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The AIVIQ took a 'rest' day today as weather made any operations near the station impossible.
As Macquarie Island Research Station is located on a narrow isthmus between two land masses it funnels the gale force westerly winds off the Southern Ocean, and directly at anything sitting in Buckles Bay on the eastern side of the station. Lately, that has us.
As a result, we maneuvered up and down the east coast which gave us an ever-changing view of this remarkable place.
We saw thousands of Royal Penguins perched impossibly high on the hills and watched on as individuals navigated the almost vertical rock cliffs to get to and from the sea to their colonies. We observed snow squalls driven by 45-50 knot winds come tearing over the peaks, down and then out across the sea buffeting the ship, and whipping up mini-tornados.
We also experienced the 'best Aurora ever seen' last night. We won't try and describe it as it's impossible to do it justice with clumsy superlatives.
Hopefully, the weather will ease in the morning as forecasted and we'll be able to continue our work here
REGARDS: Simon and Matt
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.