Feb 9-12 From ice covered Antarctica to a sheep farm!

 It’s a long way from Antarctica to New Zealand so once we left Antarctic waters we spent several days at sea navigating north through the mighty Southern Ocean. Those days were filled with lectures and a few cooking classes, cocktail making workshops and charcuterie specials – and entertainment. The ship had a group of professional dancers on board as well as musicians and they were marvelous. Two days before landing the crew and expedition staff put on a fantastic show – so much talent.

What a wonderful distraction - Creme Brulee

At one point the captain came to us to say that someone had booked a very early flights from NZ so he was going to end the expedition or at least get in to port a day early! Most of us were outraged.  (Passengers are always instructed not to book flights before at least midday as the weather and seas can be unpredictable.)  As ‘compensation’ they arranged tours for us in Christchurch and surrounds. We went to a sheep farm! I ask you!? That’s a far cry from the Antarctic which was the entire focus of this lavish journey.  It was shameful.

We reach New Zealand along with a cyclone and flights out of Auckland were cancelled. Fortunately our wonderful travel agent, Bev Edwards Travel Managers, was on top of it all and booked us on a flight from Christchurch to Melbourne the following day and also booked us into an airport hotel overnight.  We were pleased to get home – but we hit the floor running as we would be heading back to the airport less than 3 weeks later to once again fly across the Pacific to our neighbouring continent. I will tell you about what comes next soon ….. but needless to say our voyages around the Antarctic Peninsula, Subantarctic Islands and the Antarctic continent had been wonder-filled,  thrilling, a time of adventure, challenge and learning. We will return to visit another small part of this vast icebound continent, the world’s true ‘Land Down Under’ to learning about other explorations and explorers, about magnetism, geology and meteorolgy. To once again tackle the vast, wild and unforgiving Southern Ocean.