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After a pretty rough afternoon in the Southern Ocean, the seas abated and the winds backed off allowing for a comfortable nights rest for all aboard. Most people were up early in anticipation of our arrival in Dunedin and were greeted by a spectacular sunrise and a becalmed sea.
New Zealand put on a great show of its natural beauty for our arrival, with snow capped mountains and green hills stretching far and wide.
The Pilot board the Aurora at 1100 and we began a very cautious pilotage into Port Chalmers, Dunedin's main port facility. On the way in we passed old concrete gun emplacements, which were constructed during the Cold War to defend against a perceived Soviet threat. The scenery on the way in was spectacular along the dredged channel with hills rising out of the water either side of the ship. There was also a number of seals spotted along the sandy beaches and sandbars that appeared along our course.
By 1215 we were all fast alongside the Beach St Wharf, which is mainly used for the export of wood chips and logs as well as a large number of cruise ships. Apparently last year there were 80 cruise ship visits to Dunedin, with an average of around 1500 passengers on each. This many people injects a significant amount of money into the local economy. By about 1400 it was time for the 94 members of the crew and expeditioners of the Aurora Australis to inject some further currency into the NZ economy. It was a bit a stampede down the gangway as all aboard endeavoured to get ashore at the first available opportunity and take advantage of the limited time available in Dunedin.
You can stop reading here if you aren't interested in the dessert ramblings:
The day off the tools worked well for Chef as he made his come back with a dessert of biblical proportions! Wait for it......Apple and Pine Nut Strudel. Once again exacting and intricate presentation was the order of the day with long lines of lightly sugar dusted wholesome pastry enveloped fruit goodness laid out with military like precision. Food looking this good must be healthy!
The pastry was just thick enough to keep the warm apple interior in place and provided little resistance to the dessert spoon as it broke the surface to reveal an equally impressive array of precision cut apples enveloped in a finely balance sauce. The taste was magnificent and the addition of pine nuts was a master-stroke of culinary brilliance. Although initially dubious about the choice of such an ingredient, once it graced the palette all doubt was cast aside. Once again Chef has proven to be a wizard with the whisk a raconteur with roller and dastardly with the sugar duster. Well done once more mon ami!
Navy term of the day:
Belay - term meaning fix (rope usually) around a cleat, pin etc to secure it or in the context of a radio transmission 'disregard'.
Regards
Rob and Andy
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.