Posts

Cape Adare to New Zealand and home...

Image
Day 25 – In a way our last day in Antarctica. Time to bid farewell to the continent and head north. But first.......helicopter flight! Have I mentioned how much I like these? I even forgot to take my friendly Valium this time, though I was well dosed up on codeine and pseudoephedrine due to the appearance of Evil Antarctic Virus Number 2. A beautiful morning for a pre-breakfast flight. Taking off from the ship deck on Quebec (the scary little helicopter) with pilot Marcelo. Flying up a glacier. Flying down a glacier as it heads out to sea. A lot of the hills/mountains in this area are snow-free because they're too steep and it's too windy for the snow to cling on. This area of Robertson Bay is particularly beautiful, lots of snow, lots of mountains, lots of glaciers, lots and lots of penguins swimming in the bay, really really stunning. Buzzing the hillside. And so then we're off, heading back north, bye-bye Antarcti
Post a Comment
Read more

Ross Island to Cape Adare

Image
Day 21 Franklin Island A small island in the Ross Sea, north of Ross Island, where there are a few penguins. So we went ashore to visit. We noticed a few penguins on the shore. And then started peering at the pale areas further up the hill.......... Look closely. It's penguins penguins penguins penguins penguins all the way! Flying penguins. Spot the seal. In the sea seals like to eat penguins, but on land the penguins are faster so there's an interesting truce of sorts. The welcoming committee as we approach shore. Karl, armed and dangerous and chasing the perfect penguin photo. Penguins live at sea where they feed, mainly on krill, in the ocean and hang out on ice floes. They don't really like crowds and you mostly see them alone or with a couple of others when you spot them on the ice. They come to land to breed because they need a nice, warm, ice-free surface for their nests so they can warm and hatch their eggs. Because t
Post a Comment
Read more