31 January 2014
We zodiaced ashore first thing this morning to join our really nice guides who showed us through Mcmurdo Station. We explored the entire base including research labs, communications centre, coffee house, store, chapel, heli pad, and the accommodation.................and found out what it was like to live in the US base. To me it felt like a big, dirty mining town and not at all what I expected.
This place can accommodate up to 1258 people during its peak in summer and leaves only a skeleton staff of 35 over winter.
There are wind turbines that generate 25% of their power during the busy summer season
Next stop was Scott Base. Normally the boats follow a large icebreaker to Mcmurdo station then everyone gets bused over the hill to Scott Base. However, last night a massive area of ice washed away with the wind allowing us to anchor on the edge of the ice right outside Scott Base where again we took the zodiacs ashore. It is crazy how things happen so quick and because this ice broke out we actually got further south today well into the areas where the GPS says we are on land/ice na dit is not possible. Each day in the Antarctic summer so much can happen.
Scott Base was very small and cute in comparison to the neighbours over the hill. It only accommodates 40 base staff and 68 research staff down to 15 total in winter. It was neat to see the kiwi touch on almost everything, and the fact that the green buildings were tidy and all fitted in with the environment.
After visiting Scotts hut at hut point it felt like a real shame the US base has encroached and built so close. Being such a neat place I felt like they should have built their base somewhere else. The hut was undergoing refurbishment so none of the original artefacts were there. However, it was great to go inside and get into the shoes of the old explorers and see where they lived for such a long time. A historian from Scott base walked us through the history of the hut and told us a story about how even back in those days they had a phone running from Cape Evans to Hut Point.
We got a chance to stretch our legs and I let loose taking the opportunity to run up the scree to observation hill. From the cross (made in memory of Scott, the cross was his skis used in his south pole expedition when he died) I could see everything. I was a breathtaking view seeing the vast expanse of white desert spreading out as far as the eye could see. I watched ice sheet after ice sheet breaking off from the Scott Base travelling really quickly with the wind – even more ice had broken out from this morning. At midnight as we descended the mountain the sun was still burning brightly in the sky. I love this place
MCMURDO BASE
Marine lab
Piece of rock from Mt Erebus
This is how they get around
Reception sort of area
Buggies
These machines are very hardy and even float if they accidently go through thin ice
Mcmurdo Station hospital
They even have a screen for arriving and departing flights - there were a surprising number of flights each day.
This was funny
The Mcmurdo Station shop was full of snacks, soveniurs, movies........
This place even has an ATM and here is the proof
Accomodation
You plug the cars in to recharge and stop them from freezing
Chapel
Communications centre
Throughout the trip every time we land somewhere and arrive back on the ship we have to dunk our shoes in this cleaning liquid which now we are in Antarctica freezes solid.
SCOTT BASE
The small but cute Scott Base
Our ship anchored up on the ice and we zodiaced out to Scott Base. This was a first for the crew.
Great to finally be at New Zealands heart of Antarctica
This emperor made it back to NZ with me
Yes you can even post postcards from here
Nz's single helicopter picking up supplies to send out into the field
The Shop. All the doors into buildings were these fridge doors
This building was the first when Scott Base was established in 1957
Letterbox of the first base
The bar
Gotta love the little bits of kiwi humour around the place
Friendly Weddell seal egtting a closer look at me
Mt Erebus erupting in the background. It is actually 40km from Scott Base to Mt Erebus which is very deceptive as it doesn’t look further than 5km.
Adelie penguins and weddell seals keep us entertained as they went about their daily routines.
Our kiwi flag flying proud and strong
GPS showing that we got even further south today after ice braking out last night. There is sea where there shouldnt be according to the maps.
A pod of over 8 orcas even showed up hunting alongside the edge of the ice.
The US icebreaker the polar star with Mcmurdo Station in the background and the newly arrived resupply vessel.
It seemed crazy why the Polar Star (US icebreaker) with its crew of 150 people was even needed here. With no ice in the Ross Sea the wate of money having it here is immense. It went to escort the US resupply vessel into dock for some weird unknown reason.
SCOTTS' DISCOVERY HUT
Scotts hut in all its glory
Inside the discovery hut.
The discovery hut under big renovations. You can see how close Mcmurdo station is.
The cross
Hut point with observation hill in the background
The Mcmurdo resupply vessel
OBSERVATION HILL
2nd one to the top and what a breathtaking view
The top of observation hill pointing at the south pole
Scott enjoying the view over Mcmurdo
Selva the ships doctor at the cross with the wood made from Scotts ski's on his never to return mission from the south pole.
Some loose scree to get to the top
As we were waiting for the zodiacs to take us back to the ship an emperor penguins swam into shore. It was strutting its stuff and showing off to all when it tripped and fall on its face. It was so funny.
Antarctica Stamps
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