Antarctic wildlife watching (5 of 7) — Antipodes Island
June 19, 2017
On the agenda is now Antipodes Island. When we get there, we have past the half-way mark on the trip. Once again, the weather could be better with some fog and light rain. During the briefing we receive before arriving at a new destination, the expedition leader informed us that this is a place where we cannot get on land.
Arriving at the island, it is still foggy, but weather is improving. However, the forecast is for nicer weather as was the case on our first stop. The plan for today is for a zodiac cruise. The island is about 60 meter (200 ft) above sea level. Vertical cliffs rise from the ocean, and with the island being in the middle of nowhere it is really difficult to get a sense of how big and high the wall of rock is.
When getting into the Zodiaks, we can get up close and personal with the island. Surprisingly the cliffs appear to be teeming with wildlife; Penguins and seals are all around. Having multiple boats in the water at the same time, give me some perspective and make me realize how high they are. Driving the Zodiak into some crevasses in the cliffs show that every piece of land is in use by wildlife. Young seals are playing in the smaller gaps between the rocks, where the older seals try to rest of any flat space they can find. Where penguins are around here and there but won’t get on land here. Small birds do sit higher up the cliffs wherever they can find room.
This stop has not been that exciting, when compared to Macquarie Island where we stopped a few days before. It has also been the shortest stop thus-far but when you have seen what you can see, it is time to move on. It will be a relatively short sail to the next stop; Bounty Islands group.
It has taken another couple of days sailing to reach the next piece of land. The weather has deteriorated since leaving Macquarie Island. Through the fog and rain, we can only just see something that looks like the tiniest village. By the time we reach more sheltered waters, it turns out that indeed it is a little hut, although no longer inhabited but used for storage. This weather and abandoned-looking buildings make me realize how remote the area really is; we are about 700 km from the south island of New Zealand.
becoming a storm. To make matters worse, I start feeling a drizzle. Where this is really uncomfortable for us tourists, the wildlife does not really seem to care. Having said that, the wildlife is limited compared to earlier stops and we only get see the majestic Northern Royal Albatross. I am more than happy to sit in the stormy rain to watch them.
these immense birds have no fear of humans, they do; One wrong move will scare them off. The bird that was there all along, looked like he or she was about to take off, but he or she was only going to spread its wings. Due to the enormous size of the wings, it looked like the wind was going to break the bird’s wings. It shows the strength of the birds and that appearance can be deceptive.
As calm as the sea was between the first two stops, the ride to Macquarie Island was totally different. This part of the ocean is notoriously rough. Some of the passengers did not manage to get out of their cabin and even the crew struggled to stay upright from time to time. With the boat rolling up to 40 degrees either way, made having a meal difficult but not impossible. All lectures and videos had to be cancelled.
distract from the travel between stops. Later in the trip this would be different, but for now there is enough to keep the passengers entertained.
From the small beach where we ‘landed’ there was a nice path running all the way to the other side of the island and back. The path ran past some interesting sights, like a Norther giant petrel’s nest. A recently hatched chick was patiently waiting for its parents to bring food. It wasn’t just the wildlife that was special here. Just like several other islands that we were about to see, Enderby Island is covered in vegetation that takes forever to get where it is now. Not only are the plant species rare, they are also slow growing. As a result, you won’t find any tall trees on the island. All plants come up to my waist and it has taken dozens, if not hundreds of years to get that far. By the time we got to the other side of the island, both weather and shores have become a lot more rugged. Wind has picked up and the temperature has gone down. The high cliffs break the waves with loud noise and lots of splashes. Endemic cormorants take advantage of this roughness that keeps away predators. We take a few minutes to watch the wildlife and scenery before heading back.
Back on the beach, a next surprise awaits us: Yellow-eyed penguins return from a fishing trip. With these birds being incredibly shy, the first two pairs of penguins refuse to come on shore. Whether the noisy seals or us is keeping the seals away will always be a mystery, but eventually (after some hours of waiting) some did come on shore. For me this means two things: Tick-off penguin number 10 of 17 and more importantly, and a good laugh when one of the birds trips over a piece of kelp laying around on the beach.
the first ‘port of call’. A full day at sea may sound like water and more water, but the crew will keep you entertained. There is the mandatory safety drill to start with, followed by (optional) lectures on all different subjects. And let’s not forget the delicious meals, all prepared on no more than a few square meters.
With the islands consisting of (extremely) rocky shores, covered in rare plants and wildlife, made the Department of Conservation decide to not open the islands for tourism. Only researchers of the Department of Conservation are allowed ashore. This rugged terrain combined with the bad weather means it is unsure if the Zodiak cruise of the afternoon can go ahead as planned.
