Antipodean Summer 1
I’m writing this sitting outside the hut on Antipodes Island, 870km southeast of New Zealand. The fact that I can write and post blogs from here is a bit startling,…
I’m writing this sitting outside the hut on Antipodes Island, 870km southeast of New Zealand. The fact that I can write and post blogs from here is a bit startling,…
Why do I take photos? Why do I carry around heavy, clunky gear to wild places, to be battered by the elements? Why do I then spend time sitting in…
I have never seen so many seabirds in my life. The air above the Bounty Islands is dark - a mist that resolves through binoculars into a flurry of whirling albatross.…
52°32′24″S 169°8′42″E - 46°59'96"S 168°34'57" E We're at sea for two days, rolling continuously. I've forgotten what upright is, because we only get brief snatches of it on our way to…
52°32′24″S 169°8′42″E I forgo the hike across Campbell Island, having smashed my knee quite thoroughly on the New Year's Eve hike, and wanting to spend more time with the Southern…
52°32′24″S 169°8′42″E Around midmorning, Campbell Island appears as faded blue teeth on the horizon, snaring clouds and floating in and out of sight. I've slept late, photographed birds, and spent…
50°39’S 166°10’E Bull kelp tangles the propellor of the zodiac, turning the steady hum into a choking grind. Martin, New Zealand Sea lion expert and our current zodiac driver, throws…
50° 31’S 166° 17’E We're back on Enderby Island for the afternoon, as the weather is preventing us from landing at Ranui Cove, the site of the old Coastwatchers hut. I…
50° 53' S 166° 21' E Hardwicke - the Enderby Settlement - lasted for just over two years from December 1849 until May 1852. Envisaged as a thriving centre for whaling…
50° 31’S 166° 17’E Enderby and excitement go together. It was a treasure to spend Christmas day here, and now we're back for another go. I can't wait to show Dad…
Being mired in the demands of exams, Edin invited me to author a guest post for her blog this week. It is an opportunity I am privileged to accept as…
52° 32′ 24″ S 169° 8′ 42″ E Over breakfast on New Year's Day, I learn that last night the Southern Lights - the Aurora australis - lit up the…
52° 32′ 24″S 169° 8′ 42″E It's New Year's Eve, and today I have a choice to make. Do I take the hike Alex describes as 'terrible, difficult, you will…
54° 29' 59" S 158° 56' 14" E - 52° 32′ 24″S 169° 8′ 42″E The water, the sky, the whole world is bright and clear. Calm seas soothe our…
54° 29' 59" S 158° 56' 14" E We appear to have lost Macquarie Island. We know where it is - just a little to the west of us -…