Antarctic Voyage

January 2006

As the “Marina Svetaeva” rolled through the Southern Ocean, Macquarie Island gradually came into view. It lay on the horizon under a long cloud. We could just make out its shape in the expanse of the ocean. Seabirds were wheeling around the ship, and king penguins surrounded us in the water.

By late afternoon we were approaching Sandy Bay, about 7 km. south of the “ANARE” Station. The weather was fine, which is unusual for this part of the world. We cruised upon a calm sea to the pebble beach where the king penguins waited, curious and unafraid. Elephant seals lay in packs, occasionally raising their heads to yawn or grunt. One seal would move to scratch itself and the others would complain by belching out a protest before collapsing back into a heap.

Sitting on a coarse sandy beach is not unusual, but having a king penguin come up to you and tapping your camera with its beak, is. These penguins are so curious that nothing seems to frighten them. Singly or in small groups, they eye you off, make their judgement, and then amble off to tell their mates what they have seen.

In the shallows, the shifting kelp reveals a large head with gentle bulbous eyes of an elephant seal. Circling above, watching with ever alert eyes were the skuas. These large seabirds are always present around the penguin colonies, seeking out the eggs and chicks that they consider a tasty meal.

And then there are the royals, Macquarie’s only endemic penguin, crowded in their rookeries, on the hill above the beach, noisy and bustling. An indescribable smell pervaded the area.

Behind the beach rose the treeless hills, covered in tussock grasses and other low growing plants. Wisps of cloud descend through the gaps, and circling the peaks were the skuas and giant petrels, gliding in the updrafts.

Macquarie Island, a little speck 2.5 km. above the sea floor, was discovered in 1810. Sealing gangs left the island bereft of seals by 1821, and it wasn't until 1933 that it was declared a wildlife sanctuary. Cats, rats and rabbits caused devastation, but now only rabbits remain and these are under a continual extermination programme.

This bleak but crowded island was the last port of call before we reached our final destination of Hobart. We had departed New Zealand three weeks earlier, and, after crossing the turbulent Southern Ocean, had visited several areas of the Ross Sea. This stark white wilderness, with its ever changing weather, spectacular scenery and wildlife bought many challenges. Because of thick pack ice and high winds we were unable to land by either zodiac or helicopter at some of the key areas. So we missed seeing Scott’s Hut at Cape Evans and Shackleton’s at Cape Royds. McMurdo Sound was so iced in that our ship could not risk entering. However, the disappointments were made up for by visiting such places as Inexpressible Island and the Tourmaline Plateau.

Macquarie Island was the highlight of the voyage, but the whole experience of Antarctica is something I will never forget.

Chris Hoare