Roger and Steve on tour in the South Island, New Zealand, August 2025

Saturday 2 August 2025

Steve and his wife, Karen, picked me up at 0515 and drove us to the Auckland Airport. Steve and I caught the 0640 flight to Queenstown. Arriving just after 0830 we walked to the nearby car park and picked up my truck, then headed south down the east side of Lake Wakatipu to the sleepy town of Kingston.

This is home to the Kingston Flyer, which originally started as a freight and passenger line in 1878 to bring supplies for the gold fields 140klm from Invercargill to Kingston. From Kingston, they were shipped by steam boat to Queenstown. Now a tourist train, it only runs in the summer between here and Fairlight, a 1.5 hour return journey, in 1920 carriages.

The Earnslaw ferry (a steam boat) was made in Dunedin, disassembled, then brought to Kingston by rail, reassembled, and then it puffed its way to Queenstown in 1910. It still puffs its way around the lake today, in spite of the moaning few complaining about its carbon footprint.

After a cup of tea and a muffin at the local store-come-cafe, we headed south passing through Garston, Athol, Lowther and Mossburn before turning north and heading up alongside the Ōreti River to Walter’s Peak station. This is another piece of New Zealand’s pristine landscape with sheep and cattle roaming this vast plain between two mountain ridges, which were probably carved out by a glacier millions of years ago. There are huts along the way and an unusual number of DOC (Department of Conservation) dunnies, as it is part of the Cape Reinga to Bluff biking journey, which Steve did 3 years ago. Arriving at Queenstown, they caught the Earnslaw to Walter Peak station, then biked from there to Bluff.

There is a stone house along the way, which was built in the 1800’s. A few river fords brought us to Lake Wakatipu, and after a short drive along the lake edge we arrived at the station, which has now become a tourist resort. We headed to the restaurant for some lunch to be told that lunch is only served when the ferry comes in and is part of the package. We could wait until 14:30, pay $99.00 each and have lunch with them. We declined that and the nice Chilean waitress made us a coffee, which we enjoyed on the deck overlooking the lake.

On the return journey we detoured up a side road to the Mavora Lakes. These are 3 lakes that are almost joined together, surrounded on 3 sided by native bush. On the east side there are large open areas with lots more DOC dunnies.

We pushed on up the road through a lockable barrier that was open onto a track with some rather large potholes. We turned back after a few hundred meters as we didn’t want to be trapped in there for the night.

We headed back down the valley, through Mossburn, on to Lumsden, then down through Balfour to Riversdale, where we visited the local and only pub. There, the very friendly lady behind the bar (originally from Belgium) organised us a room for the night. There wasn’t much happening at the pub tonight with the odd local coming in for a drink and some for a meal as Steve and watched on while enjoying our own drink and a meal.

Sunday 3 August 2025

Breakfast was a help yourself to the kitchen supplies of bread and cereal. Eventually finding our way out of the hotel through a door that wasn’t padlocked, we started the truck. While the windows defrosted in the -2 degree temperature we went for a wander down the Main Street to the war memorial, which displayed the names of over 20 people from this area killed during WWI. It is not until one stops and reads the names on the memorials in small towns around NZ that one realises the impact the two world wars have had on our communities. Lest we Forget.

Windows defrosted, we headed northeast to Waikaka. The farmland is pristine, probably some of the tidiest and best kept of the low country farms of NZ. Parts of the road had tall flax growing along the berms. There has been a big change since we lived here in the early 1960s, with many, originally sheep, farms being converted to dairy.  Huge sheds now house the cows in the winter, whereas back then the woolly Romney sheep were out in the open.

We headed through Waikaka into the Wendon Valley, where we had lived on a 3000 acre farm called Ribbonwood in 1960 while my father was the manager. The owner, a roading contractor who had put the road through from Queenstown to Glenorchy had some of his machines parked there. These included a large grader and a couple of TD 25 bulldozers. After being there just over a year the contractor went broke, the farm was sold and we had to move on.

Next we drove east over the rolling hills to Kelso in West Otago. Here we had lived on a farm our father managed for over five years a couple of miles up the road from the town of Kelso. Once again a lot of the farms have gone from sheep to dairy. The town of Kelso back then had a number of shops, a stock agent, scout hall, garage, community hall, and school. In 1978 and 80 there were 2 huge floods, all inundating the town and now the area has reverted to farmland. The remains of the school pool, a war memorial and a flood monument are all that remains. The rail line also ran through here up to Heriot, originally put in in 1884 to service the farms in the area. This was also closed after the floods.

We headed up the wooded hills behind Kelso, where a lookout tower still stands unused. These were built around NZ from the 1920s onwards. They were manned with a person who spent the day looking for fires in the nearby dusky forest and blue mountains. This one was still manned in the 1960s when we lived nearby. We popped into the nearby town of Tapanui, which evolved from the Conical Hills Sawmill in the 1860s.

We headed east again through Heriot to Raes Junction, once famous for its pub, which is now a private residence. Arriving at Lawrence we headed up to Gabriel’s gully where gold was discovered in May 1860 by Gabriel Reid. In the hills at the top of the gully 872 kilometres of water races were dug by hand to channel water for the sluicing of gold. We walked the track up the hill, which revealed dams and holes in the rock for storing gunpowder and the odd shack people lived in. A huge long-gone structure was built in the gully to channel water to the sluicing nozzle.

We headed part way through Lawrence, turning off and heading northeast over the hills to Lake Mahinerangi. In the mid 70s I had lead a group of soldiers around this in a 24-hour race. On the Waipori River, this was also a gold-mining area in the 1800s. In 1907 a dam was completed here to provide power to Dunedin. Later, in 1931, a second dam was built further downstream.

After crossing the causeway we headed east to a place called Hindon, where an old railway/road bridge crosses the Taieri River on the road to Lamb Hill and Silver Peaks Station.

In around 1956 we lived at Mt John station, over the hill from Silver Peaks station. Mt John had no road access or electricity when we first lived there. We used to get off the steam train that ran from Dunedin to Cromwell back then and walk or ride a horse up a cutting in the hillside. Only once while we lived there did a vehicle make it to the house. A fencer called Graham brought his Land Rover down the railway line from Hindon, and, quite a few sticks of gelignite later, they blasted out parts of the track to get the vehicle up to the house. I hadn’t been back here since we left and moved to Kurehaka Station near Maheno where I started school.

Arriving at Silver Peaks station we were met by the manager Hayden and his wife Sam. After explaining what we wanted to do they said when you come back tomorrow park in the paddock behind the house and follow the track down to the gully and up over the ridge. That done we headed into Mosgiel and had a great meal at The Black Sheep restaurant before checking into a local motel.

Monday 4 August 2025

After a good breakfast at a Mosgiel cafe we headed back to Silver Peaks being a bit careful as it was minus a few degrees, meaning a bit of black ice on the winding roads. Parking the truck off the track in the paddock behind the house we headed off along the track, which headed down into the gully. The track is in good order. We could have driven it; walking is good.

As we headed down the track the sun began to brighten up the hill on the other side. Reaching the fast flowing creek at the bottom we removed our shoes before crossing. Shoes back on we headed up the track on the other side. This gully is called Christmas creek, which I often head my mother talk about.

Reaching the saddle, we saw Hayden pushing a mob of sheep towards the open gates we had just passed through. We headed down the track 100-meters or so and ran into Elly and dogs from Lamb Hill, where she and her husband manage the station. We watched as the sheep were skilfully driven through the gates before setting off down the hill to find the old house.

Approaching some rather old and ugly pine trees we spotted the roof of the house. Following the track it led around to the southwest side of the house and eventually we entered what was once the yard behind a couple of out-buildings. One I think was shearer’s quarters, another maybe a workshop.  Both buildings now had walls missing, the nearby hen house was also worse for wear.

The house too, had walls and parts of the floor missing. It had certainly deteriorated since we left there nearly 70 years ago. I am not sure when it was last lived in. Electricity was installed not long before we left. A single line brought the current up the valley. I remember my mother saying that at 5pm the fan heater would slow to an almost stop when everyone on the line was cooking.

We slowly made our way up the track to the top of the hill, where we found a comfortable spot in the sun to sit and eat our lunch. As we were setting off again Hayden came down the hill on the side-by-side, mopping up a few sheep that had gotten separated from the main mob, which had crossed Christmas Creek and were heading up the other side on the track towards the house. Arriving at the creek we ran into Elly and another chap called Hayden who does casual mustering in the area.

Hayden turned up with the side-by-side and gave us a lift access the creek and part way up the hill. We dismounted and carried on up the track as the musterers pushed the sheep along behind and in front of us. There were about 1500 ewes in the mob being taken for scanning so the ones not in lamb could be removed from the mob.

Hayden was saying they used to run about 3000 sheep here but now the scrub growing back as the system won’t allow it to be burned off any more. This has made it a prime habitat for pigs, which kill and eat the lambs. In spite of shooting over 400 pigs this year it is becoming uneconomic to run sheep so cattle are being brought in to replace them.

Back at the truck after our 12km up and down stroll, we crossed back over the Hindon bridge and called into the old Hindon Railway Station, where some of the old buildings have been restored. Back in the day when the train stopped there, the cups of tea were poured ready to drink as the train whistled up the tea from down the line.

We headed to Middlemarch, where we checked into the local hotel. We were enjoying a few drinks and a meal when we were joined by a guy called Beak, who asked “where are you guys from?” “Auckland” replied Steve. “ “I wouldn’t say that too loudly around here” Beak quipped, then “ I’ll just grab my drink and join you guys.” Beak knew everyone and everything in the area. Consuming several jugs of beer, he kept us well entertained late into the evening.

Tuesday 5 August 2025

It was -8 degrees when I went out to start the truck and leave it running to de-ice the windows. After a coffee we headed off to check out the McCraes flat gold mine. There is a viewing area overlooking the mine site where one can watch the large trucks coming and going. In the hut there is also a TV with videos showing and explaining all aspects of the mine working. Employing 600 people and having produced 5 million ounces of gold over the last 34 years it’s a great asset to New Zealand.

Next we headed to Oamaru, stopping at Palmerston for a late breakfast. In Oamaru we stopped to visit Steve’s friends Michael and Leanne, who apart from brewing beer are into war games, having a large gaming table suspended on pulleys from the roof in their lounge. Michael spends hours painting all the model soldiers they use for the battle.

Heading out the southwest side of Oamaru we passed through Five Forks and through to the picturesque and somewhat rugged Dansey’s pass. The road is often one lane with very tight corners. Reaching the top one has a great view out over the Maniototo.

We had hoped to stay at the Dansey’s Pass Hotel but the lights were out and it was closed. I had stayed there a few times before. It’s very nice with an open fire in the lounge and old mining relics nearby. Both previous times I had stayed there it was for sale. Just now it only opens Wednesday to Sunday.

We headed to Nasbey but there too the hotels were closed. Eventually we found a bed at the Ranfurly Hotel. Here the owners, a retired farming couple, were good hosts and I enjoyed a good homemade meatloaf dinner in the bar. Steve ordered the schnitzel but reckoned the meatloaf looked better.

Wednesday 6 August 2025

We had intended to go and visit the Hayes Engineering Museum but it was closed for the winter. Instead we headed for the Thompson Gorge track, which Sylvia and I had driven over from the other side a few months ago. There is a new gold mining site being developed there. Arriving at the beginning of the track there was a big road closed for repairs sign.

Not far down the road we found a sign to the Cambrian Historic gold mining town. We headed there finding a unique little settlement with old cart implements and other historic stuff around the place, including the original school building, well restored with photos of the school’s early days in 1885. It closed in 1954.

Hugging the back roads we drove southwest until we hit the main road to Alexandra. Turning off to Clyde before Alexandra we headed up the side of Lake Dunston, crossing over at Cromwell and driving through the Kawarau Gorge to Arrowtown, where I dropped Steve off before heading home. This is the third or fourth road trip we have done together in New Zealand. There are still so many places and sights to see around this amazing country of ours.

The Giant’s House

We spent last weekend in Christchurch and I took the opportunity to visit The Giant’s House in Akaroa. This incredible place is the work of artist Josie, who fell in love with the site many years ago and has since restored the house and gardens and made hundreds of whimsical mosaic sculptures in the garden. I (Sylvia) visited with my son, his friend, my nephew his son and daughter. You could spend hours wandering around the sculptures and still not see all the detail and whimsy. It is easy to see why this place has been recognised as a Garden of International Significance since 2018.

 

An Island in a Lake, on an Island in a Lake, on an Island in the Ocean…

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to take a day trip to Mou Waho, a small island at the northern end of Lake Wanaka. It was a cold and foggy morning when we met at the pier in Wanaka. All the documentation stressed we be there 15 minutes before boarding at 9am to ensure we did not miss the trip. At 9am the boat was still moored some distance away and a small group of tourists shivered in the cold. A few minutes later a guy arrived, wandered down another jetty and we saw him take a tender out and start the boat. I was not overly impressed!

From there the trip improved. We headed out along the lake, about a 30 minute boat ride. The cloud started to part and we could see the odd patch of sun shining through. By the time we arrived at the island we could see most of the mountains around the lake.

Mou Waho is about 120 hectares and has a long history of Māori and European presence. While it was once heavily forested but several fires over the years destroyed most of the native flora. It has been farmed, and even had a small boat-building operation at one stage. Today it is uninhabited and has been replanted with native plants and has been pest free since the 1990’s. It is now home to the buff weka and other endangered species.

Although there was a small jetty our boat pushed right up onto the beach. We disembarked and wandered up the trail to the lookout at the top of the island. It was lovely and peaceful with stunning views over Lake Wanaka to the surrounding mountains.

Near the top of the island is another small lake. In this lake are two small islands (hence the title of this blog). It really is very picturesque.

After taking in the sights and exploring a few side tracks, we headed back to the beach. It was remarkably warm sitting in the sun waiting for the other visitors to return for the short trip back to Wanaka.

 

Exploring the Northern Territory – Australia: June/July 2025: Part II

Sunday 29 June 2025

After breakfast we headed out to find a banteng bull for me. At the wetlands we headed west again, further than we had been before. Leaving the truck we headed northeast on the high ground. We had only gone 500m when we encountered a mob of 4 bulls. After sneaking in for a look at each one, Steve decided they were not shooters so we backed out and headed east. About 0900 we came across another bull. We were a bit caught in the open so had to stand very still for sometime until the bull moved and we could edge forward to a tree while Ross waited on the ground behind us. After about 30-minutes Steve finally got a look at the horns deciding it was worth shooting.

I could see his shoulder through some scrub and carefully placed a shot into the shoulder. The bull stumbled then took off out to out right behind some scrub, then turned and charged straight at us. A carefully placed shot in his chest just before he went into some dead ground about 30m from us finished him off. I think bigger guns such as a 470 or 500 caliber would be better on these tough animals, particularly the buffalo which is a very large animal up to 1400 kg. Head off and we strolled the 1km back to the truck.

As we drove out there were still fires burning from fire bombs dropped from a helicopter a couple of days ago. At this time of year they burn off as much undergrowth as they can before the bush gets really dry. This prevents bushfires and is done by both helicopters and people on foot chucking matches into the grass. This takes place right across the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Arriving back at camp we said goodbye to Ron and Aaron who were heading back to Melbourne. Stephen loaded some fishing gear into the side-by-side and we headed east along the beach. Stopping by some rocks, Stephen got a long spear and dug a large mud crab out from under a rock.  We stopped again by some mangroves where he dug out another one.

We continued on a track along the top of some coastal cliffs before descending to the mouth of the Leaders Creek, some 10kms east of the camp. Stephen got out a throw net and soon had some small mullet for bait. Fishing rods were baited, chairs set up and, with a beer in hand, we fished away for a couple of hours. The only rule was “don’t turn your back on the water”. They had recently killed a couple of 4-plus meter crocs here. The results of our fishing were not great as the reef shark, eatery cod and catfish we caught were all put back.

Back at camp the crabs were boiled up and broken open – a bit rich for me but Ross and Stephen enjoyed them.

Monday 30 June 2025

We had a relaxing start to the day and after breakfast we hit the road just after 10am for the 200-plus kilometres of dusty, often corrugated road to Cahills Crossing. We had to be at this crossing as close to low tide as possible as the water is very salty and not good for the vehicle. Also if the high tide is going out it will wash the car down into the river. It is known as the most dangerous river crossing in Australia. Stephen saw a man taken by a croc while waiting to cross one day. Luckily people nearby managed to save him.

We crossed after Stephen, who had stopped just down the road and had a compressor in the back of his Toyota land cruiser to reinflate his tyres, which he had let down a bit on the way in to improve the ride on the corrugated roads. We carried on back to Darwin, stopping at Palmerston to refuel and clean the truck Sab had lent us before dropping it off and ubering to the hotel.

In reception we ran into the nice bunch of people we had met with Sab after visiting the rock drawings.

In the evening Stephen came in and had a beer with us and dropped off a couple of Walkabout Safari T shirts.

Tuesday 1 July 2025

We caught up with Sab’s group again at breakfast. They filled us in on the rest of their trip with Sab, which included a trip to a cattle farm a hundred kms west of where we were.

I headed off to pick up our rental car in town to find they didn’t have a vehicle ready yet. They also said we had to pay for kilometres over 500 inspite of the ad on Expedia saying kilometres unlimited when I booked it.

It was after ten when we were finally on the road south. The scenery was much the same as Arnhem land with scrubby bush on each side of the road. We stopped at Adelaide river where the general store was a bit of everything including a post office and cafe. We sat at the ‘grumpy old bastard’s table’ outside with a grumpy old bloke and drank our coffee. As the odd airforce person wandered in the old bloke told us that at Tindall airforce base south of here, the US has some B52 bombers based.

This town, during the war, had a large hospital to cater for soldiers wounded in the Pacific. They turned cattle rail cars into hospitals to cart the wounded from Darwin. Over 11,000 wounded were carted that way.

Next we stopped at Pine Creek, where a park had a good display of old mining equipment, including a stamping battery and a steam driven cage for lowering men into a mine and bringing ore out.

We arrived at Larrimah at about 5pm. It was only after I booked the accommodation here that I remembered that I had seen a documentary about one of the thirteen eccentric residents disappearing here. A real who done it arose; the crime is still unsolved.

 

Steve, the owner of the pub for the past seven years, was an interesting and likeable bloke. He started life up in Arnhem land, shooting buffalo and crocs for a living. He gave us a rundown on the surrounding area including a recent gas find that will keep Australia in natural gas for the next 200 years. A guy played the guitar in the courtyard for a couple of hours in the evening with a captive audience, many of whom were a veteran’s motorcycle club from Queensland on their way to Darwin.

A look at the museum indicated that during WWII about 6500 troops were based here as it became the rail head for supplies heading to Darwin. There is a photo of the first road train with 3 trailers arriving here in the 1930’s from England and going on to do some 1.2 million miles. Back then it spent a lot of time stuck in the mud on the dirt roads.

The speed limit is now 130kph on most of the open road. There was a time when the NT had no speed limits on the open road; that would have been fun.

We had seen many road trains on the road today. They are up to 53 meters long. There is one parked up near the pub, carting shingle for some road works nearby. We had a yarn to the owner, who said when he got the 1995 Kenworth tractor unit it had done over 3 million kilometres. He has lost track since then.

After a a few drinks and dinner we headed to bed. The accommodation was quite basic but comfortable.

Ross had got up during the night to relieve himself,  the toilet being some distance from the room.  I woke to him banging on the door of the room next door saying “Roger are you in there?” Lucky the room was empty and not occupied by one of the veteran bikers.

Wednesday 2 July 2025

We were invited by Steve, along with some others, to the weekly feeding of the pet croc. At 3-plus meters, this beast had been purchased from a pet shop by the then pub owner as a baby 25 years ago. It now goes with the business which is for sale.

Back on the road we stopped at Daly Waters, which was once an international airport with flights leaving Australia for Singapore from there back in the 1930s. The town is a hoot with all sorts of odd things displayed around the streets. The pub is full of memorabilia including many bras hanging from the ceiling.

Continuing south we came across the monument to the joining of the telegraph line, which was started in both Adelaide and Darwin and met here. With the poles coming from England, twenty were placed per mile. With incredible accuracy they met here in 1872, enabling a message to be sent from Adelaide to London within 7 days as lines were already in place up through Asia.

About 300kms south of Larrimah, the bush subsided, allowing us to see across large expanses of country, which continues way past where the eye can see.

We stopped for a brew at Elliot, a dusty red dirt town.

Then came the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station. This place not only wrote down each telegram then retransmitted it north or south. They also serviced the lines north and south of here, grew vegetables, kept beef cows, and had accommodation for travelers, as the line had started to become a track between Adelaide and Darwin.

As we were leaving we ran into Bruce and Estelle. We had seen their car several times today – a yellow Toyota branded with “A crazy chick and her rooster”. They had been on a cancer fund raising rally from Perth to Darwin along with 200 other cars. All had to be valued at less than $1500. 200 odd cars set out on the rally raising over $200,000 for cancer research.

We arrived in Tennant Creek around 1530hrs, checked into our hotel, then visited the gold mining museum. This place had been one of the highest gold production places in the world in the mid 1900s.

A drink and a nice meal at the local RSL finished the day off nicely. An old guy at the RSL told us how he had been robbed several times in the past few years by youths; he said crime is out of control here.

Thursday 3 July 2025

We left the securely gated motel at 0730, heading south again on the Stuart highway. The surrounding area was a little more open, which is good because for the first 700kms of the journey we had been driving between trees and scrub. There are even some hills to be seen in the distance.

About 350kms into the journey we stopped at Ti Tree for a coffee and burger. This was the first place that we had found open. A convoy of military vehicles was also stopped on their drive from Adelaide to Darwin.

At just over 500kms we passed Alice Springs. Some time later we saw Mt Conner, which can be mistaken for Ayres Rock. Turning off the highway at Gaun, we drove the last 70 kilometres to Yulara, and checked into the Outback Hotel. After checking in we headed to the information centre in town where Ross booked a sunrise helo ride for the morning. The hotel-come-lodge has a large bar area where a guy on a guitar was so bad we moved to the far end to get away from the noise.

Friday 4 July 2025

At 0650 a van driven by the helo pilot picked us up along with another couple and we headed for the airport where we boarded an old, but in good nick, bell jet ranger. I was in a crash in one of these over thirty years ago.

We took off just as the sun came over the horizon. To the east we could see Mt Conner and to the west the Olga, which looks like a pile of large stones. With Ayres rock in the middle it made for spectacular scenery. We flew around the rock then over to Olga before landing back at the airport. The pilot dropped us back at the Outback hotel where we had breakfast.

After a coffee on the town square we drove out to Olga. Parking the car we took a stroll up between the stones through quite a pretty valley. There were lots of people taking the same walk. It was easy going with foot bridges over any obstacles and a viewing platform at the top end. These features are made up of millions of stones ‘grouted’ together with what must be a rather strong grout as I am sure it has outlasted any locally grouted tiled bathrooms.

On the way back we drove towards Ayres rock and took some pictures before heading back to the hotel. In the evening we headed back to the large bar and had a long wait to get both a drink and a meal. It’s the beginning of school holidays today and a public holiday. Rooms don’t get serviced because of the holiday, something I have never struck before. This place seems to be staffed by mainly people from overseas with some 160 in the village from Fiji on a government scheme.

Saturday 5 July 2025

After a later start we headed out to Ayres rock. Parking in the last car park we headed off on the track around the rock.  There were quite a few people on the track, some on bikes, others on segways, others walking, and some running. After visiting some caves and a water hole by the rock, the track headed out well away from the rock giving us a good view of the high up caves and scars on the rock. This is not like Olga, it is one solid rock, not a pile of stones. There are lots of signs along the way about sacred places where one is not supposed to take pictures for some reason. There was a time when one could climb up on the rock but that activity has now been stopped.

Two and a quarter hours later we were back at the car. We headed back into town for a brew at the town centre cafe, where there is always a long queue to get coffee. We then headed for the airport and dropped off the Prado rental car and waited for the check-in to open. Apart from a night in Melbourne the trip is now over as we leave these clear blue sky’s behind and head home.

Exploring the Northern Territory – Australia: June/July 2025: Part I

Sunday 22 June 2025

Sylvia dropped Ross and I off at the Queenstown Airport, where, after the normal kerfuffle with security, we passed the time in the lounge before boarding our flight to Brisbane. It was a pretty comfortable flight in Row 8 on the 737-800. Yep, economy class for this 3.50 hour trip. The transfer at Brisbane was pretty easy with a long bus ride from international to the Qantas domestic terminal. The flight was a little late out getting us four and a quarter hours later into Darwin around 0100.

Checking into the Vibe hotel by the waterfront we found there was only a king sized bed in the room we were sharing. Definitely not what I had booked. The bloke that checked us in came up with an extra bed on wheels and we were sorted.

Monday 23 June 2025

About 0800 we headed down to the restaurant for what turned out to be a good breakfast. After a coffee or two, we wandered around the corner and took a lift up to a walkway that took us across to downtown Darwin. Ross headed off for a hair cut. The Greek barber, whose grandfather had fought the Germans in Crete, had some great stories to tell. After another coffee, we took a stroll out to the coast, where a park is set up as a memorial to the February 1942 raid on Darwin by the Japanese. They dropped more bombs, although smaller ones and no torpedos, than were dropped on Pearl harbour in December 1941. Apparently it was the same lead pilot for both raids.

From there we wanted back around the streets to the information centre, where we chatted with a German girl, who was selling World War II tours of the city including a visit to the museum. We boarded a 1940’s Studebaker truck with nice seats and USB charging stations and headed off on the tour. The driver, I think owner, of the tour talked unscripted all the way to the Darwin war museum some 10km away. On arrival he said we would be picked up in 90 min.

After visiting the internal part of the museum and watching a video about the first raid by the ~180 Japanese planes on Darwin, we headed outside. We were both astonished by the number of sheds and buildings, all containing really good displays of relevant history. There are a huge number of old, well-restored relics, including a Centurion tank, and many guns, ranging from 40mm Bofas up to 6-inch naval guns. One display was of floats which were used to drape chains from to prevent submarines entering the harbour. One such sub, with 80 crew, was sunk in the harbour before the first bombing. That year some 70-plus bombing raids were conducted on Darwin by the Japs.

There were two 9inch guns stationed here with a range of 26kms. The large range finders and the plotting charts were on display but the guns were sold off for scrap. The time had passed so quickly that I only just had time to race down the road to get a distant look at the 9” gun emplacement.

As we headed back to town the commentary went on in great detail, including something about some old Jap bombs that were dug up in the recent past.

Back at the hotel we got a new room sorted before wandering to a nearby restaurant, of which there are many, for a great meal of barramundi.

Tuesday 24 June 2025

Mike, from Off Road Dreaming, picked us up at 8.30.  We headed southeast through Palmerston on to the Stuart highway. Then we turned onto the Arnham Highway. It’s very big, flat country here with lots of mango trees all squared off and in neat rows. They are quite smart with fire management around here burning off the undergrowth beneath the eucalyptus trees.

First stop after passing a large naval radio transmitter was Fog Dam, which was built in the 1950s to grow rice. Unfortunately the birds came in and ate all the plants. It’s now a nature reserve. We took a stroll along a boardwalk running into the odd large yellow orb spider. A drive over the dam revealed more bird life, including magpie geese.

Back on the highway we stopped at Corroboree Park tavern for a coffee. This combination pub-grocery store had lots of buffalo skulls and horns on the walls. Next we pulled into a place on the Adelaide river with a large croc sculpture outside, where the jumping croc tours leave from. Apparently boats head up river from here well away from the jetty, chickens are held out on sticks and the crocs leap out of the water to grab them.

Next stop was the Wetland Cruise jetty, where we boarded a flat-bottomed boat for a lunch cruise. We pulled out with strict instructions to keep arms in the boat as a jumping croc lurked nearby. We headed up the billabong a few hundred meters,  passing several large salties ( saltwater crocodiles) along the way. We pulled into the edge of the waterway where a 5m saltie didn’t want to share the space with us, instead slipping into the water and disappearing.

Lunch was handed out and as we ate it Stuart, the boat driver-guide, gave us a speech on how a few months weeks ago this waterway had been 30kms wide after the spring rains. The water is now only 100m wide allowing all the plants and grasses to grow rapidly.

We then cruised further up the billabong spotting more birds, including some sea eagles perched in a tree above their huge nest, which they apparently hand on to their next generation. We watched a cormorant trying to swallow an eel it had caught.

We then parked up again and Stuart showed us how to peel and eat the seeds from the water lilies, which have red, white and blue flowers. They don’t drop their seeds until after the water has receded. A small bird walked across the lily leaves feeding as it went. Known as the Jesus bird, it has big feet for this purpose.

As we cruised back to the jetty there were a few large crocs along the river edge, warming themselves before the night hunt. A large buffalo grazed not far from the waters edge.

Mike, who had waited onshore, then drove us back to Darwin. We observed a few wallabies along the way and briefly stopped at Leaning Tree lagoon along the way. A beer at a local bar and another meal of barramundi at an Irish bar made for a relaxing evening.

Wednesday 25 June 2025

At 0730 Sab, a friend of Ross, met us at the hotel and drove us out to his house nearby. There he picked up another Land Cruiser and left us with the one he had picked us up in. We headed southeast again to Corroboree, where we visited a rather interesting museum run by an eccentric bloke who had been stabbed, shot, and had a large gash in his leg where a crocodile had bitten him.

Here there was a great collection of various military uniforms and other stuff. including one of the canoes used by Z Special Unit during the second world war. There were also the uniforms of doctors and prisoners held here. Dalac, the owner, was very enthusiastic and gave us a great tour explaining everything to us. He has obviously spent his life putting together this rather amazing collection.

Next stop was the air boat park, not far from where we went on the boat ride yesterday. It was just the two of us, and we jumped on board and the guy took us up the billabong a bit and then out across the wet paddocks. This thing can cruise across basically wet grass, reaching speeds up to about 35 miles an hour. The animals are becoming habituated to it so we were able to get close to crocodiles and a few other things were swimming around in the shallow water. The crocodiles eat fish and  also pigs that come down the water for a drink. The salt crocs also eat the odd freshwater crocodile that wanders into the place. A Jabiru stood not far from a salty, not in the least worried. These tall birds can easily kill a croc by driving their beak through the skull into the brain of the croc.

We then headed west, the road running through a military training area that runs right up to the coast, and the scenery stayed pretty much the same with gum trees and grass and few other other species of foliage. We popped into the Mamukala wetlands, which would have been quite spectacular a few weeks ago when all the lotus plants were flowering. Now the flowers have gone and the leaves are drying off, waiting for when the lagoon empties and the seeds can fall onto the ground and germinate for next year.

Next stop was Jabiru, which is an old mining town. There is not much there but we did visit the supermarket and get some bananas and oranges to chew on. Heading south towards Pine Creek, we stopped at Burrungakay rocks, where we witnessed some rock drawings. There are quite outstanding rock features with trees seeming to send the root system right down the side of the rocks into the ground to get whatever moisture is available.

We arrived at Mardukal camp 2, just before 5pm. Sab has a nice camp set up there. We were met by Sab and a great bunch of Aussies. One group of 7, 5 of whom had gone to school with Sab, and a family of 4 from Sydney.  A few drinks around the fire got some good conversation and banter going. Soon we were ushered into the dining room for a great steak meal, more good conversation and an apple pie and ice cream desert. We retired to our cabins about 2200 for a good night’s sleep.

Thursday 26 June 2025

After a good breakfast we headed north as a group with Doug and Doug joining us in our vehicle. We toured around Jabiru, once a bustling mining town with a few thousand people. The last shipment of ore from the Ranger Mine was in 2021; the mine is now being decommissioned. Hence Jabiru is now fast becoming a ghost town.

Heading north up to Arnhem land we were soon on wide shingle roads. All the gravel around here seems to have a reddish tinge to it. We crossed the ford at Cahills Crossing, which is only ideal to cross as the tide is going out, as at high tide it is salt water and hard on the vehicles.

We arrived at Gunbalanya where we picked up an Aboriginal guide, who by the smell of him hadn’t been near a shower for a while. We headed down the road to Oenpelli Hill, which had been an Aboriginal gathering place and burial site. Drawings were on lots of the overhanging rock faces. We wandered through small canyons between the rocks, arriving at a the burial site, where caves had once held skeletons. These apparently were removed and taken to the USA to a museum, but have now been brought back and buried locally. There was still the odd scull and  bones lying in little crevices.

Just around the corner from there a nice lunch had been laid out for us on the ledge overlooking the countryside, which made for a nice lunch site with views over the surrounding land. After lunch our guide took us through more canyons to another view point with more drawings then back through the Beria cave down to the vehicles. We went back to the town and art shop where the assistant was too busy on the phone to sell to the few that wanted to buy these  “seemingly expensive for what they were” art and associated items.

Seb and his team then headed off while Ross and I waited for Sean to turn up and guide us into the ‘just up the road’ hunting lodge. Sean arrived and we followed him thirty odd kms to the turn off, where he stopped and said “it’s just up the road from here, a 100kms to the airstrip then only another 80kms. He jumped in his Toyota and took off while we trailed behind his dust cloud at about 80kph, having to slow to a crawl in some parts of the road. Sean would often stop and wait for us.

The air strip used to be a town of 2000 people before a rule change and people moved on. Apparently the houses were demolished, mostly by termites.

Another 80kms on, some  good and some ‘slow down there is a rather large rut to negotiate’ road, we arrived at Walkabout safaris.

We enjoyed a beer and dinner, then headed for out tent, which was set up on a wooden deck with comfortable beds and zip up fly screens to keep the many night time bugs out. Sleep came quickly with the soothing sound of the waves breaking on the nearby beach.

Friday 27 June 2025

We were up at six for a good breakfast before we got on the road to the hunting block.  We stopped along the way to check the zero on the Blaser R8 375 H&H magnum rifle we would be using for the hunting. That done, we continued on along roads and tracks, eventually coming out at the wetlands area. This is an area running east-west about 10k and north-south some 2 to 3 kms. It is full of bird life, fish and of course crocodiles. We watched buffalo graze in here also at some distance. A few weeks ago at the end of the wet season this was a lake. By the end of the dry season all the green will have browned off and dried out to the point that one can walk through it. There will still be channels of water for the crocodiles live in.

We headed west along the edge of the wet area a couple of kms, then parked up, loaded rifle magazines, and headed north, up onto what’s called the high ground, only 8-10 meters above the wetland. We walked along with Steve in front, Ross  next (he is shooting on this run), followed by me and then Sean (Steve’s brother), who had come for a stroll with us.

Every now and then Steve would stop and scan around with his binoculars as he spotted something through the trees. About 1.5kms into the hike a Banteng is spotted in the scrub about 100m away. Sean and I stay back while Steve, with Ross on his heels, slowly creeps towards the beast. They stop for Ross to take a shot but there is a tree in the way and the beast moves off.

We wait for some time as Steve and Ross follow stealthily. About an hour later we see movement behind us. It’s Steve and Ross having followed the beast in a big circle. We move to within about 30 meters from them. By now they are watching the beast from behind a tree; it is bedded down about 70m from them.

They watch and we wait. Another hour or so passed before a shot rang out. They had to wait for the bull to stand before they could get a clear shot. There is a second shot as the bull ran away. This one knocked it over and a shot between the shoulders from close range with the 416 Rigby made sure it was dead. Steve got stuck in with his knife, removing the head with surgical skill. The head was then skinned and the jaw removed. Then it was on Ross’s shoulders for the 1.5km walk back to the truck.

We drove back to the bay where we had lunch before heading west through the trees for another hunt. Sean drove the truck around and met us on the track an hour or two later. We had walked over 12kms in our hunts for the day.

By then it was late afternoon so we headed back to camp where we showered and enjoyed a nice meal.

Aaron and his father, Ron, were visiting from Melbourne. Friends of Steve’s, they had come up to lay the sewerage lines and septic tank for the showers and toilets being installed behind each guest tent. They are both keen hunters and have become good friends of Steve’s in the nine years they have been coming here.

 

Saturday 28 June 2025

After breakfast at 0700, we headed off on the long drive to the hunting area. The roads and tracks are tough in places where the rains have washed areas out, leaving holes that buffaloes have turned into a wallow. Trees are across the track which one has to drive around. We stopped on the track before the wetlands, heading into the scrub and trees. We were again up on the high ground and had only been walking for an hour when we spotted a banteng bull. We watched it for some time before Steve got a good look at its horns and decided it was not big enough to shoot. We moved on, the bull facing us, snorting, then running off.

Not long after this Steve spotted a heard of buffalo. We watched and waited as there was no wind. Steve said the wind usually comes up at 0930. At 0928 up came the wind fortunately blowing towards us. There is a lot of luck in hunting as if the wind had come from behind us the mob at a slight whiff of our scent would have been gone. The noise of the wind was enough to cover the crunching of gravel and leaves under our feet. We edged slowly forward. There was a small bull out to our left, likely to scent us, so we froze for a while until he moved on. Eventually, deep in the scrub amongst the herd, we spotted a large old bull with a good head. After watching for a while he lay down. We slowly edged forward to get in a good shooting position. Steve had made the point that the shot had to be placed in a specific point on the shoulder and followed up quickly with a 2nd, third and more as “you can’t kill these large beasts with one shot”.

Finally in position, I placed the first shot in the shoulder and the bugger stood up. Two more quick shots in the shoulder then he ran off. A shot in the back end dropped him but he got up again. Two more shots in his other shoulder put him down. A safety shot between the shoulders ensured he was finished.

Another surgery from Steve removed the large head. It was then skinned. the jaw bone removed and onto my shoulders for the carry out. Soon we stopped for a rest and Steve feeling sorry for the old bloke carried it the rest of the way to the truck. It was now around noon so we headed to the wetlands where we ate lunch in the shade of a tree.

After lunch we drove west through the trees by the wetlands. We came out onto a large open area and Steve spotted a large bull through some trees in the wetlands. We turned back and parked in the shade of some trees about 400m from the buffalo. With a large tree between us and the buffalo we moved in, me at the rear. As we got a couple of hundred metres away I stopped and observed through the binoculars. Soon Steve and Ross were in the wetlands. Steve had told us that as long as the water is less than waist deep only small 1-2 metre crocs will be about and you can normally see them coming through the grass. I watched as the boys sunk deeper into the swamp to mid thigh depth, thinking Ross, who is more than a little nervous about crocs, must be a bit worried. I was a bit concerned he was going to alert the buffalo as he kept extending his right hand out to keep his balance while pulling his booted feet out of the mud. Steve had taken his boots off.

They made it to the tree and onto firm ground. It had a fork in it which made a good shooting rest. Then the waiting started as the beast was lying at such an angle a good shot could not be placed. After about 20 min the large beast got to its feet and the first of 8 shots rang out. I went back and got the truck and drove it around to the closest point on the dry land that I could. Soon the head was on the back of the truck and we headed back to camp.The crocs will devour the carcass within a couple of days. The ones on dry land are eaten by dingos and birds.

Ross was very pleased as we if he hadn’t got a buffalo today we were going to take the Argo (an eight wheeler amphibia buggy) two kilometres across the wetlands to an island, crossing crocodile infested channels along the way.

We enjoyed another evening of good stories, and buffalo back steak sliced very thin – quite tough but very tasty.

The Goldfields of Bendigo, North Otago

Friday 21 March 2025

We were on the plane, about to fly to Auckland for the weekend when the captain came on the PA system stating there had been a bit of an incident and they were checking with Auckland to see if the plane was safe to fly. It turned out some clown had driven the baggage cart somewhat too eagerly towards the aircraft and put a ding in the plane and a dent in our plans. The captain came back on the PA announcing that we weren’t going anywhere, the flight was cancelled. As there were no other flights available to Auckland that day we headed home towards Queensberry, stopping at the Goldfields Mining Centre by the Kawarau River, for lunch and a look around the old gold fields tourist attraction.

After walking around the track and looking at some reconstructed huts showing how the predominantly Chinese miners had lived, several sealed off tunnels, odd bits of sluicing equipment and a restored stamping battery we headed home.

 

Saturday 22 March 2025

In the late 1990’s I had visited a place called Welshtown, up on the hill behind Bendigo station, with the family. Given that we had an unexpected day at home, Sylvia and I decided to go back and check it out. The lower parts of Bendigo Station are now lush vineyards, with many of the flat areas around the district now irrigated. Things have changed considerably from the last visit. What was just a rough track running up the hillside has become a well-utilised and maintained gravel road. The hills back then were almost completely barren, to the point I am sure the sheep used to eat rocks. Over the last 30-years a considerable amount of Manuka has grown around the mine sites.

Back in the 1860’s-80’s it must have been quite a populated area. Most of the miners built their houses out of irrigated iron so they could dismantle them easily when they moved on but there are still the remains of many stone buildings along with the chimney from what was the local school a bit further down the hillside. While the earliest miners focused on alluvial gold, panning the rivers and creeks, later miners focused on deep mining the quartz reefs, a much more labour intensive process involving blasting deep pits in the schist rock,

We strolled along the track, through the kanuka, passing the odd deep mine shaft. In other places the miners had just blasted into the solid rock. These were often identifiable by a mound of shingle, a bit like the tailings from a rather large rabbit hole. Eventually we came to what had been the Matilda battery, a large device with piston like mechanisms used for crushing the rock to release the gold. Alongside the battery site was the main mine shaft, which went down several hundred feet into the hillside, with tunnels running off it at various depths chasing gold seams.

From there we strolled around the bottom of the hill to the number 2 shaft, which was  dug over 7 years in the 1870’s, going down over 200 metres, again with tunnels running off it, many unsuccessfully chasing gold. Despite many efforts, it appears only one company made a good return from their labour. All mining in the area ceased in 1902. Nowadays most of the shafts are covered with wire mesh, which bought back memories of my mother standing looking into one of the uncovered pits when we were here in the 90’s. When someone said ‘be careful Dylis, you might fall in’ her response was ‘I’ve had my three score years and ten; if I fall in just chuck some dirt over me’.

We drove back down the hill and stopped at the site of the Bendigo Gold Light Dredge. This was another somewhat unsuccessful attempt to mine gold in the area. The dredge was put in a pond, the theory being to dig up the ground under the water, sluice it and take out the gold. This was done during the depression in the 1930’s, with subsidies from the government. The only people that made any money from this were Mr Fulton and Mr Hogan, who lived in a nearby hut and dug out the pond to put the dredge in. This was the first project of what has become a major trans-Tasman enterprise.

We headed east up Matilda Road and onto Thompson’s Gorge Road to another gold mining site. In 1908 The Come in Time mining company was formed and moved half of the 20-stamp Matilda battery from the Welshtown site to this new location. It has recently been completely restored. Just below the road is a tunnel going into the hillside, which was open and accessible, so with Sylvia waiting outside, I headed about 30 metres inside until the light from my cellphone was not strong enough for me to proceed safely any further.

Getting back in the car, we decided we should follow Thompson’s Gorge Road through the hillside to Omakau. As we headed up the hill we noticed roading and flat areas, almost like building platforms, in various places with lots of ‘hazardous – do not enter’ signs. No it’s not a new subdivision, the gold rush is on again. As we headed further up the hill we could see drilling rigs in operation.The Santana mining company has been doing a lot of exploration in the area and is looking for consent to build a large open-cast mine.

As we continued, we had some spectacular views up various valleys and down into gulleys. It was interesting to see the number of tracks that have been pushed into this country over the years. There is even a buried telephone cable that runs through this gorge, which must have been a huge effort to dig with the amount of rock in the ground. In places the road was a little interesting, at one stage a creek ran along the road, or the road ran along the creek – we’re not quite sure but we made it through, popping out an hour and a half later in Omakau.

From there we headed back through Clyde and along Lake Dunstan home.

Lunch at Moeraki

Thursday 6 March 2025

It’s around 11.00 am when we leave our place at Queensberry, near Wanaka.

Right now it’s really dry with a contrast between the green irrigated paddocks and the almost white unirrigated ones. The hills are bare and almost black in places. We cross Lake Dunstan at Cromwell, stopping to look at the still waters where the Karawau river runs into the lake. Under the water there still exists a bridge, which crossed the Clutha river before the Clyde dam was built in the 1980’s. Prior to that we could stand on the bridge and watch the blue water from the Clutha river and the green water of the Karawau river merge.

We head down along the east side of the lake with its well patronised cycle trail on the west side. The town of Clyde is situated just below the dam, supporting the local orchards, vineyards and farmers. Next town is Alexandra, where the Clutha river flows into lake Roxburgh. The country here is very stony and dry with the weathered rocks standing out like statues in places.

We pass the memorial to the gold miners, many who perished in the harsh winters of the mid-late 1800’s. Here one can see the remains of some of the stone walls built as houses under the rock overhangs.

Arriving in the town of Roxbrough we stopped for lunch at 103 The Store, with its fine selection of food and goods, from cushions to handbags. From there we followed the Clutha river down through Dumbarton, Ettrick, Millers Flat, and Rae’s Junction to Beaumont. As a child we lived for a few years near here in Kelso, and often used to come up through here as it was, and still is, one of the fruit bowls of NZ. Mother would buy lots of fruit and preserve it.

There was talk of building another dam at Beaumont and six small ones above lake Dunstan but a left-leaning government in the 80’s put a stop to that. Pity, as had those gone ahead we would have had plenty of power well into this century.

Back in the 1960’s and 70’s New Zealand used to have around 60-million sheep and the hills in these areas would be covered in large mobs of the woolly creatures. Now, with the population of sheep down to about 23-million, a lot of the farming country is being turned into pine forests as wool and meat prices are really low. The farmers are instead getting income from the carbon credits for the tree planting.

As we arrived in Lawrence, we stopped at a house with a large, well-maintained, blue wagon in the garden. Here, at 86-years old, lives a hell of a nice bloke called Ernie. He and two of his brothers, Gordon and Norman, used to come up to the farm that we lived on in the mid-50’s and help out with the fencing and shearing. We were welcomed in for a cup of tea and a catch up. Ernie’s wife had passed away a couple of years ago but he still keeps the place immaculate, just like I remembered it from 10-years ago. He took us on a tour, showing off a fine collection of dolls and prams that his wife had collected and he had restored, then onto another room with a collection of bottles, shearing hand pieces and possum traps.

We continued on our journey, passing through Waitahuna, Milton and Lake Waihola, finally taking the motorway into Dunedin. We headed to the railway station, which was built between 1903 and 1906. The line down here was justified at the time on the expectation that by 1950 New Zealand would have a population of 15 million. Boy did the experts get that wrong as we have only just made it to 5 million. The recently restored station is a stunning building, made from local stone with beautiful gardens out the front. The Taieri Express was parked alongside the platform. This train in the early days used to run through to Cromwell and was our only transport when we lived at Mt John Station (in the mid-50’s). Even the wool was taken down a steep track on the hillside, on sleds, and loaded onto the train to go to the market. Today the train takes tourists through the gorge, stopping at Pukerangi.

We checked into the Fable Hotel and enjoyed dinner at the local Speights Ale House.

 

Friday 7 March 2025

After a hearty breakfast we headed north, in the rain, on State Highway One, through Dunedin and up onto the Kilmog. Here too, what was once farmland is now pine trees. We arrived at the Moeraki Tavern to meet Stuart and Adair, who had flown down from Auckland for this, what has become an annual, event. Stuart and I had attended Timaru Boy’s high school together in the late 60’s. The event started as a reunion for Adair and her friends that attended Waitaki Girl’s High school and has been expanded to include more of Stuart’s friends, with over 30 people attending. Carol, who went to Waitaki Girls with Adair, had also attended Maheno Primary School with me, when I started there in 1958. We enjoyed great service and a delicious blue cod meal while we were catching up. People had come from Wyoming, Queensland, Auckland, Palmerston North, Tekapo and various other parts of the South Island.

At about 2pm we started the journey home as we had to pick up Moss (the dog) from the kennel before 5:30pm. We headed back to Palmerston, then turned off, taking the pig route through Dunback, another place where we used to live, and up into the Maniototo, where the weather finally cleared. This area is still mainly sheep farming country. We stopped at the Oturehua General Store for an ice cream. This store is more of a museum than a store, still having the local telephone exchange on display, along with various other nicknacks from the early 1900s.

 

We were back onto the rolling, rocky country, eventually linking up highway 8 again for the last section home through Clyde and Cromwell.

 

High Arctic, Greenland and Canada – August/September 2024: Part VI

Monday 9 September: West Greenland – Sylvia

We woke this morning as we entered the Inukassaat fjord system north of Disko Island. The fjord is flanked on both sides by tall snow-capped mountains and dotted about with some rather large icebergs. there are a couple of tide-water glaciers deep into the fjord that obviously calve some quite large bergs from time to time. Unfortunately the light was not great for photography.

After breakfast we boarded zodiacs to head an hour and a half further into the fjord. The NG Endurance followed us along. Some of the icebergs are massive, at least the height of the ship. One had an impressive arch in it and even as we circled it carved a little. It looks like it is ready to collapse fairly soon. We admired the incredible rock formations and even saw a small group of ptarmigan on one of the cliffs.

Back on board we had lunch while we continued deeper into the Kangerdlugssuaq fjord. The zodiacs were lowered again and we headed ashore. I joined the long hikers and Roger the photographic group. An old, abandoned hut sits picturesquely on the shore. The tundra is lush. I am continuously amazed at the variety and volume of plant life that seems to thrive in this hostile environment. I thoroughly enjoyed the hike up the ridge on one side of the bay, around the end and back down the other, making it back to shore just in time for the last zodiac back to the ship.

Back on board we joined the briefing for tomorrow’s visit to Illulisat. Later in the evening Peter showed a very interesting and somewhat challenging movie called the Eskimo Experiment.

Tuesday 10 September: Illulissat – Roger

It was just after 0600 when we arrived in Illulissat. After a quick breakfast, we headed down to Base Camp and onto a zodiac for the short trip into the town. After weaving our way through a maze of boats, we arrived at a small wharf for a dry landing. After being met by a guide, a short walk up a hill took us to a bus stop. This is situated by a large shrimp and cod factory. There is also a halibut factory across the harbour, which apparently supplies mainly the Chinese market.

A short bus ride took us to the start of the long walk. The path took us around a bouldery headland, along a rough track, often with patches of ice along the way. As we reached the high part of the track we had an incredible view across the thousands of glaciers that have carved off the Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier and are now sitting jammed up in the Illulissat fiord. About 45 meters per day calves off this glacier, making it the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. That’s around 46 cubic kilometres or 20 billion tons of ice per year.

Back in the mid 1800’s the glacier used to come right down to the peninsula, but it has been receding ever since. There is a shallow point where the glacier ended back then, which is only about 130m deep. This is where the island-sized bergs get hung up, until the pressure behind them shoves them out into the sea, which is several hundred meters deep on both sides of this shallow point. It is really hard to describe the enormity of this, even with pictures.

The walk took us above a board walk that runs out to the old settlement, which was first settled around 3000 years ago. The old town of Sermermiut, with around 250 people, was the largest settlement in Greenland until it was moved 2km north in 1741 by a Danish missionary. The town now has a population of round 4600 people and 2600 dogs. The dogs used to outnumber people up to a few years ago, but pet food has become too expensive for a lot of people to afford.

The later part of the walk took us past the town cemetery to the recently built ice museum. Here they have ice cores displayed going back to 142,000 years BC. There are interactive ice videos and lots of ice-like sculptures. A walk up onto the roof gives a view over the ice field.

Back on the boat we had a quick lunch then hopped on a local boat that berthed alongside the stern deck. This guy took us for a tour amongst the icebergs at the end of the fjord. Up close these are impressive, some reaching a height of 80 meters above the water; remembering that ±90% is under the water, that makes for a rather large chunk of ice. Many will break apart and/or roll over before heading out to sea.

Back on the boat again, I stayed and chatted to a few people, while Sylvia went back into town to do the boardwalk to the heritage village site and more views over the ice. She then walked back through the dog town and the people town.

At 1700 hrs we were on the move again. Parked beside us was a super-yacht, owned by a Swiss Billionaire, nearly as large as this ship, with 45 crew and catering for 8 passengers, complete with submarine and helicopter landing deck and hangar.

Sailing south past the icebergs gave us yet another perspective on this massive spectacle.

Wednesday 11 September: Itiullip Ilua Fjord – Sylvia

We were wakened by Bud’s drawl over the loud speaker at about 1:15am. The northern lights had come out to play. I bundled up warmly (Roger in shorts and jandals) and headed up to the Observation deck on the 8th floor. What a sight. To see the aurora borealis at any time is a thrill but here on a ship where there is no light pollution is outstanding. We observed for a while, trying to take photographs and just enjoying the spectacle as long as I could bear the cold. Eventually, and somewhat reluctantly I headed back to bed.

I rolled over and went back to sleep when my alarm when off at 6:30am. I felt I had a half decent excuse to miss the stretching class this morning. Bud woke us again at 7:30 with a call to breakfast and briefing for the morning activities. Everything was on offer – long walk, medium walk, kayak or zodiac cruise. I opted for the long walk and rugged up and headed to shore. Roger decided to stay on board and enjoy the views from the ship.

It is always good to stretch the legs and the walk today was over tundra, up the valley overlooking the  fjord. I continue to be amazed at the flora. At times it is like walking on a mattress. We crossed a couple of small streams, eventually climbing a rocky outcrop for fantastic views before heading back in time for the last zodiac at 11:45am.

Back on board preparations for departure tomorrow were the main order of the afternoon. Briefings, packing, returning borrowed equipment and general preparations occupied a lot of the time. There was still time for an interesting presentation from the scientists on the evolution and ecology of phytoplankton. I studiously avoided the delicious sounding afternoon tea (Icelandic pancakes and ice cream).

At 6pm we headed back to the Ice Lounge for our last Cocktail hour and to enjoy the guest slideshow. Each of us was allowed to provide up to 5 photographs for this and it was a great way to reflect back on everything we have seen and done these last three weeks or so on board.

Thursday 12 September: Kangerlussuaq to Reykjavik – Roger

At 0545 the wake up call came over the PA. In a well organised manner we dropped our bags down at Base Camp on deck 3 before heading to breakfast. We were with the first group to disembark at 0745. As the zodiac headed for the shore we looked back on the NG Endurance, our home of three weeks, with its dynamic positioning system keeping it in place in the centre of the fjord.

On arriving at the jetty we boarded a large truck-type bus and headed east along the road back towards the Kangerlussuaq Airport, where we had arrived 3 weeks ago. During the Cold War there was a population of around 3,500 mainly US military personnel here. That has now reduced to around 600, mainly civilians with a few Danish troops based here.

We continued east past the airport, passing the world’s most Northern, now almost abandoned, golf club. To our right is a large river, fed from the glacier we are headed for. Next we passed a house at the edge of a small lake; the driver explained someone had got permission to build it as a summer house. One small problem, the two warmest months of the year there are so many mosquitoes there, they have calculated that if a caribou stood still for a day it would lose 3 litres of blood.

Our first stop was described as an open-air aircraft crash museum. On 8 December 1968, three Lockheed T33A training jets, en route from Canada couldn’t land at the Kangerlussuaq Airport because of thick fog. While waiting for the fog to clear they ran out of fuel and the pilots bailed out. This is one of the crash sites. People are encouraged to look around but not remove anything. Apparently the pilot of this jet returned here in 2018 looked in the cockpit and found his wallet still there; that, he was allowed to remove.

Next stop was the 13-mile lake, where the Inuit herd caribou and musk ox into the lake. Originally shooting them from their kayaks with bows and arrows, today they use motor boats and rifles. Back in the day they would bury the meat down in the permafrost to freeze it through the summer.

Finally reaching the Reindeer glacier, we dismounted the bus and walked down a track toward the ice. A couple of musk ox grazed near a waterfall some 500m away, trotting off up the hill after spotting us. The glacier is ones of hundreds fed from the famous Greenland ice sheet. At its thickest point, the Greenland Ice Sheet measures over 3 kilometres thick and contains about 2.9 million cubic kilometres of ice. If the entire Greenland Ice Sheet melted, it is estimated that the sea level would rise about 7.4 meters.

After our short walk we got back on the bus and headed back to the airport, spotting a small bunch of caribou at some distance, along the way.

After a light lunch at the Musk Ox lounge, we boarded our charter flight to Reykjavik. On arrival we were bussed to a hotel and, once checked in, Sylvia relaxed in the room while I went to the bar and caught up with a few of the many nice people we had spent an enjoyable few weeks with.

 

Friday 13 September: Reykjavik – Sylvia

It was nice to sleep in a bit after some very early mornings and losing another hour to time zone last night. Half of the cruisers had left on the 7:30am bus to the airport when we arrived down at breakfast at about 8:30. The other half were leaving at 12:30pm but we had opted to stay an extra day here. I had a call with Royal Canin at 9:30. Before I retired I was working on a major project and the team had arranged to call to update me on progress, which was really nice of them. I was very pleased with the progress but it didn’t make me want to go back to work. I am really loving this retirement lark.

The day after we left Reykjavik for our cruise, the volcano near here had started erupting for the sixth time in recent months. We had hoped it would still be erupting today but it stopped again on 5 September. We decided it would be good to take a helicopter over the lava fields anyway but needed four people to book the flight. If the volcano had still been erupting I’d have been happy to pay for four seats but given it was just steaming lava we decided to save our money.

Instead we wandered around Reykjavík. It was a gorgeous sunny day, showing off the city and harbour areas well. We visited the whale museum. With scale models of some 23 species of whales and dolphins it was quite interesting. We enjoyed one of the movies they showed on the wisdom of whales. Some incredible footage and a reminder of how intelligent these beautiful marine mammals are.

Taxiing back to our hotel in Keflavik (about an hour out of Reykjavik and about 10 minutes from the airport), we could see the eruption site steaming in the distance. Our driver offered to take us out to where the lava flow from the February eruption had crossed the main highway, cutting off Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon. A new road has been put in place for the Blue Lagoon but Grindavik has largely been evacuated.

We were dropped off at the ‘Troll House” in Keflavik. This charming place was built for the giantess, Siggur, who is the subject of a number of children’s stories. She snorts and grunts in her room, but apparently is a super sweet and friendly troll so nothing to fear.

We wandered back to the hotel to pack and prepare for another very early wake up tomorrow as we start the long journey home. This has certainly been an interesting and informative trip.

High Arctic, Greenland and Canada – August/September 2024: Part V

Thursday 5 September: Pim Island, Buchanan Bay, Ellesmere Island – Sylvia

We cruised south overnight, occasionally crashing and shuddering as we broke through the ice. We arrived this morning at Pim Island. This is the site where the remaining members of  ill-fated Greeley expedition team were rescued after wintering over with limited supplies in the 1840’s. It is a very barren and rocky place.

After breakfast Bud announced that the scouting party had been ashore but it was too rocky and steep for us to land safely. No remains of the shelters from the expedition were visible. Instead we all boarded zodiacs for a cruise around the island. It has impressive rock formations and there are always beautiful ice forms around. We also found a few walrus hauled out on the ice. Rather smelly they were too.

Returning to the ship and warming up over lunch, we headed into the fjord system of Buchanan Bay, on Ellesmere Island. There were incredible reflections of the red rock on the clear blue water. We eventually stopped at the end of Alexandra Fjord to go ashore.

This bay hosted a Royal Canadian Mounted Police camp in the 1950’s. The old huts were clearly visible as we arrived but unfortunately we didn’t have the necessary permits to visit so had to stay at least 100m away from them.

We headed off with the long hiking group, hoping to reach the glacier we could see at the end of the bay. It didn’t look that far, about 2 miles or so. We were walking on frozen tundra and I was mesmerised by the variety of flora that grows in this harsh environment – algae, moss and lichen of course, but also heathers, cotton and even willow. The willow here grows flat along the ground rather than up… strange to see a ‘tree’ growing that way. The colours vary from almost white, through yellow, orange, red and brown with varying shades of green as well. The ground is far from smooth. As the glaciers have advanced and retreated over the years they have left mounds and hollows and the plants have grown up in tufts between the harder ground. We continued walking but the glacier didn’t seem to get much closer.

With the glacier still about 1200m away we eventually had to give up and make our way back to shore to make it in time for the last zodiacs at 6pm. As it turned out the last zodiacs left a little later. While we were out walking the tide had gone out, quite considerably and zodiac loading was a little trickier. The first one we boarded got stuck in the mud and we had to disembark. We walked a bit further down the bay and tried again – only 5-6 passengers per boat, but of course made it safely back on board. It was a great afternoon. It is always good to stretch the legs and we thoroughly enjoyed the ±9km stroll.

 

Friday 6 September: Alexandra Inlet, Buchanan Bay; Crossing to Greenland – Roger

Last night the ship had dropped anchor in a bay not far from our walk spot yesterday. The plan was for a long walk up a nearby hill for part of the group, the other part a zodiac ride close to the shores. Mist put paid to that; it rolled in and out all morning.

Mid-morning we went to the Ice Lounge, where Jonathon gave us a very informative talk on sea ice and how it forms, starting as grease ice, which rolls with the current, gradually getting thicker and going through many other phases before becoming sheet ice.

It was around noon when we set sail for Qaanaaq, in Greenland. After lunch we headed up to the bridge to watch the captain and first officer pick a route through the, at times, solid ice, always making a way toward some clear water even if it was just a crack in the ice. The ship shudders and jumps around as more power is applied to the props to split the ice. There were only one or two times the ship had to back up and try another approach. The ice in places looked well in excess of the 1.5m thick stuff the ship can handle easily.

At 2 pm we went on a galley tour. We started in the galley, behind the main dining room on deck 5, where a team of 23 kitchen staff keep the 204 people aboard well fed, across 3 kitchens, one for the crew and two for guests. The main galley has a bakery with fresh bread etc baked every day. There are seperate areas for veggie and meat prep. On the deck below provisions are stored in carefully monitored freezers and cool rooms. We passed through a passage that runs across the ship to outer doors on each side. A gantry crane must help with the loading of supplies.

We were back in the Ice Lounge watching a very informative movie “The Last Ice” on the life of the Inuit people where we are going tomorrow, when we got a call that a bear had been spotted up front. The bear, who looked like he had just had a big meal, was lying on pack ice just over 200m from the ship, 30 plus miles from land. Many people watched from the bridge as others ventured out on deck to get some good pics. It was -3.5 degrees with a clear blue sky and little wind. After sitting up and looking at us for a bit the bear decided sleep was more important and lay down closing his eyes. After about 30 minutes we backed away quietly and continued bashing our way southeast through the ice.

Roger watching the bear in his usual attire!

A full bridge – everyone observing the bear.

After watching the rest of the movie, we had some more informal presentations on both photography and the underwater life, filmed by the deep-sea drone at our last stop. The amount of underwater life in this area is  surprisingly varied and plentiful.

 

Saturday 7 September: Qaanaaq, Greenland – Sylvia

It was a very early start this morning with wake up at 6:30am on the second day in a row that we have lost an hour as we adjust back to Greenland time. Bleary-eyed, we had a quick breakfast before assembling in the Ice Lounge for a briefing on the morning’s activities in the Inuit village of Qaanaaq.

We bundled into warm clothes and then into zodiacs for the short trip to shore. There, we wandered up the hill to the community sports hall. The morning light shone yellow on the many large icebergs in the bay. It is nearing the end of summer. Next month this village will lose the sun for about 4 months.

This village of some 646 inhabitants had prepared some very interesting exhibits in the hall. Hand crafts were on display along with traditional hunting equipment: kayak, harpoons and seal floats; and a tent had been pitched. A couple of the elders in their traditional dress sang some songs and gave a bit of a talk. One of the local men shared a lot of stories about how hunting is done here. They still hunt in the traditional ways except the final kill is by rifle. For narwhal and beluga, kayaks are used as they are quiet enough not to scare the animals. The animal is harpooned with a seal skin float attached and then shot when it resurfaces. Polar bears are hunted on sleds pulled by dogs. When a bear is spotted, the dogs surround it and nip at it, holding it in place long enough to be shot. There is a quota system in place to manage wildlife numbers. All the meat is shared among the villagers. All the skins are used for clothing and equipment. Apparently polar bear fur still makes the best pants for hunting in.

Very narrow and seemingly tippy kayak used to hunt narwhal and beluga whales

Inside the tent – a sled is used as a sleeping platform for warmth

Some of the detail on the back of the woman’s sealskin anorak

After the presentations we could wander around the exhibits some more. One of the young men demonstrated some of the local sports activities. These are designed to mimic the skills needed for hunting. Some of the cultural ambassadors joined in, then the naturalists, and of course Roger couldn’t hold himself back.

Peter (Cultural Ambassador), Local Inuit Sportsman, Brendan (Cultural Ambassador), Alec (Local Inuit hunter), Lars (Cultural Expert)

Local delicacies like raw and cooked beluga whale blubber, and salted dovekie (small sea birds) were available for tasting. I left that to Roger. The blubber apparently was chewy but tasted good. The dovekie, very salty.

Cooked and raw beluga whale blubber

Blubber is apparently very chewy

Cooked dovekie (Small sea bird) – apparently very salty

We then wandered around the village and visited a small museum. This is housed in a building that was originally built for the explorer Knud Rasmussen in 1910 and later moved to Qaanaaq. Many interesting relics and photographs were on display. I was particularly taken by the snow goggles that were made from the tusk of a walrus that had been dated to about 1300.

A little further down the road we visited the Women’s Institue where many different furs and fur garments were displayed, and a half-prepared seal skin was laid out. On the wall was an example of the windows used in traditional times, made from seal intestines. It was interesting to get a close up look at the different types of fur and skin and how they are used in different garments. The hides are not cured but the skin is chewed to make it soft. Apparently they store the skins and skin boots in the freezer over summer to protect them.

We wandered down through the village. It is pretty rough and makes me very glad to live in NZ. Even at this time of the year it was about 3 degrees and there was ice on the roads. In the winter it must be bitter and the houses look pretty basic. There is lots of ‘stuff’ around. Dog sleds (and dogs), fishing gear, and junk. We saw some narwhal meat hanging to dry and passed some very cute puppies on our way back to board the zodiacs back to the ship for lunch and a gentle afternoon.

We will be on board at sea now until Sunday, cruising slowly down the Greenland coast, watching for whales and other wildlife on the way. We are pretty much out of the sea ice now but we are regularly passing quite large icebergs with all their different shapes and colours.

This afternoon I had a great massage and then Peter gave a demonstration on making an igloo.

 

Sunday 8 September: At Sea, West Greenland – Roger

Today is a sea day as we cruise south down the west coast of Greenland.

At breakfast we were joined by Dan, the ship’s archeologist, who has spent his life digging up the past. After this trip he is heading to White Sands national park in New Mexico, where human footprints dating back 23 thousand years have been discovered, along with the tracks of giant sloths, mammoths and camels, among other prehistoric beings. He, along with a number of others, has been studying tracks in a plaster type soil there since they were discovered in 2020.

At 9:15am we headed up to the Ice Lounge for a talk by Erland, one of the ship’s naturalists. After his military career he served as a policeman on Svalbard. He gave us a great presentation on his life on the island, dealing with everything from polar bear attacks to a major Russian airliner crash involving recovering some 140 bodies, an investigation of an accident in a Russian mine that killed 20 people, and various other anecdotes.

During this talk the ship slowed down so the two scientists on board could take some samples for the study they are doing on plankton. Chatting to Amalia and Giannina Last night, they said they had applied on line and had been selected, I presume from many applicants, to join the journey as the ship’s scientists. Amalia Skrifvars is completing her PhD and Giannina Hattich is her supervisor.

Later we had a talk from Captain Aaron Wood, who gave us a rundown on the ship’s design and build process. The hull of the ship was built in Poland, then in April 2019 it was towed to Ulstein Verft in Norway, where it was floated into a shed and fitted out, finally making its first voyage in July 2021, after a roughly year-long delay due to Covid.

The shape of the hull with its 36mm plate steel welded onto a ribbed frame, puts it at the lower-end of the top category of icebreakers. With retractable gyro-controlled stabilisers it gives very stable cruising while still maintaining the ability to break its way through most first year ice. As I have mentioned before, there is a huge amount of technology on board including links to satellites, giving both photos of ice conditions and radar mapping when the sky is cloud covered. The ship has many back up systems, including a full camp facility that can be set up on land or ice should the ship be damaged and unsailable a long way from help in a place like the Ross Sea, where rescue maybe over a week away.

After lunch with Mary and Jan from Canada, Carlos Navarro gave us a talk on marine mammals of Nunavut and Western Greenland. From Mexico, he has studied marine mammals all over the the world.

Later, photographer Ralf Lee Hopkins, who has spent years as a National Geographic photographer, shared some of the photos from his favourite voyages and gave us some pointers on taking pictures in various environments. His pictures are truly outstanding.

Doug Gould, another naturalist, finished off a story he had told us last night about the iceberg that hit the Titanic. This lead on to a story about Violet Jessop, who was onboard Olympic, the sister ship to the Titanic, when it was hit by a naval vessel in 1911, and was evacuated by life boat. Then she survived the Titanic sinking, going on to work as a nurse on the other sister ship, Brittanic, which, while used as a hospital ship during WWI, was sunk by a mine in 1916. Once again she survived.

The knowledge the team has on the ship and the research they carry out is truly outstanding.

After dinner the crew put an a concert. Their band called the ‘Shackletones’, with crew from all over the ship, put on various acts and dances.  By the end of the night the majority of people were up dancing.

High Arctic, Greenland and Canada – August/September 2024: Part IV

Sunday 1 September: Ellesmere Island at Sea – Sylvia

Today has truly been an incredible and memorable day. We woke in the igloo this morning with the ship crunching and shuddering as it made its way through the sea ice. This makes for some impressive scenery, especially in the early morning light.

Just after breakfast the call came that a polar bear had been spotted on the ice. We watched for quite a while as he ambled along. We were able to circle around the sea ice to get a good look at him from all angles.

Later we headed to the lounge to hear an excellent presentation from Peter, one of the cultural ambassadors on board, about the creation of Nunavut. He has an amazing history, having been separated from his parents as a child and sent to school in Ottawa. He has since served as an MP and was instrumental in the agreements made with the Canadian government.

Almost immediately after his presentation bearded seals were spotted on an ice flow, followed by a second polar bear and numerous beluga whales. There was so much activity it was hard to know where to look. The bridge was buzzing with excitement as nearly all the guests and naturalists were in there, oohing and aahing at the different things we were seeing.

After lunch we all set out on zodiacs. The fun was definitely not over. We saw the second polar bear from the morning again and then found ourselves surrounded by beluga whales. All of a sudden an arctic fox was spotted walking along the shoreline. As we reluctantly left the action after a good period of observation, we spotted a large number of ivory gulls perched on a particularly picturesque iceberg, and then a number of seals as we made our way back on board.

It was cold out, just below freezing, but I don’t think any of us really noticed – we were out on the zodiacs for about two hours. Jonathon, the naturalist driving our boat joked that he needed to go and lie down in a darkened room to take it all in. Definitely the most activity he had ever experienced in one day in the Arctic.

After recap and dinner we attended a great session in the Ice Lounge. Several guests had given up to two of their favourite photos to the photography team. They showed the photos (anonymously) and provided feedback on what worked and what could be done to improve the shot. There have certainly been some fabulous photos taken on this trip so far.

 

Monday 2 September: Makinson Fjord, Smith Sound, Ellesmere Island – Roger

We awoke today parked in Pillir Avijuk Bay, well inside the Makinson Inlet. After breakfast we boarded the zodiacs and headed south a few kilometres to a nice landing area. As was usual, the staff had scouted the area to ensure there were no polar bears around. We headed off with the long walk group, lead by Erland. Jonathan the other guide was waiting up on the hill watching four Arctic hares. These pure white bunnies really stand out amongst the golden and brown foliage. They seemed to be oblivious to a pack of 2 legged Homo sapiens bunched together, heading up the hill towards them.

After a few long range photos, most of us moved on, while a small group stayed with Jonathan to move in and get some closer pictures. While heading up the valley behind the hares Erland spotted some Arctic geese on a hill across the valley to our west. There have obviously been a lot of musk ox on this area. We saw plenty of scat and even a skull, but no animals today.  As we headed down into the valley a call came over the radio that a bear had been spotted to the east and we should head back to the zodiacs. Eventually the bear decided to go swimming and the alert was called off. When we got up on the hill it appeared the geese had moved on. As we made our way down hill we eventually spotted the geese some distance to our rear. They had been hidden by a ridge. We headed towards them for another 10 minutes and got some long range photos, then headed back to the shore. It all made for a relaxing 7km walk.

After another delicious lunch we relaxed as the ship got underway, heading back out the inlet with intention of heading further north. Apparently the Expedition Leader has said we can’t go swimming until we are above 80 degrees north.

Mid afternoon we had a talk from Anne Hedlund, the ship’s chief diver, on how the ice and currents work around the Arctic, and the effect they have on the world’s oceans. As the planet goes through this warming phase it will have some effect on the oceans and where marine species live. Interestingly the ice cap on Ellesmere Island remains about the same depth and coverage as it was 12000 years ago during the last Ice Age.

We also heard a story of an Arctic fox that, with a tracker fitted to it, traveled over four thousand kilometres, leaving Svalbard and arriving on Ellesmere Island seventy nine days later.

 

Tuesday 3 September: At Sea – Northward into Smith Sound – Sylvia

It has been another stunning day in the Arctic. As we cruised ever northward, the ship would occasionally shudder as we crunched through large chunks of sea ice. We could see them float past the window with small red smears where a bit of paint from the ship had marked them.

After morning stretches and breakfast we met in the Ice lounge for a very interesting presentation from Dan about some of his archeological explorations. He contrasted two different peoples, one who ate polar bears, and one that hunted whales.

A little later a hooded seal was spotted, quite close to the edge of an ice floe near the ship.

Late morning Wade gave another presentation, this time about some of the early explorers in the Arctic, with an emphasis on Knud Rasmussen, a Danish explorer who spent many years in the Arctic. This led us up to lunch.

I was resting in the cabin after lunch and stepped out on the deck to take a photo of a particularly large iceberg. As I looked forward I spotted a polar bear on an ice floe and was about to head up to the bridge to let them know when the call came over the speaker. We watched for a while as the bear swam between ice floes, then headed back to the Ice Lounge for a presentation from Ralph on photography. Before he started, two more bears were spotted. This time a mother and cub. They swam quite some distance before climbing out onto an ice floe and giving us all some great views.

Some of the Naturalist crew: Lars, Jonathon, Carl, Anna, Emmet

Back to the lounge to enjoy Ralph’s presentation. He was about three quarters of the way through when a fourth bear was sighted. This one was on a very large ice floe. He looked extremely well fed.  The captain guided the ship slowly closer until we were nosed right in to the floe, still some distance from the bear, who ambled along stopping every now and then to sniff at ice holes. A seal lay on the ice some distance away. Eventually the bear lay down beside one of the ice holes.

At 4pm we were invited to a special afternoon tea in the laundry room. This was the beginning of a very insightful visit behind the scenes of this impressive ship. We were able to visit the laundry, the control room, the engine room, the garage where all the zodiacs and kayaks are stored and the asi pods. The crew were super friendly and enthusiastic and patiently answered all our questions.

The bear was still sitting by the ice hole when we were done with the tour. The light has been amazing and the water like glass. I did several laps of the upper deck, enjoying the views and checking on the bear each time I got to the bow.

More of the team: Erland, Ralph, Bud

At 6pm we headed back to the lounge for recap and a briefing on tomorrow. Apparently we are going to stay here overnight and will make our way slowly further north in the morning.

We had a lovely dinner, once again enjoying the company of Mary and Jan, from Canada. We sat and chatted for quite a while before heading back up to the observation deck to do a few more laps and enjoy the incredible light conditions as the sun started to set. The polar bear hasn’t moved.

 

Wednesday 4 September: Nares Strait

It was around 0600 when we got underway, the ship vibrating and crunching its way through the ice. The plan I had seen the navigation officer draw up yesterday had us on a course for Hand Island in the Kennedy Channel, then west to Carl River Bay on Ellesmere Island, just below 81 degrees north. It was around 0800 when Bud announced that we had just crossed 80 degrees north, and that this was as far as we are going, as the Canadian Coast Guard had denied us permission to go further.

Kayaking or Zodiac trips were offered, followed by a swim. Grease ice is setting on the flat sea water making for perfect polar plunge conditions. I opted for the zodiac cruse Sylvia for a kayak. We headed out, 8 to a boat, cruising the smooth water among the many picturesque ice sculptures. We saw a black guillemot and some bear tracks on one of the many ice floes, mainly spending our time captivated by the spectacular scenery, which just can’t be fully captured on film.

Back on board we togged up and headed back down to Base Camp on deck 3 for the swim (well some did). It was a quick dive in, swim back to the kayak launching pad, and out. A refreshingly enjoyable experience. This was followed by a sauna.

At 1415 Dr Emmett Clarkin, one of the two dive team members on board, gave a talk on diving, both in the Arctic and Antarctic areas. Lindblad and National Geographic contribute extensively to various research projects world wide. Emmett ran through some of the equipment they use with Anne Hedlund, the other diver and underwater expert, fronted up in full dive gear, including drysuit, regulator and camera. An underwater drone that can go to 300m depth was also on display. It is really impressive the number of experts they have onboard these trips imparting knowledge on everything related to this and other parts of the world.

This evening we had another session where some of the photography experts on board reviewed and critiqued some of the guests’ photographs. Outside the light conditions were outstanding so we had an opportunity to go and practice what we had learned.