> > by Pamela Wright
Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on earth. Almost entirely covered with ice, this unforgiving playground for seals, penguins, sea lions, whales and giant albatrosses was largely neglected until the 1890s when intrepid explorers were lured to its shores by the challenge of conquering such an extreme frontier. So why would you go there? Simply because it’s one of the most breathtakingly spectacular, pristine and different landscapes you are likely to encounter. Better still, when you are incubated from the elements and entertained and educated on board the luxurious cruise ship Orion, it becomes one of the most compelling trips of a lifetime, all in virtually never ending daylight during summer cruising months.
We are sipping Champagne on the aft deck of the Orion, trying to come to grips with the great adventure that lies to the south, having just set sail from the tiny maritime port of Bluff at the bottom of New Zealand. Over the coming 18 days, we will walk in the footsteps of renowned Australian explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, exploring in Commonwealth Bay with opportunistic landings at Cape Denison and the French Antarctic Territory. Orion, a small but strong five-star luxury ship with ice-strengthened hull and retractable stabilisers became ‘home’ almost immediately. Carrying 96 passengers who are mostly couples and 84 crew, its programme is tailor-made for the journey with activities ranging from lectures about the terrain, wildlife and history to evening weather and programme updates. It has all the indulgences and mod cons, even a computer connected to the internet in a well stocked library. A gym caters for the fitness inclined and the nightly entertainment runs the full gamut of cruise fare. On the subject of fare - a word of warning. This is not a weight watchers cruise. Gourmet food, and plenty of it, is the constant theme.
From the start, the crew instil in us the strict environmental code of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) where the mantra is to leave only footprints and even walking poles are sanitised for shore excursions to prevent contamination. Moderate seas during our first night on board
are a gentle introduction to the Great Southern Ocean. Next morning, The Snares, one of five island groups constituting the windswept and fragile Sub Antarctic Islands are in view. Our expedition leaders divide us among a small flotilla of sturdy zodiacs as we steal close to the steep coastal cliffs to spy cape petrels feeding on krill and a flock of albatrosses circling overhead. Colonies of pesky penguins waddle to the water’s edge but fur seals are content to lounge around as passive onlookers and petulant Hookers sea lions hustle for dominance over their cows.
Given the region’s notoriously fickle weather, it’s probable the ocean will not remain calm for long. We’re on our way to Macquarie Island when the waves start rolling, forcing us to ‘lash and stow’ our cabins in preparation for a rough night. And rough it is. Captain Mike Taylor, in his lilting and calm Irish accent, alerts us via the intercom that the Orion may roll so “brace yourselves as we’re enduring a force nine gale”.
Stabilisers are in overdrive and we hold tight to the bedside furniture. Fortunately the only casualty is breakfast although a few passengers look a bit green around the gills. Galley crew prepare a second breakfast after the first was wiped out by a roll at an inopportune moment. Thankfully the Orion’s sturdiness, the captain’s expertise and the fact that the crew had been through it before is reasuring.
Macquarie Island, 1200km from Bluff, has a research station where scientists are tracking elephant seals. We are welcomed ashore by a congregation of Royal penguins directing a constant stream of traffic along the waterfront at Sandy Bay. At the far end of the cove, a breeding colony of 2000 King penguins show off their fluffy brown chicks. Flabby elephant seals snort and sleep until they are interrupted by a few unruly males testing their combative strength.
For our visit to historic Cape Denison, Alasdair McGregor, the professional photographer for the Mawson’s Hut restoration and Frank Hurley’s biographer, fills us in on Australia’s greatest Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson and his expedition between 1911 and 1914.
We know we are getting closer as icebergs, some more than 50m high and the size of islands are looming in the distance. There are also more sea birds, and humpback whales pass by at the end of their migration south. Finally, the hut is in sight and our first landing in Antarctica is in brilliant weather as the southerly summer keeps darkness at bay. Surely this couldn’t be the ‘Home of the Blizzard’.
After dropping anchor at Cape Denison, we zoom into Boat Harbour, a hundred metres from Mawson’s Hut. Expedition leader Don McIntyre, who spent an entire year nearby with his wife Margie in a 2 x 4 metre ‘box’ in 1995, helps passengers across the rocks to the ice. The hut is bigger and more substantial than I imagined with the main room measuring 8 x 8 metres. It bunked 18 men during the winter of 1912. Diana Patterson, the first woman to run an Australian Antarctic station, and Alasdair take us back in time with their history of the hut.
We stand in the very spot where Mawson recuperated after his extraordinary epic of lone survival. During their expedition, Belgrave Ninnis, with a sledge of supplies and dog team, fell through the lid of a large crevasse and disappeared, so with depleted provisions Mawson and Mertz began their return, using their dogs to supplement their food supply. After 25 days of hard physical exertion and starvation, toxicity from the dogs may have hastened Mertz’s death.
Mawson, himself seriously debilitated, discarded nearly everything except his geological specimens and records. Using a pocket saw, he cut his sledge in half and dragged it unaided the last 160 kilometres to main base. Somehow he survived!
Luckily for us, a conservation team is on site and the hatches are off the skylights letting daylight pour in for excellent photography. It takes several hours to explore Land’s End with its sheer white cliffs and the Memorial Cross, guarded by a lone Emperor penguin. Adorably cute Adelies are little show-offs. They amble and toboggan on their tummies towards the water.
Our cameras click furiously as these beguiling creatures pass at close range, uninhibited and unaware of our ‘five metre rule’ for engagement with wildlife. Reluctantly we catch the last zodiac at midnight, still in glorious sunlight.
We are back the next day at Mertz Glacier, cruising in zodiacs among large icebergs carved off the mighty glacier, the very glacier where last February, a massive iceberg, measuring 78 by 39 kilometres broke off after another 97 kilometre- long iceberg named B9B collided with its tongue.
Unable to land at the French base of Port Martin due to rough shoreline conditions, it’s back to Cape Denison and another privileged chance to explore the hut at a more leisurely pace. Some join Di Patterson cross-country to John O’Groats to contemplate the habits of hundreds of Adelies and their chicks in the rocky rookery.
For ages, my stateroom neighbours, Avril and Allan Foster had wanted to explore Antarctica but in a leisurely way. “Leaving from New Zealand was appealing and the Sub Antarctic was a great introduction,” says Allan. “The staterooms on the Orion are very secure, comfortable and luxurious no less,” adds Avril “and the knowledge of the expedition team is second to none.” Alasdair, Don and Di have spent lots of time in Antarctica and “they’re obviously very passionate about the region”.
Back on board, Antarctic madness takes over with a record 29 guests and 11 crew taking the polar plunge, a giant dive into the freezing sea. Attached by rope for safety, one chap’s feet hardly touch the step ladder as he scarpers back to the ship.
After brunch on the aft deck, landing conditions in the French Antarctic Territory are still unsuitable so we spend time in zodiacs watching penguins ‘porpoising’ through the water and boldly leaping from ice shelves. I didn’t even mind getting whacked in the head by a confused Adelie making an athletic leap to what he thought was ‘home’. What an extraordinary reason to need a Panadol! Back on board, a real treat is when Ice Master Stefan briefly diverts the ship and steers slowly through a band of pack ice with sheets of white as far as the eye the eye can see.
It’s no surprise that passengers didn’t want to leave the sheer magic of this remote but fascinating continent of ice. We lingered on deck photographing the full moon over solitary white bergs, hoping each one wasn’t our last.
Heading north, the five days at sea were relaxing and fun, and with small passenger numbers, we now know each other, making the DVD compiled for us by the crew an even more exciting memento.
Our arrival in Hobart meant our adventure was over but never forgotten. Antarctica can change quickly from peaceful stillness to raging blizzards but that’s the wonder of this remote land of complete contrasts. As passenger Alice said “So white, so quiet, so unpredictable, so vast, yet so vibrant.”
factfile
MORE INFORMATION: Orion Expedition Cruises www.orionexpeditions.com Phone 1300 361 012 or Sydney 02 9033 8777
MONEY: All purchases signed for on board.
CLIMATE: Cruise expeditions run in summer between December and February (Constant daylight)
WHAT TO TAKE: Layers of clothing, thermals, smart casual on board. Parkas provided. Good camera – e.g. Nikon D5000 18-55VR with zoom for essential close ups.
DOCUMENTS: Passports required for New Zealand departure or arrival.
NEXT CRUISES: Dec 28th 2010 18-night Mawson’s Antarctica-Commonwealth Bay starting at $19,365 for stateroom. Jan 27th 2011 21-night Scott and Shackleton’s Antarctica-Ross Sea starting at $22,590.