Us and Them

AFTER A ROUGH CROSSING we are safely back in Ushuaia, Argentina.

It seems only fair that after such a smooth run we should get a taste of Drake the Dreadful, but it’s a relief to be able to shower without hanging onto the taps as the rubbish bin slams into your ankles. The photograph below (only slightly exaggerated) illustrates the difficulty of doing anything on a cork-screwing, lurching ship.



The Professor has docked and will leave as soon as she is ship-shape and stocked; it is strange to think that in less than ten hours she will be heading out to sea with another tour group.

Towering over her is a large cruise ship that reminds me of the one we caught up to on the last few days near the Peninsula. This ship did not land any of its 500 or so passengers, and when anchored in the bay at Deception Island they would have seen us exploring the beach in the rain. They may have even heard the laughter as we dug holes in the sand, on our hands and knees in hot thermal water.

Earlier on I asked Dan Zwartz, who with Peter Barrett had sown the seeds that Andrea Cochrane and others then grew into a logistically-viable Antarctic study tour, about his ambitions for the tour.

The idea was conceived in 2006 and at that time, Peter and the Antarctic Research Centre were planning for the 50th anniversary of Victoria University Antarctic Expeditions. They decided that a tailored tour to the Peninsula would be a fittingly adventurous way to reach out to people who had their eye on the Antarctic and an interest in science and the environment.

After five years in the guiding industry and as a former research scientist, Dan knows that the larger expeditions - such as the ship just ahead of us - often lack adequate scientific and environmental guidance.

The tourism model that prioritises education and a conservation mindset, and that sees the employment of geologists, zoologists, naturalists and historians (such as Peter, Dan, Lynn and Rinie) as lecturers and guides is one that Peter and Dan endorse strongly.

As I grew to know my ship-mates I realised just how many among them had chosen this tour, of several advertised in New Zealand, for the opportunity to learn from its leaders. The lectures were diligently attended, some in adverse conditions, and they prompted healthy debate and discussion. Being able to turn to our guides with questions, on location and in the thick of it, was invaluable.

I’m aware that over the next few days my ship-mates may get around to reading these pages - written in snatches between landings, lectures, whale-sightings and meals. They will find occasional inaccuracies, and a level of subjectivity, but I hope they will find this blog a useful and entertaining record of our trip.

Of all the things I’ve read relating to Antarctica in the past months, a quote by Ernest Shackleton from his 1908 Nimrod Expedition eloquently describes the Antarctic blogger’s dilemma: “Tongue and pen fail in attempting to describe the magic”

And a song by Wellington band The Phoenix Foundation nicely captures the colour of the days we spent on the water surrounded by ice. The unique landscape and quality of the light is difficult to describe, but as Samuel Flynn Scott sings – “The world is bright grey.”

I’d like to thank everyone who made this inaugural tour so successful – it has set a high standard for the tours that will follow - and to the Communications and Marketing team at Victoria for their support.

If you have any questions, would like to discuss this tour, or would like a copy of a photograph, please drop me a line: Stephanie.Gray@vuw.ac.nz

Homeward bound,
Stephanie