new zealand
akaroa, NZ
akaroa is located on the banks peninsula, about 1.5 hours from christchurch.
strolling the harbor
I had about a half day to kill before starting on my solo banks peninsula track.
our crew of two-day trekkers
besides me, there were an aussie, a kiwi, and 2 germans.
the first night's hut
at the onuku farm hostel. these 'stargazer' huts are perfect for clear nights.
inside the stargazer hut
it was pretty cold out, so most people slept in the cabin; I had this to myself.
starting out
the track is 35 km (about 22 miles) long. I opted to do it in two days.
woolly company
we were trekking on private pastureland, so there were lots of sheep about.
the view from the top
well, almost the top. the first couple of hours were the hardest.
this is the top.
about 700m above sea level. breathtaking views.
waterfalls
there were lots of 'hidden' waterfalls off the beaten track.
flea bay
the stopping-point for lunch on the first day.
leaving flea bay
beautiful view of the coast.
more views.
still more views.
the trail was marked by daubs of white paint on posts or rocks.
to cross the many fences, you stepped up on these ingenious little ladders.
much of the second day looked like this. following the coastline to stony bay.
track outhouse
with handy signs for when in use.
downhill to stony bay
where I would spend Night #2.
more views.
getting closer to stony bay
a lot of these farmhouses are fairly inaccessible by road.
like a fairy tale
this was the trekkers' hut. very cute, with a wood stove, bunks and kitchen.
shower in a tree
the shower was in this little hut. the sink is just inside the door.
rustic pool table
ingenious use of paint cans.
bath under the stars
the water is heated by a wood fire. perfect after a long day of trekking.
leaving stony bay
heading to otanerito bay on morning #2.
up hill from otanerito
more strenuous climbing on the last afternoon of the track.
at last, downhill to akaroa
all done! I couldn't wait to check into my hostel and take a hot shower!
bee arrives from sydney!
and we set out twizel. we had to stop here for a photo, tho!
lake tekapo
one of the many glacier-fed, crystal blue lakes on the south island.
we saw lots of these on our five-day rental-car road trip.
day hike to diamond lake
kiwis take their hiking seriously. there are tons of trails throughout NZ.
this wasn't a very long hike, but it was pretty steep in places.
thankfully, it was a beautiful day!
happy hikers.
happy sheep.
overlooking wanaka.
oh my god, we aren't even close to the top. ugh.
we made it!
belinda does a dance of joy upon arriving at the summit.
further down the road...
for some reason, we passed this fence covered with hundreds of bras.
girl power!
so of course, we had to pose in front of it. we kept our bras on, though.
trip to milford sound
we had planned to go kayaking here, but mother nature had other plans.
ready for kayaking
no sooner had we changed into our kayaking gear when the guides announced...
no kayaking today
because of 50-knot (65 mph) winds, the trip was cancelled. hell and damnation!
the view from the boat launch. pretty miserable day.
waterfalls galore
the silver lining, I guess.
belinda braved the storm and decided to go on a cruise. I stayed behind.
belinda on the deck of the boat.
flooded ravine
on rainy days, this gorge is one of the more dramatic sights in milford sound.
after the storm
we drove back north toward queenstown.
leaving wanaka bakpaka
hostels in NZ are called 'backpackers.' cute name for a pretty cute hostel.
roadside shot
belinda did ALL the driving because kiwis drive on the left side like aussies.
the remarkables
an aptly named mountain range near queenstown.
another remarkable
belinda, that is!
and now there are two of them!
driving north toward hokitika and greymouth to start our train journey.
on the wanaka-haast road.
cindy expresses her thoughts on being in new zealand for the first time.
fox glacier township
the fox and the franz josef glaciers are hike-able if you go with a guide.
franz josef township
where we stayed. a lot of these towns cater to backpackers and hikers.
starting out for the glacier
which is a river made of ice, resulting from heavy snowfall that doesn't melt.
they outfitted us with boots, rain gear and wooden trekking poles.
it was a drizzly day, but surprisingly, it wasn't very cold on the glacier.
we paused for a water break halfway up the hill.
ironically, five months in antarctica and my first glacier encounter is in NZ.
so strange to see a glacier amidst all this greenery.
as the glacier moves downhill,
it picks up debris and dirt. these fall out as the ice melts.
in other places, the ice is relatively clean.
when the glacier reaches the valley floor, it melts underneath.
the water flows out and down the valley.
the icewoman cometh
belinda emerges from a naturally formed ice cave.
cindy and abel
our hiking guide. he has been applying for years to work in antarctica.
leaving the glacier.
I had to pause for a photo of these pretty rocks and my boots.
look out!
a funny sign at the foot of the glacier.
and if that doesn't get you...
look out for the snowmelt!
in greymouth
we turned in our rental car and got ready to board the train for christchurch.
belinda, quit fooling around and get on the train already.
views from the train. NZ is what you might call a rather picturesque country.
more views. you can see why Lord of the Rings was filmed here.
mid-trip break
at arthur's pass, the highest point on the journey.
belinda's hero shot.
smile for the camcorder.
on the ob deck
it wasn't too cold out, so we spent a lot of time back there.
almost back to CHCH and the end of our time together!
dusk in cathedral square
belinda left the next morning, and I left 24 hours later. happy trails indeed!
antarctica
on our way!
on board the C-17, bound for mcmurdo from christchurch on october 11, 2005.
the height of fashion
we were required to wear our extreme cold-weather gear on the flight.
inside the C-17
the plane holds about 140 passengers, or fewer if there's a lot of cargo.
opening the cargo hatch
we all put on our parkas and waited to walk out onto the ice runway.
mcmurdo in winter
the winter is a long night, with just a few hundred people to keep things warm.
this is what it looked like before we arrived in the springtime.
C-17 at dawn
the first flights of spring arrive in august, a season called 'winfly.'
snowblowers in action
clearing the airfields during winfly.
mcmurdo at sunrise
a station of 1100+ inhabitants during the busy summer season.
welcome to mcmurdo
this sign greets those arriving on the ice runway at the beginning of summer.
LC-130s at williams field
williams field, or 'willy,' is a snow runway about 25 minutes from mcmurdo.
an LC-130 hercules
these planes have skis and have to land at willy field instead of on the ice.
me and a herc
the hose is attached to a heater, turned on a few hours before flight time.
a view from ob hill
on a foggy/sunny day.
couch with a view
relaxing in the cargo yard and looking out onto the sea ice.
the town hospital
there are doctors and nurses on staff here for all your cuts and bruises.
time to get up
brushing in the communal bathroom down the hall from my dorm room.
getting dressed
going to work meant several layers of clothing and many, many accessories.
our lovely workplace
building 140 was the home of ATO, or antarctic terminal operations.
my commuter vehicle
deltas were commissioned as passenger vehicles when the navy ran mcmurdo.
another view of a delta
they're frequently used when the snow is too soft for smaller tires.
ivan the terra bus
the largest vehicle in our shuttles fleet. he holds 56 and weighs 67,000 lbs.
just for a sense of scale...
here is ivan next to a c-17 on the ice runway.
ivan and an LC-130 at willy field.
and finally, ivan and me.
in the driver's seat
you feel pretty tall when your seat is eight feet off the ground.
our shuttles team
sam, our supervisor, is kneeling in black shirt on the left.
the moon and ob hill
observation hill is a 384-foot volcanic-dirt cone right next to mcmurdo.
the NASA 'golf ball'
is a satellite tracking device high up on a hill near mcmurdo.
the golf ball and ob hill
two mcmurdo landmarks.
scott base
the new zealand base, about two miles from mcmurdo. very tidy and green.
scott base
the ross dependency is a pie-shaped wedge of antarctica overseen by NZ.
scott's cross
at the summit of observation hill.
dumpsters at willy field
trash is sorted into over a dozen categories to facilitate recycling.
USAP is serious about sorting trash, in keeping with the antarctic treaty.
bins of food waste
ready to be shipped off to the states on the seasonal supply vessel.
the giant salad bowl
this is mobbed during mealtimes after the freshie flight comes in.
handwashing reminders
preventing the 'crud' is of utmost importance in a tiny community like mcmurdo.
wrought-iron shamu
winter-overs often produce beautiful and complicated works of art.
sea ice school
we learned how to profile cracks and how to gauge the thickness of sea ice.
the hagglunds
a snow-tracked vehicle that transported us to silver city, the snow campsite.
another view of a hagglunds.
shoveling at snow school
proper form is of utmost importance.
johannes and jeff
cutting snow blocks to construct a wall to keep wind out of our campsite.
'condition one' exercise
in order to pretend that we were in a blizzard, we wore buckets on our heads.
the object was to find a 'lost' person without being able to see or hear.
walking to snow school
we hauled tents, tools and supplies on these sleds, much like early explorers.
anchoring tent lines
we learned how to set up various kinds of tents to make them windproof.
building a quinzee
you put all your gear in a pile and cover it with snow, then pull out the gear.
the outside of our quinzee
with a little door in which to crawl in and out.
the inside of our quinzee
which was surprisingly warm and very quiet. ours slept four people.
jeff celebrates passover
during snow school. have menorah, will travel.
erica and me
shuttle co-workers and now roommates at snow school.
our snow school classroom
we learned how to prevent frostbite, hypothermia and other cold-weather hazards.
the sun behind a glacier
taking pictures in antarctica's glare and extreme contrasts can be challenging.
fishing with the scientists
I had the opportunity to spend a day off helping some grantees fish.
sleepy seal and ice fishing hut
where they catch bernacii, a type of cold-water fish, for scientific research.
don't fall in!
the water is 28F, actually colder than freezing, because it's salty.
waiting for a bite
the bernaccii were about ten feet down this hole in the sea ice.
here, fishie fishie
we caught over a dozen bernacii with these styrofoam blocks and fishing line.
other day-off activities...
I occasionally sat in as a guest DJ on my friend jeff's weekly radio show.
snow-field rugby
the NZ base regularly beats us at rugby every january.
hiking ob hill
fun after work or on a weekend. there's a yearly fun run to the summit too.
hut point ridge trail
a great place to hike, not very far from station. wind gear is essential.
a snowy day at pegasus
I was out volunteering with the fuel team during this condition 2 storm.
my firefighter friends taught me to drive the snow-tracked fire truck, Red 4.
Red 4
and here it is.
a 'mat-track' rescue vehicle
these are parked on 'hard stand' alert during LC-130 takeoffs and landings.
mt. erebus and castle rock
erebus is an active volcano on ross island with a pool of lava in its crater.
wilderness survival structure
better known as an 'apple.' they contain food, a phone and survival gear.
rootin' for the home team
jay, alan and I sent our best wishes to the seahawks. unfortunately, they lost.
scott's discovery hut
the headquarters for robert scott's ill-fated expedition to the south pole.
exterior of discovery hut
the hut is located about a half mile from mcmurdo, on the hut point peninsula.
hundred-year-old supplies inside robert scott's hut, well-preserved in the cold.
we were only allowed into the hut with trained tour guides.
memorial on hut point
commemorating someone lost during the age of heroic exploration, early 1900s.
the russian icebreaker Krasin
cutting a channel through the sea ice for the supply vessel and fuel tanker.
the turning basin
the Krasin cuts this basin in which the supply vessel and fuel tanker 'park.'
the Krasin arriving
it broke through 600 miles of sea ice to reach mcmurdo station.
the American Tern supply ship
brings a year's worth of frozen food and supplies to mcmurdo every summer.
at the ice pier, a solid chunk of dirt and ice anchored to the peninsula.
scooting...
...and walking.
adelies were sometimes spotted near hut point ridge and close to station.
more adelies.
and still more. who doesn't like penguin pictures?
curious emperors
checking out a grantee's field notebook.
they look so shiny...and somehow tasty.
skuas hanging out on the ice
getting to know you...
this skua was sitting regally right in the middle of IceTown.
so I decided to visit with him for a while. he didn't seem to mind.
waiting for a victim...
skuas would lie in wait during mealtimes for someone to walk by with a tray.
a weddell seal and her pup
seals were a much more common sight than penguins this season.
a seal sleeping next to a pressure ridge.
ali and me at the coffee house
alison was my knitting, tea-drinking and hanging-out buddy all season.
kaya and me at willy field
kaya lived on my hall. I took him on a field trip to willy field one day.
halloween hula girl
the costume was mine, but I borrowed the palm tree from the shuttles office.
jeff, jessica and me
being silly at the town christmas party, held in the heavy shop.
erin, jeff and me
we met in NZ during orientation. this was also at the christmas party.
the Harsh Incontinent and me
my friend andre, heading off to a superhero costume party.
new year's party at scott base
mike, barry, ali and me ringing in the new year.
me and jess, icestock 2006
icestock is an outdoor music festival held every new year's day.
helping out in the galley
I volunteered to wash dishes for a couple of hours on thanksgiving.
sarah, alison and me
they were my roommates all season. this is at a skirt party at scott base.
amanda, kris and me
the three of us co-emceed the women's soiree, a benefit talent show.
mike (axl?) and me
we dressed in our trashiest duds for the annual white trash party.
harry and me
harry teaches jewelry-making. the roster fills up in the first five minutes.
my necklace
simple, but it was all I could put together in five weeks!
knitting 101
I taught lots of people to knit in the evenings, usually in the dining hall.
my star student
brandon didn't have any needles, so instead he used philips-head screwdrivers.
the southern lights
also known as aurora australis.
the barne glacier
some miles north of mcmurdo on the edge of the ross sea.
antarctic sunset
as the sun sinks lower in february, you can see some spectacular sunsets.
ice bubbles in a pond near mcmurdo.
pressure ridges
these are formed when an ice shelf butts up against another ice mass.
when ice movement is rapid, pressure causes ridges and cracks in the ice.
eroded stone
antarctica is the coldest, driest, highest, and *windiest* continent on earth.
fata morgana on the sea ice
fata morgana is an optical illusion formed by temperature inversions.
more fata morgana
it's named after a character in arthurian legend, morgana le fay.
a view of the ice shelf taken from some lucky person in a helicopter.
the moon and the royal societies
the royal society range was named by scott and the british antarctic expedition.
another pressure ridge
sunset at hut point ridge
with 'roll cage mary,' another memorial statue, in the foreground.
the royal society range
one of my favorite views. I drove this route every day and never tired of it.
next year, maybe...?
cargo cindy? :) we'll see...