This morning we awoke in the stunning and still surroundings of Neko Harbour. The strong winds that were buffeting the more exposed regions of the Peninsula were dampened here, the stately mountaintops and dusky snow clouds enveloping National Geographic Orion as we disembarked and jumped into the Zodiacs ready to be shuttled the short distance to shore.
A familiar welcome party of Gentoo penguins were on shore, strewn out along the narrow pebble beach and zipping through the shallow waters. As we shuffled out of the Zodiacs Tim gave us a helpful orientation to the site—behind the landing site was a vast glacier, above us was a steep snow slope and all around us were the ever characterful penguins. The majority of us decided to take the opportunity to walk to the top of the snow slope. This allowed us not only to enjoy the expansive view of Neko Harbour from a higher vantage point, but also to enjoy the easy way down—sliding! Adam very gallantly took the role as ‘slide tester’ and found us a much more gratifying route down than the trek up.
Once we had slipped, slithered, glided, or more simply bumped our way down the slope there were Zodiacs waiting to take us on a tour around expansive Neko Harbour. Driving amongst the icebergs and the brash ice while surrounded by towering mountain borders, we were able to appreciate the immense scale and splendour of where we were. And if the scenery wasn’t enough to leave us astounded, a number of humpback whales graced us with their presence. They were travelling and feeding at the surface. Yesterday we thought we had seen it all, yet here we were again—revelling in a grand display of nature as these huge animals lunged up and out of the water with their gargantuan mouths’ agape.
It was a chore to tear ourselves away from the humpbacks, but their direction of travel out of Neko Harbour was the opposite of ours. We were staying in Neko Harbour for the afternoon and in fact we were heading deeper inside. The reason being a magnificent sheltered bay surrounded by colossal glaciers and ice cliffs. It was the perfect spot for a unique kayaking experience.
While kayaking around the bay we heard and saw ice cliffs calving in the distance and avalanches of snow and ice cascading from high above. Crabeater seals were hauled out on some of the larger pieces of ice and a few people were fortunate enough to spot minke whales. It was hard to fathom where we were, what we were doing, and what we were seeing. It was certainly becoming a special and unforgettable day.
Of course an unforgettable day on board National Geographic Orion always involves some wonderful surprises from the hotel team. While kayaking we were stopped in our paddling strokes by Sam, Maureen, and Kevin who approached in a Zodiac with offerings of hot salted caramel tea. Topped with marshmallows and cream it was a winter warmer to savour as the sugary heat spread to the very tips of our chilled fingers.
That was not the only surprise the hotel team had for us today. This evening as we made our way down to dinner we entered a dining room that had been transformed into an ice cave. Tonight was our “Blue Ice” dinner and despite the chilly title, we were filled with more warm and delicious delights from the galley team. Looking back to our early morning start, it was hard to believe everything we had seen, done, and experienced today. It was a day to remember.
