With Macquarie Island and Sub-Antarctic Islands of New Zealand
FEBRUARY 14 - MARCH 8, 1998
On board the KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOV
"We gazed with feelings of indescribable delight upon a scene of grandeur and magnificence far beyond anything we had before seen or could have conceived."
Captain James Clark Ross
FEBRUARY 13, 1998
HOBART, AUSTRALIA
Today we meet our fellow adventurers at the Grand Chancellor Hotel on the waterfront in historic Hobart, Tasmania.
FEBRUARY 14 EMBARK
We board the Kapitan Khlebnikov and sail. Plan to be on deck as we negotiate the Derwent River en route to the Tasman Sea.
FEBRUARY 15 - 16 AT SEA
Myriad albatrosses and other seabirds accompany us to Macquarie Island, 870 miles to the south. Join our naturalists on deck and in the lecture room for presentations on geology, wildlife and history.
FEBRUARY 17 - 18 MACQUARIE ISLAND
As you approach the green mountains of Macquarie Island a remote sanctuary is revealed which supports one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Sub-Antarctic. Elephant seals loll on sandy beaches along with 200,000 King Penguins -- and all of the world's estimated three million Royal Penguins. Twenty-five species of birds breed regularly on the 20-mile-long island, including Gentoo and Rockhopper Penguins and Light-mantled Sooty Albatross. Our landings and plans at Macquarie Island depend on local weather conditions (which can be severe).
Tasmanian Park rangers will join you at Sandy Bay, where we take care to avoid the slumbering elephant seals and nesting King Penguins. A boardwalk leads to a noisy rookery of golden-plumed Royal Penguins. Further to the south at Lusitania Bay, hundreds of King Penguins call and swim around the Kapitan Khlebnikov at anchorage. Set out by Zodiac to explore the coast, where a waterfall plummets from the green hills and a small group of Rockhopper Penguins nest beside their much larger and more numerous cousins. We also hope to visit the research station at Buckles Bay on the north end of the island.
FEBRUARY 19 - 20 SOUTHERN OCEAN
You will follow in the wake of Scott, Mawson and Amundsen south across the Antarctic Circle to the Ross Sea. A dramatic drop in temperature and our first icebergs herald the frozen splendor directly ahead of us.
FEBRUARY 21 BALLENY ISLANDS
A broad band of pack ice near the Balleny Islands often guards the entrance to the Ross Sea. Should conditions permit, you will board the helicopter for a thrilling view of the ice-clad islands from the air. We cross the Antarctic Circle.
FEBRUARY 22 - 28 ROSS SEA
Views of the 12,000-foot Admiralty Range herald our arrival at the Ross Sea. In one of the world's most powerful icebreakers you will spend the next days exploring this historic sector of Antarctica. Our exact route will vary according to local ice and weather conditions and to take best advantage of unexpected opportunities to encounter wildlife. Our departure from the area is planned for the morning of Feb 28. Below are some of the places we plan to visit.
CAPE ADARE Behind the broad, open beach, we see the 1899 hut where Borchgrevink was the first to overwinter on the Antarctic Continent. Here we look for encounters with small groups of Adelie Penguins nearing the end of their breeding season.
CAPE HALLETT Dense pack ice often challenges us near Cape Hallett, where the United States and New Zealand established a now-abandoned base during the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year. We hope to navigate Edisto Inlet, a fjord surrounded by an amphitheater of glaciers and mountains. Continuing south, we may have the opportunity to visit Terra Nova Bay, site of an Italian summer station. We navigate the Drygalski Ice Tongue, a 30-mile extension of the David Glacier into the Ross Sea.
DRY VALLEYS From New Harbor on the west coast of the Ross Sea we plan a helicopter excursion into this 1,000-square-mile, ice-free area. Extraordinarily beautiful, the valleys are a mosaic of ice-free ground, lakes , streams and glaciers. Scattered on the ground are ancient mummified seals, which mysteriously wandered inland and died.
MCMURDO SOUND Pushing south we anchor along the ice fronting McMurdo Station, the sprawling United States facility in the shadow of Mt.Erebus. Pending permission we are invited to tour the station, a center for logistics that houses 1,000 people in the summer. The modern facility surrounds Scott's remarkably preserved 1901 - 1904 Discovery Hut. Depending on their busy schedules, the New Zealanders offer a tour of their station a few miles away on the other side of Observation Hill. Hardy souls may wish to hike up to the cross erected as a memorial to Scott, Bowers, Wilson, Oates and Evans. We celebrate our farthest south -- just 800 miles from the geographic South Pole.
ROSS ISLAND We plan to visit the historic huts at Cape Evans and Cape Royds, a volcanic land dominated by towering Mt. Erebus and Mt. Terror. The men of Scott's 1910-13 Terra Nova Expedition built the largest of the historic huts. Shackleton's hut at nearby Cape Royds is surrounded by the southernmost penguin rookery (a site of special scientific interest). We expect to encounter small groups of Adelie Penguins here. Both huts have been beautifully restored by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust (which we support with our visit). In the past, our hosts at the United States and New Zealand stations have joined us for a barbecue on the ice.
ROSS ICE SHELF Virtually filling what would otherwise be a gigantic bay or inlet, the Ross Ice Shelf is approximately the size of France. We plan to begin our exploration of this natural phenomenon with a cruise along a part of the 110-mile face and admire the immense tabular icebergs that are calved from this massive extension of the polar ice cap. Weather and time permitting, we hope to land by helicopter on top of the 100-foot-high ice barrier.
MARCH 1 - 3 SOUTHERN OCEAN
As we continue north, new marine mammals and seabirds appear to lure us back on deck.
MARCH 4 CAMPBELL ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Today we sail into Perserverance Harbour, a drowned volcanic caldera that cuts across the island. A boardwalk leads us from a small meteorological station over the tussock grass to the hilltop observatories of the Royal Albatross. Each austral summer 15,000 of these huge birds nest among clusters of brightly-colored megaherbs. It is an amazing place. We explore the steep bluffs, where Light-mantled Sooty, Gray-headed, Black-browed and Royal Albatrosses wheel and glide overhead.
MARCH 5 ENDERBY, AUCKLAND ISLANDS
Enderby is an enchanted place, known for its rata forest and endemic wildlife. We encounter Yellow-eyed Penguins, Red-crowned Parakeets and other birds among the trees. Rare Hooker's sea lions joust and spar on the wide, sandy beaches.
MARCH 6 SNARES ISLAND
Flocks of Sooty Shearwaters, Buller's Albatross and Cape Petrels accompany us to this important wildlife refuge. This island is a well protected Natural Reserve where landings are not permitted. From our Zodiacs we admire groups of Snares Island Crested Penguins, red-billed terns and New Zealand fur seals on the kelp-covered rocks.
MARCH 7 AT SEA
Plan to spend time on deck for your last day in the southern Ocean. Pelagic birds will escort us as we recap our adventure.
MARCH 8 LYTTLETON, NEW ZEALAND
Today we bid farewell to the Kapitan Khlebnikov and transfer by coach to nearby Christchurch airport for our group flights to Auckland and home.
