This is my last full day in Queenstown and it is a lovely day. I am almost recovered from my experience with Covid – just a little bit of a stuffy nose, but I feel like I am pretty much back to normal. There is little wind and the sky is blue. I caught the…
The Heritage Adventurer returned to the Port of Bluff at a quick pace to get there before forecast gale force winds. We docked on the high tide at around midnight andI have to say that it was much easier to sleep at a calm mooring rather than on the rough sea earlier in the night.…
It’s a long between places in this area of the ocean. To reach Macquarie Island from the Auckland islands, it took a day and a night of sailing. It took a similar period to get from Macquarie Island (my last post) to Campbell island. It is now taking us in another 36 hours to return…
Over the last few days, we have been at Macquarie Island, deep in the Southern Ocean . On the island is an Antarctic research station and Australian weather station, Of all things, there is a Telstra mobile phone tower. Because of Covid regulations, we were not allied to visit the base but we had plenty…
We have spent the last two days on the second of the Sub-Antarctic Islands on this trip – Auckland Islands. We are at around 50 degrees south – a much higher level of latitude than Antarctica but still s long way south. Our first stop at these islands was Enderbee Island, the subject of my…
We cleared immigration and sailed last night from the Port of Bluff on the Heritage Adventurer. Strong south westerly winds created large seas and the ship rocked and rolled all night By midday today they had mellowed and are now quite flat. For me, w we see alking is a bit like having Parkinson’s –…
After Yesterday’s wet weather, today was fine, and a t times, even sunny. Having rented a car I was able to drive over the rather spectacular Crown Range to Wānaka with my friend Michael. We stopped in many places to take photographs or just to appreciate the local scenery. For a distance where the road…
Today I am starting a new adventure – one that takes in a number of sub-Antarctic Islands in the Southern Ocean. I will board a ship that departs from the port of Bluff at the southernmost point in New Zealand on a tour that will take 12 days to visit some remarkably scenic places that…
It was an arduous and long trip home from Singapore yesterday and we are very happy to be back in our own home again. Jill was discharged from the Ng Teng Fong Hospital in Singapore on Saturday, after we started planning a week ago for her to be ready to come home. She had her…
It’s raining again this morning so I’m staying in my hotel room catching up with some emails and the events of the last few days. (Same scenery from my hotel window in this photo, but a different atmosphere). This afternoon, as usual, I’ll catch a taxii to the hospital and spend the afternoon with Jill.…
I have found a pattern that I use for my daily activities here in Singapore. It’s convenient and keeps me active. In the mornings, I wash some socks and undies while I shower. They take days to dry in this humid weather and I have even resorted to ironing them so that they dry. I…
Yesterday, I had a much shorter walk around Arab Street (the Muslim section of Singapore) than my previous day’s walk around China Town. I took a taxi to the Malay Heritage Centre, where I started my walk. Built in 1840 by Sultan Ali, this palace, named Istana Kampong Gelam, was once the royal seat of…