Last days on the ship

Days 27 (cont)  – 29: Final days of the voyage

Back on board after our zodiac trip around the foreshore of Campbell Island, Australian Chef Bruce provided an interesting tour of the galley, including storage areas, food preparation and cooking appliances. We were intrigued to see how they managed to prepare one hundred steaks to all be ready at the same time – they were first seared on a hot plate then slow cooked in the oven. They had huge rotary mixers, 

and the storage rooms dry goods,  fresh produce and desert cakes were amazing (see the deserts below ready for dinner) .

Note that they still had fresh vegetables after 27 days at sea!.

Rodney showed two groups through the immaculate engine room with green painted floor and the two bright yellow, six cylinder 1400 hp locomotive engines. Every five years the engines, which are each connected to a ‘Ka me wa’ (now part of Rolls Royce) gear box, are stripped down. There are three generators. I also noticed racks of spare porthole glass – which apparently were needed on a similar voyage when rough seas shattered several cabin windows.

The chief engineer made himself comfortable in his control room







At 1.10 pm we departed Perseverance Harbour for Bluff with 360 nautical miles to go. It took little time to leave the harbour and we were soon beginning to roll in the westerly winds. Many still found the library a good place to sort photographs and to catch up on the last month. 

Day 28. Friday 7 February - en-route to Bluff.

Noon position: Latitude 48^o52’ South; Longitude 168^o38’ East

Air temperature: 15^oC; Water temperature: 12^oC

After a comfortable night with the pale grey sea now calming, we rose to a cloudy day with a pale sun. 

At 10 am two excellent documentaries on Campbell Island were screened by Dr Eric. With 42 species of New Zealand birds now extinct and many on the endangered list, ‘The Battle for Campbell Island’ focused on the eradication programme of an estimated 50,000+ Norway rats in the winter of 2001. Rats had been released by sealers and soon became a natural history problem. The second documentary entitled ‘The Impossible Dream’ –described the rediscovery of the Campbell Island Teal  in 1975 (by our leader Rodney), which led to a subsequent successful release by the Department of Conservation in 2004. Progeny of ‘Daisy’ a female captured on La Dent in 1984 (she died in 2002) re-appeared at Beeman Station the following year. 

These programs were followed with an excellent presentation by Katya about ‘The Russian Far East – The Wild Frontier’ and focused on the human and natural history, from the Kuril Islands in the south to Wrangel Island in the far north. This is another fascinating and beautiful area, where Heritage Expeditions operates a range of itineraries during our winter. The pictures of indigenous peoples, villages, wild life, botany and landscapes, were outstanding with many photographs taken by Katya herself who spent a lot of time with her parents on Wrangel Island, a World Heritage area with Arctic diversity.

By afternoon the sea was very calm with some dolphins sighted and bird life including a Back Bellied Petrel feeding on the surface. I took the last opportunity for some more bird watching, enjoying the flying acrobatics of the albatrosses and my attempts to 'capture them' digitally. We passed a colony of albatrosses further north on Campbell Island so saw lots wheeling around.

Campbell's yellow eyed albatrosses 

(you have good eyes if you can see it!)

And there were also the ubiquitous Cape Pigeons

Grey -headed albatross

 We enjoyed a quiet day which included packing and a passenger de-brief. 
 Rodney and staff farewelled the group and thanked them for contributing to what has been a highly successful expedition. Samuel then screened his superb 22 minute slide show

(Leader Rodney Russ, Historian David Harrowfield, Naturalists Samuel and Katya)



This evening as we passed Stewart Island to port, Bruce and Michael provided a sumptuous farewell smorgasbord dinner. This included a ravioli entré, main course with hot ham and roast beef carvery, chicken fricassee, roast potatoes and assorted vegetables, a seafood selection with salmon, prawns and salads and desserts including lemon curd and chocolate cheese cakes, mini-Pavlovas and a cheese board.



Pre-dinner drinks in the Library/bar.


Drew with waitresses Toya and Natasha

Chefs ready to carve

Farewell dinner

Chart showing the log of our Heritage Expedition ship Captain Kromov alias Spirit of Enderby from Bluff, NZ, to Ross Island  in NZ Antarctica via Auckland Islands, Macquarie Island and return to Bluff via Campbell Island, after travelling 4675 nautical miles (8658 kms) over 28 days.

Day 29. Saturday 8 February – Disembarkation 

Latitude 46^o35.630’South; Longitude 168^o20.35’East

The pilot boarded Spirit of Enderby at 6.30am. We breakfasted together for the last time and New Zealand Customs and MAF Quarantine officers boarded at 7.45am. 

(Crew polishing the bell before arrival)

After a group photograph was taken to record this momentous journey, we said final farewells.

Jane is standing in a blue jacket third from the left of the photo, and Drew beside her fourth (note his white beard).