Destinations - Antarctica
Commonwealth Bay Region
Latitude: 67°0'S
Longitude: 141°44'E
On 8 January 1912 Sir Douglas Mawson landed on the Antarctic continent after a journey from Hobart that took 36 days aboard the Aurora, a ship of just 612 tons. During these voyages to the Antarctic continent, Orion will be positioned in and around Commonwealth Bay on the Adelie coast of Antarctica. Your expedition team will lead a variety of opportunistic landings which may include sites at Cape Denison, Port Martin and Dumont d'Urville. In each instance landings ashore and Zodiac explorations are wholly subject to prevailing weather conditions, in an area Mawson described as "the home of the blizzard".
Cape Denison, Antarctica - Wet Landing
Latitude: 67°0'S
Longitude: 147°44'E
Our expedition leaders Don and Margie McIntyre have called Cape Denison home, having spent
more time there than any other person alive today. It is the windiest place on the face of the earth
and is surrounded by spectacular ice cliffs. The area is home to 60,000 Adelie Penguins, Snow Petrels, Giant Petrels, Wilsons Storm Petrels and Cape Pigeons. Weddell, Leopard and Elephant seals may be seen stretched out on the ice. Cape Denison is the site of Sir Douglas Mawson's hut from the historic 1911-13 expedition. This is one of the Antarctic's least visited sites and, as the first Australian scientific base on the Antarctic, is of great historical significance and the subject of an ongoing multi-million dollar preservation program. Apart from the main living hut and workshop, there is the absolute magnetic hut, the magnetograph house, the transit hut and the memorial cross erected in memory of Ninnis and Mertz who died tragically in 1913. The main hut is surrounded by historic debris and artifacts including clothing, shoes, food crates, sleds, ropes and kerosene tins. An Australian Antarctic Division guide will accompany guests to Mawson's Hut.
Port Martin, Antarctica – Wet landing
Latitude: 66°49'S
Longitude: 142°39'E
Enroute to Port Martin, Orion maneuvers through a large gallery of up to 100 grounded icebergs of various sizes, making it possible for close proximity views and photography. Port Martin is the former site of the French Antarctic base. Built in 1950 by the third French expedition to Terre Adelie, the region was so named by Dumont d'Urville for his wife. The area is in the small French Antarctic claim, sandwiched between the two Australian claims. The base was abandoned after it was partially destroyed by fire on the night of 24 January 1952. The site is scattered with artifacts and has an Adelie Penguin rookery, nesting McCormack Skuas, a spectacular backdrop of ice cliffs and a snow ramp to the Antarctic Plateau.
Dumont d'Úrville, Antarctica – Wet landing
Latitude: 66°40'S
Longitude: 140°01'E
The French scientific base at Dumont d'Úrville is on Petrels Island, located at the south-eastern end of the Geologie Archipelago. The base is named for French explorer Jules- Sebastien-Cesar Dumont d'Urville and was built in 1956 to replace the base at Port Martin some 100km to the east. The spectacular area is an important centre for the study of the rich local wildlife, including seals, petrels and penguins - the Adelie Penguin being named after Dumont d'Urville's wife. Emperor Penguins may be observed on some ice-floes behind the controversial and now unused airstrip (the French destroyed some Adelie Penguin rookeries to build it). Adelie Penguins abound around the base - in fact right up to the front door of most buildings!
Dunedin, New Zealand – Disembark
Latitude: 45°50'S
Longitude: 170°35' E
Orion’s shallow draft will allow her to cruise all the way into Dunedin city wharf (whereas other
vessels berth at Port Chalmers) to provide guests a full day ashore to enjoy this charming city, regarded as one of the best preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Otago region was settled by Maori's over four centuries ago, with Scottish migrants establishing a small town in 1848. After gold was discovered Dunedin rapidly developed to (then) become New Zealand's biggest city and the country's industrial and commercial heart, with many ornate heritage buildings dating from this period still standing today. It was the first city outside the to have its own tram system. The Botanic Gardens, New Zealand's first, are located at the northern end of the city on the lower slopes of Signal Hill.
Enderby Island, Auckland Islands – Scenic Zodiac Cruising
Latitude: 50°31'S
Longitude: 166º17'E
Orion's guests will cruise in Zodiacs in Sandy Bay on Enderby Island at the northern end of Auckland Island, to view a large Hooker Sea Lion colony with pups all jostling for position. If we are fortunate, we may see the rare Yellow-Eyed Penguin as they move to and from their nests in the forests beyond the beach.
Ross Sea Region
This southernmost expanse of the Pacific Ocean was named after James Calrk Ross who first explored the area in 1841 with two ships, Erebus and Terror.
As seas go, this one is quite shallow and is bounded in the east by the coastal mountains of Victoria Land and in the south by the Ross Ice Shelf. The shelf is a flat topped body of snow covered glacial ice about the size of France which largely floats except along the coastlines. The southern part of the Ross Sea is not navigable for some 9 months of the year and over the summer season between January and March very few ships venture here, and those that do principally supply the various scientific stations.
The Ross Sea coast extends from the ice shelf northwards until it reaches the very tip of Victoria Land and Cape Adare. During our time in the Ross Sea Region we will attempt a variety of opportunistic landings, subject to weather conditions. These may include -
Cape Hallett - Wet landing
Latitude: 72°19'S
Longitude: 170º16'E
Following an intricate approach to Cape Hallett through thick pack ice, we land to inspect the site of an abandoned US/New Zealand base established during the International Geophysical Year in 1957-58. It is a magnificent area with giant glaciers and surrounding mountains of over 4,000 metres. Weddell Seals and Adelie Penguins abound.
Cape Terra Nova Bay - Wet landing
Latitude: 75°80'S
Longitude: 164º24'E
First discovered by Scott during his 1901-1904 expedition, the site is now occupied by an Italian base which operates a summer research station. If permission is granted, we hope to visit the base. It is then intended to cruise by the massive Drygalski ice tongue, which extends 70km out into the Ross Sea as part of the David Glacier.
Inexpressible Island – Wet landing
Latitude: 74°54'S
Longitude: 163º43'E
Home to a small Adelie Penguin rookery this low bleak Island is the site of an amazing story of survival where Scotts Northern party were forced to over-winter in a snow cave. Two plaques mark the site of the cave were the men suffered until their departure on the 30th September 1912 for Ross Island across the sea ice. This is a rarely visited site which is challenging to access but if a visit is successful it is not hard to imagine why the men called this place “Hell with a capital H.”
Cape Evans - Wet landing
Latitude: 77°38'S
Longitude: 166º24'E
Scott's 1911 Terra Nova Hut is the largest historic building in Antarctica. Used in the 1910 to 1913 British Antarctic Expedition, it served as the base for extensive scientific research and surveys as well as Scott's journey to the South Pole. Much of Scott's equipment is well preserved and it is hoped we can enter the hut with guides. Shredded seaweed sown into Jut quilting is used as an insulating layer between the inner and outer cladding of the wood hut. Ten men of Shackleton's ill-fated imperial trans-Antarctic expeditions were marooned here in 1915 after their ship Aurora was blown out to sea and unable to return. Two of Aurora's anchors remain to this day on the beach in front of the hut. Entering the hut provides a window into the historic age of Antarctic exploration and discovery.
Cape Royds - Wet landing
Latitude: 77°32'S
Longitude: 166º12'E
Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds was constructed during the British Antarctic Nimrod Expedition in 1907-1909. Unable to land at King Edward VII Island, he then entered McMurdo Sound. Ice conditions prevented him reaching Hut Point, the site of Scott's hut, so he selected Cape Royds for winter quarters. Adelie Penguins are slowly reclaiming the site which is the world's southernmost penguin rookery. The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust conservation program has successfully conserved a substantial number of fascinating artifacts in this hut, in such a way that at first sight the hut appears to have only recently been abandoned.
Possession Islands - Wet landing
Latitude: 71°56'S
Longitude: 171º10'E
Subject to sea and ice conditions, we hope to make a landing at the rarely visited small and craggy Possession Islands. One of these, Foyn Island, is covered with Adelie Penguins. The islands were discovered by James Clark Ross and Francis Crozier in 1841 during their expedition to locate the south magnetic pole.
Cape Adare - Wet landing
Latitude: 71°17'S
Longitude: 170º10'E
Cape Adare was discovered by Captain James Ross in 1841. We plan to visit Borchgrevink's Hut from the British Southern Cross Expedition, the first to ever spend winter in the Antarctic, in 1899. Up to 1,000,000 Adelie Penguins have reclaimed the site, which is spectacular, surrounded by black volcanic hills. High above the huts is the lonely grave and cross of Borchgrevink's biologist.
Although our itinerary to the extreme sub-Antarctic and Antarctic regions is based on many years of collective experience, prevailing weather and ice conditions in this area of the world are unpredictable, mother nature dictates our course. These are not cruises they are true expeditions to what can be the most inhospitable region on earth. Bring with you a spirit of adventure and flexibility.
