Heritage Expeditions owner/operator Rodney Russ aboard
former polar research vessel Spirit of Enderby, which
encountered icebergs on a recent voyage to the Antarctic.
Photo by Linda Robertson.
He has seen his fair share of icebergs, but Rodney Russ
does not like seeing them in unusual places.
Mr Russ, who returned to Dunedin yesterday after leading an
expedition of 50 mainly British birdwatching tourists aboard
Spirit of Enderby, said encountering icebergs in subantarctic
waters was an "unusual experience".
The owner/operator of Christchurch ecotourism company
Heritage Expeditions has made more than 80 trips to the area,
but was surprised to discover icebergs off the Auckland
Islands last month.
The discovery meant the Russian crew of 22 aboard the former
polar vessel remained on constant iceberg watch, as the
dangerous hazards were not always detected by radar.
"These guys are from Vladivostok. They are ice masters."
It was unusual to encounter icebergs so far north, he said.
"From a navigational point of view, we had to be very
careful."
Radar often confused icebergs with the tops of waves, so they
remained a significant threat to shipping.
"I wouldn't want to be down there in a large cruise ship.
That is why we don't have a tourist ship - we have a
work-horse."
During the voyage, the ice-strengthened Spirit of Enderby was
able to pull up alongside one of the icebergs, where the
birdwatchers, much to their delight, were able to view
prions, a small petrel.
During summer, the vessel will sail around the Antarctic and
subantarctic before heading north through the Pacific and the
Russian Far East for the remainder of the year.
The vessel, which normally operates from Bluff, berthed at
Dunedin yesterday after arriving from the Chatham Islands.
It is due to depart this morning with its new contingent of
mainly Swedish passengers.
The icebergs seen three weeks ago off Macquarie Island, about
halfway between Stewart Island and the Antarctic, will not
reach New Zealand, NZPA reported yesterday.
"It seems that all the westerlies we had at the end of last
week have pushed them away from the coast.
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