Our second day at Macquarie Island with the vessel having moved north adjacent to our next landing area on the isthmus, also the site of the main scientific base on the island.
This was our briefing overview of the landing….
……but what a difference a day makes
All to be expected in this part of the world, and although we were advised the zodiac trip would be a bit wet, conditions on shore were described as “excellent”
Fortunately the mist lifted and although the sea was fairly choppy we were able to land….
….and make our way up the beach and on to the island proper
We were not allowed into the base but walked by tussock lined tracks dotted with sea lions - stacks on the mill here..
..and up to a knoll which gave excellent views over the isthmus, the base and the surrounding beaches.
Next stop was the gentoo penguin colony…
…then over to the sheltered western beachside,where there was an endemic Macquarie shag….
…..and lots more elephant seals, king penguins, gannets and several kelp gulls.
In the afternoon we steamed south to Lusitania Bay to see the king penguin colony. 750,000 breeding pairs. We had two sightings of killer whales along the way. Reasonable to the eye but not impressive on the iPhone
Landings at the bay are not allowed. A Zodiak cruise-by was planned but the sea was too rough. The colony was so extensive that single photos couldn’t do it justice. Below I’d just a snippet
At any event, it was warm in the lounge and afternoon crepes were on offer. Difficult to stop at two!
As we lay off Lusitania Bay little groups of penguins came by to check out the ship. The water was so clear we could see them swimming past.
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