Antarctica - The Ross Sea



The ultimate Antarctic Voyage. Voyage to the very heart of Antarctica. The Ross Sea is one of the most remote regions and is only accessible for two months each year when the ice thaws.

It is the historic gateway, discovered by Sir James Clark Ross in 1842, it was to the Ross Sea region that many of the most famous explorers and adventurers came. They included Borchgrevink, Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen, Richard Byrd, Sir Edmund Hillary and others.
There are 5 historic huts that we visit. These capture the history of these explorers and their achievements.

The Ross Sea region is the breeding ground for millions of Adelie and Emperor penguins and we have regular encounters with both these species. New Zealand, America and Italy maintain scientific bases in the Ross Sea and welcome the few visitors that come each year. Our Ross Sea Expeditions include Subantarctic Auckland, Campbell and Macquarie Island where we have permits for landing.

Over the next few years there will be a number of significant centennial celebrations of expeditions and events that took place in the Ross Sea. We will be celebrating these with special expeditions. The first of these is the Nimrod Centennial Expedition. Our Nimrod expedition on board “Spirit of Enderby” will depart Lyttelton at 4pm on January 1st 2008, exactly 100 years to the day that Shackleton departed.

Landings at the Sub Antarctic Islands are by permit only as administered by the Government of New Zealand. No landings are permitted at Snares Island.

Circumstances may be encountered during our voyage which will make it necessary or desirable to deviate from the proposed itinerary. These circumstances include poor weather and opportunities for making unplanned excursions. Your Expedition Leader will keep you fully informed during the voyage.

Next Voyage is #2564 11 January 2009 - 9 February 2009

Day 1
Arrive at New Zealand’s southernmost city, Invercargill. Dinner and overnight at central city hotel with opportunity to meet fellow expeditioners.

Day 2
Visit Southland Museum’s Subantarctic display, embark Spirit of Enderby and depart.

Day 3
Arriving at Snares in time to see the estimated 6 million sooty shearwaters departing to sea is just the start of a wildlife experience with Snares crested penguins grouped on the shoreline, New Zealand furseals and sealions, endemic tomtit and fernbirds on a zodiac cruise experience of sheltered inlets and caves.

Day 4 and 5
Auckland Islands has two main harbours from past volcanic activity. We visit Enderby Island in the northern Port Ross for a day ashore allowing time for observations of breeding New Zealand (Hooker’s) sealions, the yellow-eyed penguins as they emerge from the forest and cautiously proceed to the beckoning sea, numerous bellbirds and red crowned parakeets.

Southern royal albatross nest on the sward beyond the forest.
Our southern visit in Carnley Harbour is to South West Cape where a climb takes up to the white capped albatross colony. A zodiac cruise in the sheltered waters is an alternative to either natural history or historical sites.

Day 6
A day of pelagic observations and lectures in preparation for Macquarie Island.

Day 7 and 8
An up thrust of the earths crust this sliver of land supports teeming wildlife – endemic royal penguins, inquisitive king penguins, gentoo and rockhopper penguins.

Southern elephant seals breed here also. Your time ashore becomes a total sensory overload of wildlife – take the time to sit and watch. Our visit to the Australian Base with their hospitality, gives a glimpse of the research undertaken here.

Day 9 – 12
As we make our way across the Southern Ocean our eyes will scan for pelagic species – listen for the call of “whale”, watch in awe when they cross our path.

Our daily programme will prepare us for our time in Antarctic with informal lectures and discussions. Crossing the Antarctic Circle the days lengthen and our ice experience will begin with bergy bits and tabular bergs frequenting the sea.

Day 13 – 22
Our visit to the Ross Sea region highlights Antarctica’s most historic region. Due to the unpredictable nature of ice and weather conditions a day by day itinerary is not possible.

The Captain and Expedition Leader will take advantage of every opportunity to make landings or zodiac cruises.

Our first continental landfall is planned for Cape Adare, where Borchgrevink’s Hut still stands, built in 1899 for the first wintering over expedition on Antarctica. The land spit of Cape Adare is blanketed by Adelie penguins, at the height of the season up to one million birds. As we depart the Downshire Cliffs are spectacular.

The Admiralty Range heralds our arrival to Cape Hallett where we land next to an abandoned American-New Zealand Base. Offshore from Cape Hallett are Possession Islands where Sir James Clark Ross claimed the land for Queen Victoria, England.