s.

A walk along the beach to near Finch’s Creek and passing a small group of elephant seals on the way, enabled us to spent time with the Royal Penguins with their golden head plumes. An examination of these colourful orange feathers on the remains of one Royal Penguin revealed that they are well attached to the top of the skull. Most of us walked along the excellent wide boardwalk to a lookout on the edge of the colony – nature at its best. There were no chicks seen and about half the colony was not present today, although this did not prevent the penguins from emitting their usual calls.

From the boardwalk we had good viewing of the landscape and coast line to the south. The megaherb Pleurophyllum hookeri had finished flowering and there was extensive new growth on the tussock grass.

From where we went ashore we enjoyed the time spent with the King Penguin colony. Here were chicks in brown down. Some were very young and the larger chicks nicknamed by Rodney Russ “oakum boys” looked in good condition. An adult was seen sitting with an egg on its feet, however, when a Brown Skua attempted to take the egg, other penguins came to the rescue. The end result was the egg was lost and although other penguins showed an interest the inevitable happened. A wily skua darted in, took the egg in its beak and along with a second skua we could hear the egg shell being broken, after which the contents was shared.

The noise from the King Penguin colony was incredible. This was done with a penguin firstly keeping its head fully erect and the neck straight and by having its throat pulsating, was then able to make the sound although the beak at this time was closed. So the question is, how was the sound released?

Near the King penguin colony, rope screened an area where there is under sand, the site of an historic hut associated with early sealers and men of Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911-14).

We had enjoyed a truly wonderful visit to Macquarie Island and for our time today, the weather was perfect and we were thankful for the assistance given by Chris, who yesterday did a 3.5 hour walk down the coast and camped overnight to meet us this morning. After lunch Chris continued his hike to join a science party checking on several species of albatross and by 2.30 p.m. we were on our way to the Auckland Islands. Macca is really a superb place in so many ways. Before leaving, many of us had the pleasure of seeing a Gentoo Penguin. These breed near the AAD station although the colony is not a large one and the species is more commonly seen in large numbers on the Antarctic Peninsula.

At 3.30 p.m. episode three of The Last Place on Earth was screened and later the documentary on the eradication of pests on Macquarie Island. There was also an opportunity to see the last of Ice Bird which was cut short by our landing a few days ago and to work on our images and diary.

Day 25: Tuesday 3rd March
Southern Ocean enroute to Auckland Islands
Noon position – Latitude: 51o 59.557’S; Longitude: 164o 05.531’E
Air: 7.8oC Water: 10oC

As far as sea travel on the Southern Ocean goes, we were again very fortunate last night to have a fairly calm sea and caught up with sleep. The icebergs, ice, the grand mountains and glaciers of the Ross Sea region seem so far away now. Already some of us have been speaking of a return in the years ahead. Samuel mentioned that this morning at McMurdo Station the temperature was 35o below.

At 9.45 a.m. returned to the lecture room where David gave a lecture titled “Lost in the Mists”, being the title of the book by Dr Herbert Dartnall. This focused on Douglas Mawson’s first expedition, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14, when a wireless station was placed on Macquarie Island. The objective was to provide a link from Antarctica to Australia which would relay weather and other expedition reports.

The party was not a happy one and there were frequent personality problems and food shortages, although the relationship with the sealing parties was generally good. The wireless station proved effective and conveyed news of the death of Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertyz, from Mawson’s party in Antarctica. The Macquarie Island party also learned from Wellington, of the death of Scott and his four men on their return from the South Pole. Mawson was very pleased with the work completed which included a detailed meteorological record by Ainsworth the party leader, a new map including geology by Blake and extensive collections of specimens by Hamilton.

This was the first time radio was used by an Antarctic expedition. There was also reference to early sealing activities the establishment after Mawson’s first of two, British Australia New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) in 1929-30 and of Australia’s first station ANARE (Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions) which opened on 25 March 1948. The station has continued and a new station is to be rebuilt.

At 11.15 a.m. Agnes gave the next presentation Penguins, Penguins and more Penguins. The opening slide had the portraits of the 17 species of penguins and we did pretty well with our identifications. Agnes’s lecture then focused on the biology and ecology of penguins.

As an introduction we learned that the word penguin is derived from pinguis, meaning fat or plump and that the existence of penguins began with the navigator Vasco da Gama in 1497, who considered them geese; Ferdinand Magellan in 1520 who thought they were a form of duck and Bouvet de Lozier in 1739 who considered they were like a duck, but swam like a fish. D‘Urville in 1840 also considered they were more adapted to swimming than for flight.

Penguins are related to the Order of seabirds – Procelliariforms with petrels and albatrosses of which there are 14 species and 17 genera. Agnes then spoke about penguins in the fossil record. Two species Waimaunu and Kumimanu, found in New Zealand were about two metres tall and are thought to have weighed over 100kg. A mega penguin was discovered in Peru. Today they are found only in the Southern Hemisphere with the Galapagos Penguin the northernmost. The crested penguins are the most numerous with around eight million species and in size the largest is the Emperor Penguin, followed by King, Gentoo, Yellow-eyed, Chinstrap, Royal etc.

Penguins are designed to swim and a special gland near the tail, produced an oily substance which is spread using the beak on the outer feathers (there are four layers and a layer of blubber) enabling penguins to float. Most penguins have light-hollow bones although for the Emperor Penguin, they are denser in structure. Penguins also have an incredible ability to dive with the Emperor Penguin recorded to 564m compared to the Adelie Penguin at 180m. Research has shown penguins to dive slowly then increase speed as they return to the surface.

The diet which includes krill and silver fish is regurgitated for the chick and an Emperor Penguin chick requires 1000kg of food during its development. Agnes also explained the unique blood circulation which serves as a counter-current heat exchanger; social thermo-regulations such as with adult Emperor Penguins in winter and Adelie Penguin chicks in summer.

Other topics included different features for the Emperor and King Penguin and predation by skua, giant petrel, Orca and sea lions, and that in its life time, an Emperor Penguin fasts for a total of eight years and walks 30,000kms.

At noon we were forging along at about 12 knots. The wind was about 15 knots and occasional rolls were over 30o from the vertical. A lone Light-mantled Sooty Albatross was keeping us company. After lunch we handed in our Antarctic jackets which had served us well and later we viewed Episode 4 for The Last Place on Earth. Many of us also had a much needed rest.

By late afternoon the sea was showing signs of calming and at 6 p.m. the bar opened with a recap on Macquarie Island when we had an opportunity to ask the expedition team something that related to our time ashore. The evening meal was excellent and culminated with Happy Birthday sung for Caroline and a music quiz in the bar/library organised by Leanne.

At 8.15 p.m. Samuel advised that Adams Island was now visible to port and in 45 minutes we were in better waters around the east side of Auckland Island. It has been raining a lot on the Aucklands, a good waterfall was seen and we also had rain this afternoon. Many sea birds were visible about the ship and included several species of albatross, White-headed Petrels and Sooty Shearwaters. Dan said 13 species were identified including five different species of albatross.

There was a nice sunset earlier and as we passed Adams Island, the wind was blowing 35 knots and the sea was well and truly wild with masses of white caps. And it was dark. The situation this evening, made one think about the shipwrecks that occurred in similar conditions and at night, just as we were having this evening.
“Land ahead! shouted the mate, but it was too late. We were on the rocks and our fate was sealed.”
At 9 p.m. we were off the entrance to Carnley Harbour and the wind had dropped to 21 knots and the sea had eased. There was also a patch of blue sky seen through a gap in the strato-cumulus clouds.

Samuel said about midnight, we are expected to drop anchor at Port Ross and with an early breakfast, will have a full day in the area.

Brief notes on the Auckland Islands
The islands are 825km from Macquarie Island and 460km from Bluff. The highest point is 700m and the islands consist of two volcanoes with the youngest the Carnley Volcano and the Ross Volcano close to Disappointment Island in the north. A later eruption from the Ross, resulted in outpourings of basalt lava, interspersed with explosive scoria and ash deposits.

The islands were discovered by Abraham Bristow in 1806 and named by him for William Eden (Lord Auckland) a friend through his father in England. They were on the “Great Circle” route with westerly winds which clipper ships with cargo and passengers, took advantage of on the long voyage from Australia to England. There were numerous ship wrecks, resulting from the incorrect placement of the islands on the first map and 64km further south from the true position, although the true number of wrecks and associated loss of life may never be known.

After their discovery sealers visited the islands and this was followed by attempts to settle and farm the islands with in particular, the Charles Enderby settlement named Hardwicke at Port Ross, which lasted only a few years. The last person to leave (after Maori the first to arrive) was in 1863. Pastoral farming was also tried unsuccessfully and during WWII, the New Zealand Cape Expedition had two secret bases (Ranui and Tagua) on Auckland Island. The islands became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 with the issuing of Tourism Permits since 1989.

Day 26: Wednesday 4th March
Auckland Islands – Erebus Cove – Hardwicke and Victoria Tree; Hardwicke Cove and Ranui Station; Sandy Bay on Enderby Island
Noon position – Latitude: 50o 32.251’S; Longitude: 166o 16.903’E
Air: 8.9oC Water: 11.4oC

Last evening we anchored in Erebus Cove at 50o32.447’S; 166o 13.417’E, had a very comfortable night and it was of great interest to be in a totally different environment to the Southern Ocean. We arose to find ourselves at Erebus Cove, on a beautiful morning with heavy grey cumulus clouds and the occasional shower of rain passing through. The sun on the canopy of Rata and other trees with various shades of green was stunning and the vegetation looked fresh from the rain.

Before 9 a.m. we were soon being shuttled ashore and on the way passed a nice yacht Nga Waka NZ9593 and Paul was able to meet one of the crew of five. Bellbirds were seen and calling while other species included Tui, Auckland Island Tomtit and Auckland Islands Shag. The tide was high and we alighted on a boulder beach with a high tide, with an interesting variety of seaweed and a few purple mussels.

We then assembled beside the historic boat shed ca. 1891 with a recent covering of corrugated iron and the now derelict castaway depot placed by the NZ Government steamer Hinemoa in 1906. David gave a short talk about Hardwicke town with the first houses on the true left of Erebus Creek that flowed to the beach near our landing.

From here we walked up a narrow 200m boardwalk through young Southern Rata and Dracophylum scrub and trees, to the historic Hardwicke cemetery. It was a beautiful and quiet morning, with just the occasional Bellbird calling. Everyone was touched by the simple headstones for two small children one, Isabella (or Isabel) Younger, with the headstone made by her father from a millstone and Janet Stave, with a marble head stone. David explained a brief history of some of the persons buried here and after examining a native green orchid, we headed down the boardwalk to begin our next destination.

The first item of interest was a cluster of chimney bricks on the site of the Monkton farm house occupied in 1873-1877. The house and farm was of Francis Monkton an Invercargill surgeon, who had a 21 year lease and a small number of sheep was landed. The home was abandoned in 1877 and became a castaway depot. In 1944 it was dismantled with timber and iron, used at the Cape Expedition station at Ranui Cove. Keryn when walking in the forest near here, found a quantity of broken bottles and a piece of brown pottery. This was likely to be a domestic rubbish dump associated with one of two houses (?) near the farm house.

Following the site of the gravel road made for the settlers at Hardwicke, we saw two New Zealand/Hookers Sea Lions and soon reached the “Victoria Tree” where there was a perhaps, three month old sea lion pup. The “Victoria Tree” now rotting and in a sorry state, was a remnant of an old Rata tree trunk. It was visited by Captain Norman of the ship Victoria when a search was made in 1865 for castaways. The inscribed tree was originally
1865
October 13th
People
Shipwrecked
In search [of]
Norman
HMCS Victoria
then visible from off shore. It also made people aware of the castaway depot in the vicinity. The present forest is all regeneration as early paintings done of Hardwicke show the area along the coast to have been cleared.

The main settlement was about 200m further along. Historical archaeologists have from field work, established where various structures were, including the site of the Governor’s house. The settlement was based on agriculture, farming and whaling, and lasted from 1847-1852. At its peak there were 300 people with five weddings, 16 berths and two infant deaths mentioned above. Three farms had 600 sheep and 80 cattle, but were uneconomic and Hardwicke folded after two years and nine months.

Most of us were back by 10.15 a.m. or soon afterwards, just as a shower went through. The air temperature was a warm 7.2oC.

At 10.25 a.m. the anchor was lifted and we then headed to Ranui Cove, the site of the first NZ Coastwatcher Cape Expedition in WWII. At 11.15 a.m. we began to be shuttled ashore to a secluded cove where piles of the wharf built for the coastwatchers were visible, now the tide was low. It was a beautiful morning and soon we were at the old station which had some restoration done in 2003.

David explained the layout of the station before most of us then clambered up a steep track to the WWII lookout 54m asl, which has been restored by Department of Conservation. Originally it was a ‘bush dark green’. There were excellent views from here. A small number remained at the main station building and enjoyed the trickling stream of water brown from tannin, tumbling down to the sea and peaceful melody of Bellbirds. Anne and Mary each relaxed savouring this special experience.

In the Ranui 1 station building, the kitchen was of interest. There was a Shacklock Orion range which once cooked roasts, for five men two teapots and wood bins beneath a bench each labelled with - Flour; Dried Fruit; Sugar; Wholemeal; Rolled Oats and Bread. On a wall, a dart board was marked NZ Patriotic Fund Board. The Common Room had a small stove, a few books, such as The Happy Windmill by AA Thomson and The Witch by Mary Johnston etc. and bottles of Ballin’s Ships Lime Juice, was on some shelves. A wall rack with brooms, once held five .303 rifles.

Another item of interest was a sheet of white cotton on which ornithologist and former coastwatcher, Dr. Robert (later Sir) Falla, under authority of the Director General of lands, instructed users to look after the hut. Researchers are able to use the hut but few seem to do so. In another room was a Methuen copper and several long neck beer bottles.

Soon it was time to leave and with the tide now low, we carefully made our way over rounded boulders of basalt and wet seaweed to the Zodiacs. In the Rata above was a beautiful Bellbird chorus. Back on board, we again attended to our bio-security measures and sat down to an excellent lunch of lettuce, a frittata pie and chips. At 2.10 p.m. we lifted anchor and the ship relocated to our next destination Sandy Bay 50o 30.226’S 166o 16.924’E. Here we anchored in about 10m.

The day continued to be fine and at 3.30 p.m. we began to go ashore at Sandy Bay on Enderby Island, with even Captain Alex driving, which he seemed to enjoy. Only one sea lion was seen at the far end of the beach, however, we had a feast of bird life. Samuel gave a briefing at the historic boat shed (January 1888) where at last the finger post has been re-erected and now points toward the Stella depot hut. David then made brief comments of other features concerning the history; we all set off on an excellent board walk to the north side of the island.

We had not walked far when a Red-crowned Parakeet one of several seen today flew overhead and then in a clearing of sweet smelling Cassinia (which also grows in New Zealand’s high country) and other plants such as gentians, we had an excellent viewing of a pair of Yellow-eyed Penguins. In one place while looking at large plants of Macquarie Island “cabbage” (Stilbocarpa Polaris), a Bellbird alighted on a branch about 40cms from one of our party. Soon Southern Royal Albatross were seen flying overhead and one heard by its bill clappering, appeared to be attracting another bird on its nest. Several albatross could be seen on nests, scattered over the alpine-type landscape.

On the north side of the island it was blowing with a good sou-wester. Below the cliffs the sea had the most beautiful turquoise colours, topped with a skein of white foam and a raft of shearwaters was also seen. Most of us walked along the coast to view Light-mantled Sooty Albatross nesting on a cliff and a pair gave a fine display of precision flying. We then continued through a large area of megaherbs – Anisotome latifolia related to the carrot family. Heather noticed a difference with an increase of megaherbs over the past 14 years.

We walked over very spongy ground to view a waterfall and further Light-mantled Sootys nesting where Gunther spent time obtaining images. An interesting plant seen was the carnivorous Drosera or “sundew”. Further along the coast could be seen the reef against which waves were breaking and where the Derry Castle was wrecked on 20 March 1887. Only 8 out of 23 survived the ordeal and a small memorial marks where the deceased were buried using a pocket knife to dig their graves before skuas and giant petrels became a problem. The wind was cold and the rain fortunately held off and on the way back, we had excellent viewing of five Southern Royal Albatrosses gaming.

David then took a group for a walk through the Rata forest to view the Stella castaway depot near which the Derry Castle survivors had their grass huts, before being able to reach the castaway depot at Erebus Cove. A short walk through the regeneration Rata took us to the site of one of three farm sites associated with Hardwicke. The farm house is no longer present however, part of a stove is. Ranjan and Stacy found the ‘tour’ and the early European link with farming especially interesting. From here a walk over the grassy sward which in the breeding season is frequented by sea lions, enabled some of us to see the area where archaeologists had investigated an early site.

Flaked tools made from chert, indicated early occupation and from C14 dating, Maori lived here in the 13th-14th century. Pieces of clay pipe also showed later contact with Europeans. The origin of the chert has yet to be established. None has so far been reported for Enderby Island, although at the head of Perseverance Harbour on Campbell Island, large nodules of chert occur in a limestone outcrop.

When a group of us returned, we left from a kelp-covered rock platform where three Auckland Island Teal had been seen earlier and Yuri took us to a location a short distance along the coast where we saw several Yellow-eyed Penguins (at least 40-45 were seen today and the population is about 400 pairs) including one moulting, a colony of Auckland Island Shags with in their midst, a pair of Brown Skuas one of which was eating a shag chick that was probably taken from its nest and remaining chicks were all huddled together. There was also nice viewing of columnar basalt formed by slow cooling of the lava and other volcanic deposits of ash and rock.

We were back on board by 7.30 p.m. after a really superb day in the field with a good sampling of birds which we all enjoyed and in addition to numerous Red-crowned Parakeets, the penguins, Bellbirds and shags, there were many Northern Giant Petrels at the north end of Sandy Bay beach, Brown Skuas and a further large raft of shearwaters. Samuel when trying to photograph a Bellbird then discovered from the corner of his eye that a Bellbird was sitting on his shoulder. Such are the memories of a special day on Enderby Island. Perhaps the most interesting aspect was apart for one animal when we landed, the lack of sea lions on the beach. It was the end of the season and likely that females with their pups were hiding in the bush.

The ship then headed back to Hardwicke for the night, while we enjoyed a drink in the packed bar. Where tables were taken up with tablets, laptops and cameras as people looked at their images from one of the most interesting days of the expedition. Many of us also saw a large fishing boat.

We had a very nice meal this evening and the ship was moved back to Erebus Cove with the position at 9.13 p.m. noted as 50o32.094’S 166o16.859’E; almost identical to that at noon. Following dinner we had a Music Event organised by Leanne. There were three teams each with five contestants – More beans please; Inexpressible and Aucklanders also called the Dorklanders. Music from the decades 60’s on and included music from TV shows and quotes from films such as “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” There were no prizes but it was a lot of fun. After a busy day we then had an early night.

Day 27: Thursday 5th March
Auckland Island – Chambers Inlet; Musgrave Inlet; Carnley Harbour; enroute for Snares Islands
Noon position – Latitude: 50o 44.258’S; Longitude: 166o 13.949’E
Air: 9.7oC Water: 11.9oC

This morning the engine was started about 5 a.m. and we then made our way down the east coast of Auckland Island. For us our day started with a 7.15 a.m. breakfast. This being our final day here, it is hoped to have a further look at this wonderful sub-Antarctic locality.

By 7.30 a.m. we were approaching the east end of Auckland Island and gazing at misty slopes before we entered at 7.50 a.m. Chambers Inlet and made our way slowly up the centre of this body of water which the Spirit of Enderby had not been in previously. We could have been somewhere in the Scottish Highlands and it seemed a perfect setting for a new version of Lord of the Rings.

A few birds including a White-capped and Light-mantled Sooty Albatross and Sooty Shearwaters was seen and as we made progress up the inlet, the mist slowly dispersed and we had interesting views of the volcanic geology. Dense scrub appeared to have a tight canopy, however on higher ground there were open areas of tussock grass. Near the head of the inlet the sky began to clear and we had the most beautiful light for photography. A hint of sun created a shimmering sheen on calm water and scrub and tussock grass, a yellow-green stood out as did evidence of past glaciation and undoubtedly a former ice-cap. The highest point was Flat Top Hill 320m.

It had been a fascinating cruise and at 8.22 a.m. we turned back to the open sea passing to starboard a very low rock platform that would be submerged at high tide. By now mist had returned to the head of the inlet, the wind was blowing at about 30 knots and white horses had also returned.

At 8.55 a.m. we entered Musgrave Inlet named after the Captain of the Grafton. Castle-like rocks stood out prominently on the skyline to Port with Chapel Rock (288m) the tallest. Interesting patches of dull-red volcanic rock was seen and at 9.40 a.m., having entered calm water, we had a Zodiac cruise with a sea lion following as we set out. The wind eased and with a temperature of 9.4oC it was not very cold.

We visited a cave with the top unusually being open. The colours of the rock was of great interest as was the vegetation around the rim. Rata trees, Dracophyllum and other shrubs appeared to be doing well with very little soil. Mosses including some long hanging examples with plenty of water to survive also attracted our interest as did an Antarctic Prion on a ledge.

However, if we saw great natural beauty in the first experience, more was to come, for we then entered an adjacent cave with almost the representation of a giant artist’s pallet on the ceiling. When we entered the cave it appeared very dark until our eyes adjusted. There was a mass of beautiful colours from a dark Vandyke brown to Chinese white and reds from the minerals leached from the volcanic rock, sulphur coloured small nodules that had a pungent aroma and areas of green that was possibly an algae. There was Samuel said a new species seen – it is named the “Auckland Island twisted beak penguin”.

Julia and David gave fascinating explanations of such caves that are formed as vesicles or bubbles in liquid lava and with cooling have been later opened by the sea. Much of the rock seen today was a blocky basalt and many large pieces had fissures which would have resulted in structural weakness and with the rock eventually falling apart.

As we left the second cave we passed beautiful gnarled old Rata trees with grey trunks and we debated how old these may be as there appeared to be little of a regolith. Some of the tight canopy had a dome shaped top with a mass of fine branches becoming larger down to the trunk. We then entered a small cove with a short area of terracing over which water from a large pond was trickling. We all agreed this was a very peaceful environment. The water was incredibly clear and Lucille (aka Seal) enjoyed lying on the front of the Zodiac, adding to her extensive photographic record with observations also meticulously recorded in a note book.

On rounding a corner Samuel pointed out nine White-capped Terns with one of the birds a juvenile. We enjoyed looking at these until they were disturbed by an Auckland Islands Shag landing behind them. The result was most of the birds left. An Auckland Islands Pipit was seen, an Auckland Island Tomtit searching for food in wet moss and then Dan alerted us to three Light-mantled Sooty Albatross with two adults and one chick in down. Later a second chick was seen in a photograph.

This was a fantastic sighting as only a few metres away, the birds with a nest (perhaps two nests) were as Dan said, unusually low (about 5m asl) compared to the usual higher habitat. We saw head nodding, braying, tail fanning (by the male?) and each bill clacking as they appeared to be kissing. It was a great display of courtship and soon the adults that may not have been parents of the chick flew off to give a flying display at high altitude. Also seen was a skua chasing a gull or vice versa and a small brown Dunnock or Hedge Sparrow (Dan) was seen. As we left a superb rainbow was at the head of the cove we had left and we were all back on board by 11.10 a.m.

We had a nice hot lunch of beef stew on pasta and with garlic bread before we headed south along the east coast of Auckland Island. We duly entered Carnley Harbour with the surrounding hills having in addition to Rata forest on the lower slopes, extensive areas of tussock grass. Most of the island was misty and the sea was at times a deep blue with a sprinkling of white horses.

By 1.05 p.m. we were approaching the Musgrave Peninsula with nearly 40 knots of wind blowing and masses of white caps. We had interesting views of the wonderful glaciated landscape with on Adams Island, a large cirque, two lateral moraines and outflow channel. There was an excellent view of a Gibson’s Albatross which has about 400 pairs nesting on Adams Island and large numbers of Sooty Shearwaters were about, with a raft that had perhaps 2000 birds. This species nests in burrows somewhere on the islands. We had never seen so many of this bird in on one sighting.

We saw Figure Eight Island where New Zealand/Hooker’s Sea Lions breed and where the German ship SS Erlangen hid behind in 1939. The ship had left New Zealand before fully loading coal for its steam turbine engines and by making special saws, cut the iron hard Rata timber for fuel. The ship then escaped to neutral South America where after being caught by HMS New Castle, was then scuttled.

As we worked our way along the North Arm of the harbour the Captain took the ship in very close to the shore. We were then able to see remains of the Grafton wrecked during a storm, on 3 January 1864. The area where the Fleming Farm was in 1902-1910 was also pointed out by David, who spoke on the PA, about the Erlangen, Grafton and the unsuccessful farm with Samuel adding interesting comment. Leaving Carnley Harbour, we began our journey north towards The Snares Islands which we expect to reach in the morning.

The final activity for the day was a `de-brief in the lecture room when Samuel gave an outline on the Auckland Islands including the history of stages of occupation, questions were answered and we adjourned to the bar/library before dinner after which we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. And saw a further episode of the Last Place on Earth. The sight of a large albatross against the setting sun, will be something long remembered from the expedition.

Day 28: Friday 6th March
Southern Ocean; The Snares Islands
Data as at 12.30 p.m. – Latitude: 41o 48.803’S; Longitude: 166o 56.668’E
Air: 13.7oC Water: 14.1oC

We enjoyed calm seas last night and the “weather God” had treated us well. Before breakfast we were nearing the Snares. As dawn broke with a lovely pink sky above dark grey cumulus clouds, we could see to port, the Western Chain of islands known by the Maori words – Rima, Wha, Toru, Rua, Tahi, Near Tahi was Vancouver Rock which in a big sea is often obscured. Hence some of these small islands also known from the earliest days as The Traps.

Many Sooty Shearwaters with an estimated population of 2.7 million pairs (1971), were already about the ship. They had left their home and were away for a day fishing. Hundreds if not thousands, were also as rafts on the water and a raft of 50 Buller’s Albatross was seen along with early on a few Salvin’s Albatross and numerous diving petrels.

The Snares has a long human association and importantly, the islands are predator-free and reserved for mainly scientific landings. The main island was discovered independently on 23 November 1791 by Capt. George Vancouver HMS Discovery and by Lieut. William Broughton HMS Chatham, both of the Vancouver Expedition. The subsequent sealing era decimated the population and small group of 3-4 convicts lived here for seven years, in five huts and grew potatoes before being rescued in 1818.

The islands require a permit to land and are of great interest to science parties from the Universities of Canterbury and Otago, along with the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and Department of Conservation. Only 10 people a year are allowed ashore and this includes members of two families who take rock lobster (crayfish).

Most people do not realise the amount of preparation and whatever the weather and sea condition, that our Zodiac drivers do before they are put on the water. They are unstrapped in readiness for use, the amount of air in the tubes is considered, fuel is checked, lines from battery and fuel supply to the engine are checked, and in cold conditions the motor may be given a run. The crane operator also has the crane turned on and running, before the Zodiac can be lifted and lowered to an opening on the side of Deck 3 for driver and staff access. On return the Zodiac once on board, is checked over, lines are disconnected, refueling may be done and the Zodiac can then be strapped down. When sea conditions are rough, regular checks of all Zodiacs are made. Today our drivers were Samuel, Agnes, Dan, Rachael and Yuri.

At 8.30 a.m. this morning and with a temperature of 11.6oC, we began to board the Zodiacs and from off-shore, we had a good view of the vegetation zoning of with, Olearia lyalli, the tall ‘tree-daisy’ which makes up 80% of the tall vegetation on Northeast Island. This vegetation appeared like large cauliflowers and as with a further ‘tree-daisy’ Brachyglotis stewartiae; both are well adapted to salt-laden air. Other plants include Cook’s ‘scurvy grass’; a megaherb (the term was introduced by Lyall on James Clark Ross’s expedition 1842); a hebe the shore Veronika with small white flowers, and large Poa or tussock grass; this mostly on higher areas. The mega herb Stilbocarpa polaris is present in small quantities and overall Dan said there is only about 27 species of plants. The feldspar and quartz rich granite is a plutonic rock formed very deep in the crust and the overall rounded areas of vegetation, was an indication of the nature of the underlying landscape.

We began out cruise with a trip through a cave with grey and pink colouration on the granite walls after which was seen Snares Crested Penguins on top of a cliff with an opening beneath. We emerged near the first of two small colonies of Snares Crested Penguins (Eudyptes robustus) many of which were moulting and of which there are an estimated 25-28,000. Buller Albatrosses with about 8000 pairs, were preparing for the winter breeding season and were nesting on grassy ledges on cliff faces. Salvin’s Albatrosses, totaling of about 20,000 pairs, are mostly on the Western Chain.

A few Cape Petrels of which there are a several thousand pairs, nest on Darnier Rock and several giant petrels, Brown Skua, the small black endemic Snares Island Tom Tit with an estimated 500 pairs and the endemic Snare Island Fernbird with several seen feeding perhaps on fruiting bodies of grey lichen covering rocks above high tide level. There was also White-capped Terns, one of which was seen to catch a small fish only then to lose it when flying and Antarctic Terns, but no endemic Snares Islands Snipe.

Some non-native species seen included, Redpoll, Song Thrush and Silvereye. Gunther, Terry and Lucille in Dan’s Zodiac were very happy with their photography and Dan also used his GoPro to try and film sea lions cavorting by kelp near a large concentration of fur seals. He had already secured 350gb of video.

We did enjoy entering two small coves one of which was at the end of a small cave. At the end of each was a small gravel beach formed from granite which breaks down when the structure of the rock is weakened. In one of the coves we entered with Olearia lyalli on one side and Brachyglotis stewartiae on the other, An examination of the leaves showed how well they are adapted to The Snares environment with the Brachyglotis stewartiae found to have a very “leathery” leaf. Many fur seals were again observed and the mobility of one that used its fore flippers to scale a vertical rock surface was a sight to behold.

In higher areas, there was a surprising amount of openness beneath the trees of which many appeared to be very old, with thick, gnarly trunks and twisted branches and the dark brown soil over the regolith amounted in places to a few centimetres. The granite had also made it easier for trees and smaller plants such as the hebe, cushion plants and mosses, to become established and as the regolith broke down, to access sufficient nutrients and water.

Two small science huts was seen and Allan and David thought it would be a good place to spend a few days, with some Cooper’s soda water. By 10.35 a.m. we were on board and the Spirit of Enderby and departed in fine sunny weather for Lyttelton and the end of the expedition.

This afternoon Part 5 (or was it Part 6?) of The Last Place on Earth was screened, the Sea Shop opened with brisk business for gifts or personal items and we later viewed the excellent documentary Ice and the Sky (La Glaciet le ciel) by film director Luc Jacquet who also produced March of the Penguins.

Ice and the Sky was about the work by French glaciologist Claude Lorius, who when 23 first visited Antarctica, spending a year at Chacot Station 300km inland and began studying the structure of ice and its crystals in 1957. In 1965, he was the first scientist to be concerned about global warming or anthropogenic climate change. With American and Russian support, Dr Lorius took samples deeper in the ice in Antarctica at Dome C followed by Russia’s Vostok Station where the coldest temperature on earth -89.2oC has been recorded.

Ice cores effectively contained fossilized records (in air bubbles) of its ambient temperature 100’s or 1000’s of years before present. The evidence showed an unmistakable upswing in the last century, and Lorius realised that mankind’s CO2 emissions were heating up the atmosphere.

As Dr Lorius said, “life is full of challenges and adversity” and perhaps we will also come home with not only a passion for the Antarctic, but also a unique view of the world.

This afternoon and with our last full day tomorrow, many of us began packing. This evening we had to port Stewart Island and a very good view of the Tin Range. We passed the easternmost point and set a north-east course for the Port of Lyttelton. This will tomorrow see us well off the South Island during this evening and the forthcoming day.

As a final event for the day, Leanne organised a second quiz that was well attended. As before the questions followed TV shows, popular music and theme tunes from films Katharine (aka The Queen) even with a crown made from pink satin. There was a lively response to questions and it is pleasing to report that of the four teams, Royal Family, Sweet 16, Inexpressible and Foveaux Strait, that Royal Family won. The winning team made up of mostly ladies, had Terry and David in support and with a few answers along the way, while the lady members were also very vocal throughout and with much good humour.

Day 29: Saturday 7th March
Enroute to Lyttelton
Data as at 11.48 a.m.– Latitude: 45o 312.284’S; Longitude: 171o 05.141’E
Air: 13.5oC Water: 15oC

We enjoyed an excellent view at 9 a.m. of the lovely Otago coast including the Otago Peninsula and of Taiaroa Head, with the acclaimed Royal Albatross colony. We also returned our gumboots and life jackets, which had served us well. It was a very busy ship today with the mooring lines placed in readiness for the morning arrival and Zodiac fuel etc., ready to be taken off.

At 10.20 a.m. we saw the very last episode of The Last Place on Earth. By late morning the coast had almost disappeared and around the ship was literally thousands of Sooty Shearwaters. One was seen to collide with another, on take-off from the sea.

At noon, Dan gave a presentation Exploring 15o of latitude. This desalt with the Birding Down Under expedition which covers sub-Antarctic islands including the Antipodes, Bounty and Chatham Islands with fascinating places and wildlife, including some birds not seen elsewhere. We then moved to the Solomon’s and Papua New Guinea, followed by the Russian Far East, including the Kamchatka Peninsula, Siberian Coast and finally wonderful Wrangel Island.

All these expeditions have something for everyone from superb meadows of colourful flowers, to most interesting birds and mammals including seals, whales, brown and Polar Bears, along with lots of very interesting history.

In the afternoon, most of us were busy packing, settling our accounts and enjoying a restful day. The sea was still calm making the task easier.

We were off the town of Oamaru (population 13,000) and 400-600m of water soon after 2 p.m. and a little later, crossed the 45oS latitude making us midway between the Equator and South Pole. The 44oS is a little north of the township Hinds, and just south of the township of Ashburton (population about the same as Oamaru).

At 4.45 p.m. we assembled in the lecture room for the final time and our disembarkation briefing. Samuel outlined domestic arrangements for us, spoke of our achievements and the staff were then invited to say a few words. David replied briefly and on taking a seat, Nigel then said some very kind words about David’s Antarctic career and on behalf of all the passengers, made a presentation which included a card signed by all. A lovely slide show totally unexpected, done by Lucille and Agnes will be long remembered.

The concluding part of the evening was the screening of an outstanding “slide show” with superb images and appropriate music skillfully done by Dan. Everyone is to receive a copy of this and the briefing was concluded. We then moved to the bar/library for a glass of sparkling wine.

For our last dinner we began with a Starter – cracked black pepper pâté en Croute; an Entrée of Cream of broccoli soup and for the Main - Roasted lamb rump with pea puree, cauliflower and raisin OR Crispy skin salmon with warm potato salad, asparagus and raspberry mignonette OR pumpkin dahl. The dessert was carrot cake and we had a cheese board final. There was however, an intermission, as we then celebrated Alan’s birthday.

Day 30: Sunday 8th March
Port of Lyttelton, Christchurch

After an early breakfast, Customs and other staff arrived 7 a.m. and after departing on a coach for the Central City and Christchurch Airport, we said our farewells after a journey of 9280 km.

To conclude, from the outset, the objective of this Log was to provide as much detail as possible for everyone who chose to travel on the Spirit of Enderby. The daily inclusion of the ship’s positions will also assist in compiling a map of our travel. Now with the expedition over, the compiler of this expedition record and his last likely for Heritage Expeditions, he wishes to thank the many who provided information and answering a multitude of questions.

It is hoped the Log will be of interest and also help by providing a comprehensive record of our activities. It has been a truly wonderful expedition with many highlights, which will provide memories for each of us during the years ahead.