The Sub-Antarctic Islands and Antarctica
About Antarctica
Antarctica is 1.8 times the size of Australia and its visited by on average 170,000 people a year but most go via Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula whereas we wanted a more immersive experience so elected to depart from Bluff, New Zealand which requires more days at sea to reach Antarctica but takes in several of the stunning Sub-Antarctic Islands.
Since 2016, when the Ross Sea was made and declared a Specially Protected Area, numbers of visitors to the Ross Sea have become highly regulated with only four ships permitted to visit each year, with passenger numbers in total capped at one thousand.
We were following in the footsteps of Scott and Shackleton starting in the "Roaring Forties", travelled south through the "Furious Fifties", then the "Screaming Sixties" and finally into the "Silent Seventies". Our furthest southerly position recorded as Latitude 77.53 degrees South.
As the expedition headed South from New Zealand, the steaming time was broken up as we anchored and visited Auckland Island, Enderby Island and the magnificent Macquarie Island. As a bonus we passed by the Belleny Islands - it is said more people climb Mount Everest in a year than get to sail past the Belleny's as they are generally iced in. From there we visited Cape Adare before heading to the Ross Ice Shelf and deep into the Ross Sea. On the trip back, as we made our way northward, we once again visited the Belleny Islands enjoying amazing views of one of these islands we had navigated past during the night on the way South. The vessel also pulled in and anchored at Campbell Island then The Snares during the last of our days aboard.
Who first discovered Antarctica seems to depend on who you ask or certainly on which Google search you believe but there is no doubt the British Empire and the Royal Geographical Society were very interested in the Continent in the early 1900's. Around 1920 Britain had decided that the whole of Antartica should be part of the British Empire. Other Countries including Australia and New Zealand also lodged a claim on the land. Fortunately and unusually, common sense prevailed and on 1st December 1959 the Antarctic Treaty was signed with 12 Countries who were active on the Continent at the time agreeing that Antarctica should be for all mankind and for the purposes of Peace and Science. As of 2024, there are 56 countries party to the treaty, 29 of which, including all 12 original signatories to the treaty, have consultative (voting) status. 42 parties to the Antarctic Treaty have also ratified the "Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty". This Treaty has lasted more than sixty years.
The Ship - Heritage Adventurer
The Ship was built in 1991. It has been Chartered by Heritage Expeditions since 2022 with a 2023 refurbishment. Passenger capacity was reduced for comfort from 184 to 140 - there were 117 passengers and 81 crew on our trip. The ship is 122m/400ft long with a beam of 17m/56ft she has a top speed of 15kts/28 kph.
The Ships Capitan and crew were sub-contracted as were the hospitality staff. Food was sourced from around the World and "containered" in Germany. The menu was extensive and the food fresh and delicious even at the end of the twenty-eight days on board. The Expedition Crew were employed directly by the Company and were all expert in their field and extremely knowledgeable about Antarctica.
The Cabins were comfortable and the guest areas spacious and welcoming both inside and out. We particularly enjoyed the "open Bridge" and spent quite a bit of time there watching the ships operations and enjoying the forward views.
Health, Safety and Biosecurity were evident as priorities. There was great care in catering with any food left over from any meal binned and stored for unloading back at port.
Embarkation and disembarkation required a strict protocol for cleaning boots and outer clothing to ensure no feral plant species were introduced to any of the islands.
All time ashore saw a medical officer in attendance.
The Sub-Antarctic Islands
Auckland and Enderby Islands were discovered in 1806 after which attempts were made to farm and cultivate the land. Farming quickly gave way to Whaling and Sealing but that proved to be a monumental failure due to weather conditions. Enderby Island has now been cleared of the feral species introduced by these early plunderers and is returning to the thriving ecosystem it originally was. Auckland Island, which is close by, still has pigs, rats and a variety of other feral species which is immediately evident in the degraded lower areas of the Island. These islands are home to amazing flora, from the Mega herbs to the Southern Rata Tree with its impressive red flowers.
Macquarie Island (Australian Owned) is geographically different from the other Sub-Antarctic Islands having formed deep below the the seabed and pushed up as oceanic crust. Lying in the 'furious fifties' the coast is battered by constant swells and gales with 314 rain days a year. During the last 200 years mankind has plundered the fur seal and penguin colonies. They also introduced a whole swag of feral species including horses, donkeys, pigs, cattle, goats, dogs, sheep, rabbits, rats and mice. In more recent years the feral species have been removed including a massive program in 2010 to eradicate rats from the Island. In 2014 the Island was declared 'feral free' and the environment is recovering well. Now home to colonies of King, Rock Hopper and Royal Penguins as well as Elephant Seals the Island is recognised as a World Heritage Significant site.
Campbell Island - New Zealand's southern most Sub-Antarctic Island and is volcanic in origin. Like so many of the Sub-Antarctic Islands the early history involved sealing and whaling. Campbell was also a base for southern exploration. Sheep, goats and pigs were released to provide food for shipwreck survivors and then in the 1900's there was an attempt to farm the Island. When the last farmers pulled out in 1931 they left 4,000 sheep and 20-30 cattle. During World War II the Island had a Coast Guard Station and that was followed with a Meteorological Station until 1995. In 2001 having cleared out the livestock the New Zealand Department for Conservation embarked on the World's most ambitious rodent eradiction project which was fabulously successful although at a cost of $2.6m The Island is once again a garden of Eden resplendent with mega herbs and home to breeding colonies of Campbell Island Albatross, Shags and Fur Seals.
Snares Island - consists of one main Island and a group of smaller Islands and rocks. Landings for tourists are not permitted at the Snares as it is listed as a World Heritage Nature Reserve. The Islands were rarely visited by humans and remained free from the feral species that were introduced to other Islands. Today there are colonies of Albatross, penguins and other Sea Birds. New Zealand Pointy Nosed seals live and breed here and the surrounding waters offer regular sightings of the Southern Right Whale.
Weather
When we embarked on this trip we hoped to experience all that Antarctica had to offer including the extremes of weather....and we did! On the first night out of Bluff NZ, we were advised to ensure that gear in our cabins was well "stowed" as we were expecting 6 metre seas and 30 knots of wind. What we actually got was 12 metre seas and 70 knot gusts. We woke at some point during the night realising that we were being lifted off the bed as the ship rose and fell with the swells. Then at one point the bed with us in it moved several centimetres to the right as a huge wave slammed the boat sideways. The motion quickly improved after this event and we could tell the Capitan had altered course to a more downwind direction for comfort and safety.
On day five as we were leaving Macquarie Island we were once again warned that there was "weather". As we sat at the dining tables over dinner the windows were at one time filled with only views of waves and the next, only views of the sky as the ship rolled with the swell. Chairs were moving and we definitely needed "one hand for the boat" when moving around the corridors back to our Cabin. The breakfast call next morning came with advice that it would be served on level 5 as the dining room on level 4 was out of action. Out of action proved to be the result of one of the large triple windows being shattered by a rogue wave over night enabling seawater to flood into the room soaking the carpet and scattering the tables, chairs and other dining room furnishings into a potentially dangerous moving pile of furniture. We did not return to that dining room for three days. The crew worked tirelessly to effect the repairs including drying everything out, replacing the window and ensuring all other necessary repairs were completed. It was an interesting reminder of the power of the ocean.
The closer we got to Antarctica the calmer in became generally. At times it was so calm there were reflections in the water. Temperatures were something else altogether with the coldest recorded being -37 degrees C. That included the wind chill factor and was recorded near Scott's Base deep in the Ross Sea. Most of the time in the Ross Sea the decks were covered with snow and walking around outside meant hanging on and learning to walk with the motion of the boat.
Ice
We saw our first Iceberg near the Belleny Islands and it was definitely a thrill, everyone on deck, cameras blazing. At around this point, the Albatross that had been following the ship disappeared. Then the land, when we saw it was an abstract in black and white with an occasional blue if the sun was shining.
Our first full day in the Ice started with a zodiac cruise in Colebeck Bay. The geology of the area is striking with sedimentary rock forming the most amazing patterns in the mountains. It was also our first glacier. Stunning blue ice textures were evident where the ice hits the water and in deep cracks or crevasses in the ice shelf. Within a short time we saw Orca’s patrolling the shore line, probably looking for the Weddell Seal safely out of reach on land. Adelie Penguins floated by on small flows and Skua and Wilson’s Storm Petrels flew over head. A planned landing at Cape Adare had to be abandoned - Antarctica has a way of altering plans. A thick ice shelf had formed across the entrance to the bay over night and the Captain now needed to find a safe passage out. I truly never expected to be spending a couple of hours breaking through ice but that’s what we did. Along the way we spotted Minke Whales, Adelie Penguins another Weddell Seal who looked most unimpressed at having his ice flow moved about by the ship. Then the icing on the cake......An Emperor Penguin on the Ice.
We cruised along the magnificent Ross Ice Shelf which was awe inspiring rising up from the sea much like the Bunder Cliffs on the Nullabour but all white. It looks a bit like frosting on a cake. There are cracks like rivers along the ice shelf and we followed one the Crew christened the “Captains Crack” for 11 nautical miles until it narrowed and the captain decide it was time to turn the ship around and head back out. As the captain manoeuvred the vessel around, it was mentioned over the intercom that we were in 700 meters of water at this point.
On another occasion, the Captain manoeuvred the ship alongside the ice shelf at Scott Base. We watched three Emperor Penguins on the ice, appearing intrigued and curious as to all the commotion of the vessel. The expedition crew went ashore and mapped out a route to give a close up view of Scott Base and we were ferried onto the ice. What a strange experience to be walking on a frozen ocean. There was a coating of snow on top and the going was not easy with a southerly wind blowing and an estimated wind chill of -30. Most people enjoyed the opportunity to stretch their legs. It was somewhat disconcerting however that not long after we had all returned safely to the vessel, the ice we had all just been walking on broke up to such an extent that it would now have been impossible to walk where we were just an hour or so before.
On route to Terra Nova Bay the ship slowly bumped and ground through the extensive ice flows . Eventually we left the ice in our wake and we entered the Bay to steam alongside the Drygelski Ice Tounge, a glacier stretching 70 kilometres out to sea from the highly active David Glacier. The ice tongue ranges from 14 to 24 km wide. In the morning light it was an amazing wonderland. Terra Nova Bay was an area of incredible contrasts, one moment we were in 70 knot katabatic winds and the next in calm waters with pancake ice forming on the surface.
During our time in the Ross Sea, due to the angle of the planet at this time of the year and us being so far south, the sun did not set. The "twilight glow" at times was stunning and the photographic opportunities with the twilight colour and the white ice had us up on deck shooting in this amazing light for as long as we could stay warm.
The Huts
Even though the tour was branded "In the footsteps of Scott and Shackleton" the history had taken second place to the natural world in our excitement to visit. With that in mind visiting the huts was an unexpectedly emotional experience. The Huts are "conserved" by the Antarctic Heritage Trust and they are so well managed that to visit is like stepping back a hundred years and its easy to expect that at any minute Scott or Shackleton and their men will walk through the door. Every item (artefact) in these Huts is inconspicuously numbered and meticulously maintained in a way that is totally authentic. There were surprises like the stack of blubber ready to be used for heating. Mostly though it was the every day items, the photos of pets and loved ones pinned to the walls, the box of boots by the fireplace that made an impact.
Visiting these Huts comes with a set of rules...only 8 people at a time inside, 10 minutes maximum visit, no more than 40 people allowed in the vicinity of the Hut, all snow and soil to be brushed off boots before entry, no back packs so as to not knock exhibits. Once inside we understood why. How privileged we felt to be able to experience the history and the ambience of these huts that witnessed jubilation, heartache and a new scientific understanding of Antarctica to the world.
The Huts we visited were:
Borchgrevink's Hut at Cape Adare - used from 1898 to 1900 on the Southern Cross expedition with 10 men. This was the first attempt to explore Antarctica and the first buildings on the Continent. The Hut is the only example anywhere on earth of humans first dwellings.
Scott's Hut at Hut Point - used from 1901 to 1904 with the Ship Discovery. The day we visited was dismally cold and it was easy to understand why the crew preferred the relative comfort of the Ship to the cold and draughty hut.
Shackleton's Hut at Cape Royds - The Nimrod Expedition from 1907-1909. The Hut was used again in 1911-1912 and 1915-1916. This Hut has more than 6000 artefacts. It was from this hut that the first successful expedition to climb Mt Erebus at 3794m was undertaken. It was also from here that Shackleton set out for the South pole, coming within 180 miles of the Pole but choosing instead to return for the safety of the team.
Scott's Hut - Cape Evans - The Terra Nova Expedition with 25 men 1910 - 1913 and the Hut now has a massive 11,000 artefacts. This is the Hut from which Captain Scott and the Polar Party departed and did not return having attained the South Pole but unfortunately perishing on the return trip. They remain on the Ice.
Birdlife
We photographed fifty-four different species of birds on the whole trip including our week in New Zealand.
It was such a thrill to stand at the deck of the Ship and have Albatross, Petrels, and other sea birds soar all around us. To land on the Islands and be able to walk so closely to where Albatross were breeding and having them be completely undisturbed by our presence was unforgettable. Since our return Avian Flu has wreaked havoc on the Antarctic Peninsula and I fear for the Penguin Colonies that were already in decline due to lack of food resources.
Penguins
If you had asked Fran what she wanted to see before this trip..it would be Penguins. Once again the highlights were to be able to be so close both on land and at sea to different Penguin species. While only the Royal and King Penguins still had chicks and many of the colonies had started to move into moulting ready to return to sea, we did see a lot of Penguins. On Cape Burd we were able to walk onshore and watch Adelie Penguins going about their business. On Macquarie Island it was King Penguins and Royal Penguins...we could have spent hours and we did but the time just flies when you are so immersed in nature.
So a bit about the Penguins
Image 1 - 3. Yellow Eyed Penguins (hoiho) the rarest of the Penguins. There has been a 65% decline over 20 years to 2020 to only about 250 breeding pairs remaining. New Zealand now have a recovery plan in place and we hope it to be successful.
Images 4-10. King Penguins - there are around 70,000 pairs on Macquarie Island and the population world wide is increasing. It was a magical sight to see them all on the land and in the water on our arrival at Macca.
Images 11 - 15. Royal Penguins breed on Macquarie Island and only come ashore to breed and moult. There are approximately 1.6 million birds but the population is in decline and they are listed as vulnerable.
Images 16-21 Adelie Penguins - the smallest of the Penguins in Antarctica but they are feisty and take on predators with a good slap. They leave the colony at around 7-9 weeks and won't return for 3-5 years until they are breeding age. They live and breed in Antarctica and in this species, numbers are increasing.
Images 22-27. Emperor Penguins - recently uplisted to Near Threatened and under consideration for categorising as Endangered due to a decline in their food source. Emperors don't nest, they keep their eggs on their feet and must pass them from one adult to another quickly to avoid it freezing. They have been recorded diving to 564 metres and for up to 32 minutes. They travel in groups and navigate in the dark but it is not known how. Females lay the egg and then leave to fish. Males are responsible for incubation and they huddle together in communal groups for warmth rotating in a circular motion. Each bird has its own unique song or acoustic signature.
Image 28. Erect-crested Penguin. This species only come ashore to breed and moult (as this one is). Usually on the Antoipodes and Bounty Islands this one was a rare visitor to Campbell Island. The Population is thought to be in decline due to reduced food sources.
Images 29-33 Snares Penguins are one of eight species of Crested Penguins. There are around 200 pairs breeding at Snares and the population is thought to be reasonably stable.
Images34-35 Eastern Rockhopper Penguins - listed as vulnerable.
Seals
The Elephant Seals were a highlight of course but the Weddle Seals are so gorgeous and the New Zealand Fur Seals were not unlike our Australian Sea Lions. There were two young Elephant Seals on Macquarie Island practicing their jousting skills by launching themselves at each other. This activity when maturity is reached, will determine the dominant, breeding male.
The Pointy Nosed Seals are the same species we see in southern Australia but it was good to see them in these wild and remote environments. Viewed mostly of course in the middle of the day as the Seals are resting ready to head back to sea to forage.
Whales
Most of the Whales we saw were keeping their distance. We saw several pods of about 4-8 Orcas and were surprised to find them more grey and tan than black and white. Evidently that has to do with algae in the Southern Ocean.
Initially a close encounter with a single Fin Whale kept us entertained then another and another appeared till there were approximately a dozen in view of the boat with binoculars. They are second in size to the Blue Whale as the biggest of the whales and this particular pod were definitely in a hurry.
A Couple of Humpback sightings were good and then near Campbell Island we had very close views of a Southern Right Whale and Calf. Having seen many Southern Rights we weren't quite as excited about them as the Crew were but its always good to see them.
Minke whales were abundant and often viewed while around the ice.
Bases
Somewhat surprisingly 30 Countries have around 82 Bases in Antarctica. Some of the Bases are permanent and operate all year round like the American McMurdo Station but many are seasonal. Even those that are operating all year generally don't have staff stationed there for more than 18 months at a time due to the psychological challenges of the Antarctica Winters were the sun does not rise for weeks on end. Under the Antarctica Treaty Military Activity is banned at the Bases and all Scientific Research must be shared. All stations and equipment must be open to other parties of the Treaty for inspection.
We went ashore at McMurdo Station, which resembles a Mining Camp, in order to visit the Hut at Hut Point the other stations we sailed past.
Images 1-4 McMurdo Station - American
Images 5-6 Scotts Base - New Zealand
Images 7-9 Qinling - Chinese
Image 10 Jang Bogo - South Korea
Image 11 Gondwana - Germany
