Day 8 – Macquarie Island Station, Macquarie Island

We had a very eye opening experience at Macquarie Island Station, known as 'Macca' to the staff, with one of the Tasmanian Rangers showing us around the Australian sub antarctic research base.

The station is settled amongst an almost barren landscape due to the extreme weather conditions - there is absolutely nothing between Macquarie Island and South America. We were battered by the howling winds during the tour of the base. It was bitterly cold!

We spent the morning at the station wandering around the base and seeing some of the wildlife which included Gentoo penguins and elephant seals. I felt very privileged to be able to set foot in such a remote part of the world – there are just 700 tourist permits issued each year.

I truly admire the dedication and perseverance of the scientists and the support team. They work in extreme conditions with limited supplies. From what we were shown they try to make life at the base somewhat normal, however, what they are giving back to the environment is far from the ordinary. Many of us asked the question of ourselves “could I do it?”

Their hospitality extended to warm scones with jam and cream – yum yum – in the dining room. A grand gesture given they had to raid the huts around the island for flour to make the scones. Strangely we felt quite sea sick in the dining room. The room was swaying, making a group of us feel quite nauseous and wishing to get back on board the ship. I was on the first zodiac back. This was an experience in itself with a big swell making the step onto the gangway difficult. Fortunately everyone made it without an unwanted swim.

Slideshow of my photos:

Day 7 – Sandy Bay, Macquarie Island

I awoke to about 50 penguins darting and diving outside my porthole this morning, and yes this time it wasn’t just a dream. This remarkable view was just the tip of the iceberg so to speak for what turned out to be a very memorable day.

We had arrived at Sandy Bay, Macquarie Island in the early hours of the morning which provided some much needed calm seas and the opportunity to see some more wildlife.

I was watching the penguins seamlessly swimming through the ocean as I waited to board the zodiacs. It was from this vantage point that I got to see the penguin’s sight the same way a triathlete does in the open water which I found intriguing.

Once ashore I was greeted by hundreds of penguins. It is important to note that there is a strict 5m rule when interacting with the wildlife throughout this trip. This means that you are to approach no closer than 5m as it is a safe distance for the animal to not experience any stress. The King Penguins however are incredibly inquisitive so they come directly up to you for a closer look. Of course I relished their wonderful trusting nature.

I spent a lot of time, hours, just sitting or lying on the pebbly beach watching the penguins as they went about their business. Some came up to me and pecked at my boots, others simply wandered straight past me within less than a metre.

There were also hundreds of Royal Penguins on the beach who are very cute with their spiky feathers. They also came quite close but were more interested in what their fellow penguins were doing rather than us. Macquarie Island is the only Royal Penguins breeding colony in the world so it was very special to see this part of the lifecycle.

The elephant seals also shared the beach with the penguins. They are definitely not the most attractive animals, however, their obscene obesity and somewhat elegance in the water is intriguing. I did spend some time watching these enormous animals spar with each other, and I saw another coming from sea to land which I have to say was quite an effort for him. Understandable given the size of him!

The memory card in my camera definitely got a hammering today. The Royal Penguins in particular are just so cute and I love the personalities of the King Penguins. I am in absolute awe of what I saw and I feel very privileged to have such a unique experience. The time spent in the wild today was without doubt one of the most memorable days of my life!

Slideshow of my photos:

Day 6 – At Sea, Southern Ocean

The Spirit of Enderby continued to power its way through the fierce Southern Ocean. The entire day at sea also meant I spent most of the time in bed to help keep the sea sickness at bay.

The ship rocks continuously, a movement that I have not become comfortable with yet especially with my body sliding up and down my bed with the force of the waves. There are a lot of tips being shared amongst the passengers on the best way to setup your bed to minimise the movement. I have resorted to sleeping ¼ of the way down my bed so that I can wedge my feet against the foot board. It is definitely not a comfortable experience but one I am strangely grateful for as it makes the trip to Antarctica all the more special. After all not many people travel to Antarctica by ship.

The Southern Ocean has not disappointed. I can even hear the roar of the wind from my cabin, and there are moments when my porthole on the third level of the ship is covered in water. To be honest this is a view that I try to avoid as it confirms the ship is rotating at quite an angle. I would rather the ignorance is bliss approach.

Meal times are the most interesting. The hardy souls are the ones that make it to the dining room, however, often the conversation is quite limited as everyone is using their energy to focus on the positive thoughts of being well enough to eat. It is quite normal for the numbers to slowly dwindle as the courses progress. It appears that as soon as one person leaves others feel it is now okay to do the same. We have all passed comment how it must be funny for the waitresses as one minute they are servicing someone and the next course they have gone.

Everyone is looking forward to land tomorrow!