Cloud Ridge Naturalists 2 0 0 6 | ||||
King Penguin beaching, photo Audrey Benedict | ||||
The Ultimate Expedition Voyage: Australia & New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands & the East Antarctic Home of the Emperor Penguin | ||||
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HOME PAGE / INTRODUCTION 2006 OF TIGER WALLS & CANYON WRENS: A Naturalist's Journey on the Yampa & Green Rivers IMAGES OF WILDERNESS: Glacier Bay & the Inian Islands aboard the MV Catalyst ISLAND WORLDS: Expedition from the Scottish Isles to Iceland aboard the Clipper Adventurer GLACIERS, ISLANDS & FJORDS: An Expedition from Iceland to Greenland aboard the Clipper Adventurer OF FOG LARKS & SEA QUAIL: Sea Birds at Risk in a Changing World THE ULTIMATE EXPEDITION VOYAGE: Australia & New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands and the East Antarctic Home of the Emperor Penguins |
December 4 29, 2006 Ship Nights: 24 Leaders: Dr. Dee Boersma, Audrey Benedict, and the Expedition Leaders of the Spirit of Enderby To explore the magnificent wilderness world of the Subantarctic Islands and the East Antarctic, we must leave typical cruise routes far behind us. Snug aboard our 48-passenger, ice-strengthened and comfortable research ship, the Spirit of Enderby, we’ll follow in the wake of some legendary Antarctic explorers Cook, Mawson, Shackleton, Ross, and Dumont d’Urville. We begin our expedition voyage in Dunedin, New Zealand sailing south along the dramatic South Island coast to a rendezvous with some of the most spectacular scenery and wildlife imaginable. Our own voyage of discovery will take us deep into the oceanic realm of the wind birdsthe albatrosses, petrels, storm-petrels, prions, and fulmars. In fact, the chain of islands that make up the subantarctic archipelago including Australia’s Macquarie Island and New Zealand’s Snares, Aucklands, and Campbell islands teem with the greatest diversity of seabirds on earth. Though scenically similar to much-visited South Georgia, these gemlike, emerald-hued islands are all World Heritage Sites and landing permits are limited to just a couple hundred people a year. Adelie penguins nesting ,photo Audrey Benedict The unique natural history of the Subantarctic islands reflects the geologic dramas and evolutionary changes that have shaped them over millions of years. Nowhere else can you see seven species of penguins, several of them (such as the royal penguin) endemic to these waters, seven species of albatross (including a breeding colony of the largest of all seabirds, the southern royal albatross), nearly thirty other species of tubenose seabirds, as well as parakeets, tomtits, bellbirds, and a menagerie of other land birds. Most of these species will be nesting amidst a floral display as spectacular as any on earth! In addition to the birds and flowers, marine mammalssuch as the rare Hookers sea lion, southern elephant seals, New Zealand fur seals, leopard seals, hourglass dolphins, and several species of whaleswill provide photographers with frame-filling images and treasured memories. King Penguin quartet, photo Audrey Benedict Our expedition will spend nearly a week exploring the East Antarctic coastline, visiting polar ice cap glaciers, Mawson’s Hut at Cape Denison, Terra Adélie (site of the world’s largest Adélie penguin colony), the famous emperor penguin colony at Dumont d’Urville, and the South Magnetic Pole. For many of us, the chance to see first-hand the exquisite beauty and wildlife of the Southern Ocean fulfills a lifelong dream. For others, the highlight of the voyage may well be our landfall on the stark, ice-bound splendor of the East Antarctic mainland and the exploration history celebrated by our visit to the South Magnetic Pole. For those smitten by penguinophilia, the opportunity to spend time in the incredible Emperor and Adélie penguin colonies made famous by the French film March of the Penguins is the only temptation needed to justify joining this magical expedition to the ends of the earth! Cloud Ridge Group Size: 12 Price: Main Deck Cabin: $11,082. Superior Cabin: $12,780 Superior Plus Cabin: $13,965. Special Note: Our New Zealand-based expedition outfitter, Heritage Expeditions, accepts credit card payments for deposits only. If you wish to make other trip payments by credit card, Heritage imposes a surcharge of 3% for processing credit card payments. For more information and pictures of the Spirit of Enderby, its cabins and amenities, we encourage you to visit their website: |
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Contact:
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Cloud Ridge Naturalists 8297 Overland Road Ward Colorado 80481 email > cloudridgeadb@earthlink.net |
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