Thu 19 Jan 2017: The Auckland Islands

It's full waterproof gear for a trip in the zodiaks. We're off for the day, walking on Enderby Island.

First, we have our gear vacuumed. All alien seeds must be removed from everything that we will bring ashore. Then we wash and scrub our boots. We pick up packed lunches and a poo bag. Just in case.

On Enderby: Deb changes from wellies to hiking boots. My wellies are fine for walking -- and waterproof.

From our landing site we walk through tussocks of grass. There may be a track, it's not visible. We walk behind a seal beach. Hookers seals. Maybe a couple of hundred, sleeping, fighting and breeding on the beach. As Deb says, more sex and violence on this beach than in all the rest of NZ.

Past a section where yellow eyed penguins stroll between nest and beach. There's a research station just beyond here. We turn off, onto a boardwalk through the rata forest. From what I've read -- and am now seeing -- rata is generally impenetrable. The cleared path is essential.

The forest fades away. It's short and boggy grass on either side. Small patches of very small flowers. Occasional albatrosses, near and far, brown and white, different breeds.

On the open grass area, the constant wind can be felt. Temperature is possibly in the low teens. Weather is fine and cloudy, occasional patches of sunshine, some very light rain later on.

We walk round the island.  "Keep the sea on your left."

We see seals and sealions. Lots of birds, albatri of some sort, I don't know their names. A scattering of penguins. The yellow eyed penguins are solitary, so no huge penguin flocks on this island.

We stop for lunch in a bit of shelter. The wind is still blowing but the sun is shining. We're looking out over grass and rocks to the sea. Seal/ions in the rocks. One starts at the top of the hill and gradually moves closer to us. (Oh no! It's the cows, all over again!) But he stops, thirty metres away. A few scratches and stretches and he sleeps. With one eye on us.

Very small birds hop round at ground level. They hop within a metre or two of us, not worried by us.

I take some photos, nothing great. The wildlife is not scared of us but still stays beyond the range of a good shot with my standard lens. Some people have giant lenses on big cameras. I would have lens envy -- but I know how heavy they are.

One seal decides that he doesn't like the look of us. He runs at us -- not too fast, not too close -- and shows his teeth. I spread my arms, show my size. He decides to allow us to pass.

The walk takes about six hours. The terrain is "flat" -- not much climb. The ground is uneven and occasionally boggy, occasionally overgrown with lumpy tussocks of grass. Quite heavy walking. By the end, we are glad to see the end.

Now we collapse back to the peace and quiet of our cabin. It's great to have a space just to ourselves :-)

full Thu 19 Jan 2017 #2: Spot Tracker absolute fail

Yesterday I sent an expensive email to ask, are any locations being transmitted by the Spot Tracker? Answer: none at all.

So... Before this trip, I bought an expensive "Spot Gen 3" GPS tracker. Paid triple the advertised price to send and record locations -- triple the advertised price "because I'm in Australia". Yes, I should have looked at the fine print on the hard-to-find web page. Tested it at home, fine. Turn it on overseas -- and it absolutely fails to work.

Absolute rip-off.

Please ignore the link I sent earlier. It was based on the assumption that an overpriced and overhyped piece of junk would work as advertised.

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Sent via Satellite Phone using RedPort Email

Wed 18 Jan 2017: at sea

What. A. Night !

Okay, according to a second-hand report from Agnes (pronounced Anyas, she's French) last night was not too bad. Our first night at sea. It was bad enough :-)

aside: We have three portholes facing forwards. As well as a couple looking to port. It's the best and biggest cabin... I decided, if we're spending a second mortgage on a holiday, we may as well spend a relatively small amount extra to get our own space.

and Gaye: I know it was you that started us thinking of going to Antarctica. Don't feel too bad, even though we have a spare folding bed in the cabin. It was definitely not available for an extra passenger. I asked.

Now we're moored at The Snares. And lucky that the weather allows us to get into Zodiaks. According to the boat driver, only two of his five visits to The Snares have been calm enough to allow a visit. And Wow!

From the ship, The Snares is a large lump of rock, with trees. Close up, we see birds, swimming, flying, standing. Plenty of penguins! Standing, swimming, jumping in and out of the ocean. We've seen penguins -- hundreds of them !  I'm satisfied. We can go home now :-)

A brilliant expedition !

Deb reports that the doctor has treated 20 of the 50 passengers for sea sickness. (This includes Deb.) A difficult start to the voyage ! But we'll be right by tomorrow... :-)

The ship is still rolling, consistently, from side to side. If you sit facing forward or backward, you tend to fall off the chair.

Tue 17 Jan 2017: departure

We have boarded our ship !

explanation: Now we have shipboard email, sent via satellite. Charged by the word and very, very expensive! For the rest of this voyage I shall be posting very very brief accounts. Sorry :-( I will write my usual War & Peace -- and post a summary. Either that, or the cost of this trip could easily double :-)

So where are we now? This should show you: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=09XGihbkW0buf71zL6xAnH4ScMu7yzrGW

9pm: That was fun :-)

We are out on deck to watch the ship leave. Gangplank raised and stowed. Various ropes unhitched. The boat pushes itself away from the wharf, swinging round on the final, stern rope. That rope is cast off -- and we're sailing.

The pilot boat moves closer, almost touching the Shokalskiy. The pilot appears... steps easily from one boat to the other... A round of applause... and we're on our own: clear of the port and sailing under the Captain's orders.

A man coming down outside steps slips, falls. Shaken but unharmed. Warning noted and heeded.

Dinner. Sitting opposite the Department of Conservation rep. He makes sure that we follow all the rules. He's glad to be here. He also has to take back a photo of his son's (toy) penguin "visiting his relatives".

Other people at our table include the Russian who works in Japan. What do you do there? someone asks. Work, he replies. Not sure if that's a cagey answer, or due to his limited English. Next to Deb is a man who likes to explain things. (No, not me.) There are two men over 70 y.o. And a man who sits at the end, too far away for me to be able to hear anything that he says.

By about 1am, we will be out of the shelter of Stewart Island. If the sea is rough, that's where we will first notice it.

"If"...

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Sent via Satellite Phone using RedPort Email

Tue 17 Jan 2017: a quick update

At least it's not raining.

Early morning. Ten degrees. Strong wind blowing. Thick cloud cover. Otherwise fine.

Our "sister ship", Spirit of Enderby, is half way between here and Antarctica. She is battling 25 knot winds. Struggling to make 5 knots headway.

Today, we set sail.

From the ship, email access will be limited. So far, it's an unknown. There may be a gap in posting to the journal... No need to check the shipping reports... I'll post when I can, when the technology allows. I hope that that will be, before we get home again!

<Pause>

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers
   

Mon 16 Jan 2017: Invercargill

The third, final, smallest plane took us to Invercargill.

First plane had seats arranged as three-four-three, two aisles. Second plane had one aisle, with three seats either side. This plane was two-and-two. We sat in the very front row. With a very good view and a quick biscuit as snack.

Invercargill is a nice, small terminal. Across the tarmac, in the door, turn left, there's the baggage pickup. A couple of taxis outside and a shuttle bus. We took the bus, its only passengers. Stopped at their office to get the credit card payment device.

The driver -- a cheerful woman, just back at work after her Christmas holiday -- told us that Queens Park is worth a visit. It's just down the road, visible from our hotel.

We check in at the Kelvin Hotel.

Room 501. A great view across the town. Pleasant but nothing very exciting. It's a few streets of oldish buildings with a few new, larger buildings. Queens Park is visible at the end of Kelvin Street.

Our room is... quite large. Two rooms. Three, if you count the large -- with spa -- bathroom. Judging by the bare concrete room down the corridor -- and the sounds of hammering and drilling and thumping -- the hotel is being renovated, room by room. With good results, to judge by our room.

Soon, we set out to look for lunch.

The sign across the road tells us that it's 12:20 and 16 degrees. There's a strong wind blowing. No cafes in the direction we walk... Luckily I remember that the shuttle bus driver mentioned a wee cafe at the park.

The park is in "formal English" style. Trees, garden beds, lawns and paths. We follow a sign, follow a path, find a big white pyramid... It's museum, art gallery and cafe. We eat, then check out the museum.

We check out just a couple of displays: tuaturas (or some such) and various bits of history. The tuaturas look like, well, very small crocodiles. Sort of. Thirty or forty cm long. While we are watching, they... stand very still. They are ancient animals, the last of some prehistoric grouping of animals.

Then we look at the old stuff... Feeling more and more... tired.

Decide it is time to walk home. Look at the rain and decide we have time to sit inside for a few minutes. A few minutes later we walk home, through the sprinkling of rain.

Interesting idea with the pedestrian lights at traffic lights. When we approach, they are blank, no light. Only when we press the button, the red man appears, then the green.

Back at the hotel, there's an itinerary for the next couple of days. Dinner tonight with the group. Tomorrow morning -- a visit to the Queen's Park museum... Ah well. There's an Antarctic flora display. Tomorrow, we'll check it out.

We sleep, rest, try the spa. Never quite understood the attraction of a spa, or even a bath. Not for getting clean, anyway. But it's a pleasant way to relax. Though it takes us quite a while to work out how to let the water out.

Now we're watching TV -- no worse than at home -- and waiting for dinner.

====

After dinner:

We've met our fellow passengers. A varied bunch. We sat at a table with farmer/environmentalists from York. Dance teacher & her husband from Canberra. Worried woman from Hobart. Tour leader from France. All very interesting.

Meal was good, I ate plenty.

It's been raining on and off. Still light outside but getting dim, it's almost ten o'clock. Temperature now nine degrees. Weather forecast is for gales as we head south. Conversation covered sea sickness and the importance of not falling over.

Tomorrow is an optional talk on tuaturas at the museum. If it's fine weather, we'd like to see the "stumpery", sculptures made of tree stumps. I went downstairs, asked where it is. It's in Queens Park, which is a large park. We'll check the weather :-)

So far, so good...

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers
   

Sunday 15 January 2017: in the air

Day One, Test One: failed

We're off! Took off half an hour ago. We are now flying to New Zealand. But first, what about that "failed" heading line?

First day of this holiday. I'm overloaded with portable electronic devices. I'm typing on a touch screen tablet running Android. It's a "Swype" keyboard, so there will be occasional really weird words. I also have an Apple MacBook Air. It's one a son has finished with. It has a proper keyboard.

I started typing on the Mac...

This blog is my travel journal. When I get home, I merge it with photos, print it, there's a hardcopy to read when we're in our dotage. Each post is typed, then emailed to the blog when there's a connection to the internet... Well...

First, I can't find "flight mode" on the Mac. Maybe that creates a problem? Perhaps it's because I'm running Chrome on a Mac? Whatever the reason -- I type, I can't save to draft, what I typed is lost :-(  So it's back to the Android tablet with its strange Swype keyboard. Ah! the technology :-)

btw: For those who are new to this blog... Yes, I am verbose. And today is "introduction". Future posts will -- hopefully -- have a lot more about ships, and wildlife, and Antarctica.

And now, it's back to our regular journal...

Day One: up, up and away

We're in a plane, heading to New Zealand. The first day of our latest holiday. For those who came in late: We will spend four weeks on a ship, sailing to Antarctica. Note 1: By "sailing" I mean, traveling in a boat with an engine. An early, preferred option (preferred only by me) involved an actual sail boat, crew of three, six passengers. But that was just an option... Note 2: to Antarctica via islands, spend a few days there, then back to NZ again.

Monday we meet the Heritage Expeditions staff and our fellow travelers (all 48 of them). Tuesday we set sail, in the... whatever its name is... Russian ship. Part time "expedition" ship, part time arctic research vessel. Then we spend four weeks sailing to Antarctica -- via several sub-Antarctic islands -- and back again. We may get to see Mawson's hut...

The expedition is centred round Mawson and his hut. Great for fans of Antarctic explorers and exploration. We want to see ice and snow -- and penguins. Well, any wildlife will do, though I don't get too excited by birds... Except penguins. So why choose this particular expedition? Several reasons...

It's a small boat. Fifty passengers. It's on the less touristy eastern side of Antarctica. (Though there may be a good reason for that "less touristy" aspect.) Mostly -- we sail from NZ.

South America to Antarctica -- best flights I could find to SA would be 35 hours in transit. We'll be in NZ in less than six. When I saw, "NZ to Antarctica to Hobart" -- brilliant! And it's still a good option, even with the finish shifted back to NZ.

We will sail to and from Invercargill, at the southern tip of NZ. (Actually, from Port Bluff, just south of Invercargill.) And a month later than planned. Our booking was to sail through Christmas and New Year (and, incidentally, through our wedding anniversary; I had ensured there would be chocolate on that day). It's been delayed in the hope that some major ice will shift and we will actually be able to get to Mawson's hut.

When I realised we were about to go all historical, I started to read Mawson's book of his own expedition. It was amazing... Oh, and the book is called, In the Land of the Blizzard. Tell me again, Why are we going?! Anyway, I stopped reading. All very well to follow history. But when people are falling out of sight down crevasses -- and we are about to visit that same area -- it's time to stop reading.

So, where was I?!

We're in the plane. Just finished dinner. Flying Air NZ. Which has an interesting offer on upgrades...

I bought our tickets. Three planes to get there, two to get back. The next day, there's an email from Air NZ. It's an invitation to "make an offer" on an upgrade. So I did. I offered $10. Which, no surprise, was not accepted.

A week before we fly, the same invitation. This time, there's a slide dial of how much we can offer. At the minimum order we could pay $175 for an upgrade. Per person, per leg... Total, $700 to upgrade each of us on the legs where an upgrade is possible. If it were "accepted".

At the top of the slide dial, we could offer $1,400. Per person, per leg. I checked the Air NZ website. The first leg -- at the upgraded level -- is on sale for $1,100. So I could offer $1,400 -- on top of the price already paid -- to upgrade. To a seat which I could buy for $1,100!? I sent an email asking, is this a mistake? No reply.

So Here We Are...

We're in the emergency exit row. Plenty of legroom. Great view of the toilets. Deb has her preferred window seat, though the window is a bit behind. She can still see out of it. I can see... inside the plane.

Another three hours till we land. With the time difference it will then be morning.

I may just snooze for a couple of hours...

====

So I snoozed. Deb had to tell me about the little girl who was sick. Sick on herself, sick on her mother, sick on her father. With a large plastic bag for the sicked on blanket. We offer sympathetic thoughts to the family. Later, off the plane, we avoid walking in front of the little girl. Just in case.

We're now at Auckland Airport. Through Customs, no worries. Through biosecurity, show the hiking boots. Deb was wearing hers and was asked to step across a weed killer mat. Now we're at the next boarding gate. Waiting.

It was a bus ride from international to domestic terminal. Luckily Deb knew what to do: we checked our bags at the international. So it's just backpacks (not too big) to carry with us. We've now had coffee and shared a scone, so that's breakfast.

Back a bit...

As we checked in -- the first time -- we were asked, Do we mind being in the emergency exit row. No worries, said Deb, We've done it before. Sat in that row, I said, Not managed an emergency exit.

It was great to be able to slump in my seat and stretch out my legs. The only downside was that our screens folded out -- and had to be folded away for takeoff and landing. Which could have been a worry, if I had switched mine on. Deb listened to music... while failing to sleep.

An easy flight, not too long. (Our last flights were to and from Europe. Many, many hours of sitting.) The cabin temperature on this Air NZ flight must have been set to local. Very, very chilly! Better get used to the chill, I guess.

Now that we've started, I'm relaxed about the trip. We seem to have brought what we need for traveling. If we've forgotten anything -- it's too late to worry.

We're still a bit uncertain about four weeks on a boat...

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I tried to connect to the free (?), open, airport wifi. Rather than going to a login screen, Google "unexpectedly closed". I'll try again. And post this... whenever I can.

Minutes later: failed to connect, again. The signal claims to be strong. But then disappears. Oh well.

Several hours later: We're now at Christchurch Airport. Waiting for our final connection to Invercargill. Same problem with Google -- but other websites are fine. Connected to the airport wifi.

The flight from Auckland to Christchurch was easy. An hour and a half, small snack, another emergency exit row -- with room to stretch my legs.

Waiting for our flight. I went to the toilet. Standing, deep in thought, a woman's voice says, Cleaner. I'm not thinking fast... A minute later the cleaner and I exchange glances, look away... Oops.

Time to post...

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
====

"Before your dreams can come true, you have to have those dreams" … Dr Joyce Brothers