As a certified photo instructor, David Cothran knows how to get the shot. He just returned from expeditions in Europe and is newly energized by the continent and its richly varied offerings, which he believes are best viewed through the lens.
Today was our last day in the western realm, and we spent it on Isabela, the largest island. Isabela has an interesting seahorse shape due to the five volcanoes that joined at their bases to form the island. Our morning was very special because we saw our first Galapagos giant tortoises! We observed females at Urbina Bay, where Alcedo giant tortoises come to nest. We also saw some juveniles right on our path. Besides tortoises, we saw sea turtles mating, yellow land iguanas, and various land birds, including finches and hawks. It was a spectacular morning! Our afternoon was spent at a famous anchorage, Tagus Cove. We explored the cove by kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling, and Zodiac tours. We went for a hike to the top of Darwin Lake. It was another magical day in paradise!
Perhaps part of the reason we travel is for the feelings of accomplishment and reward when we overcome unforeseen obstacles and challenges. Well, we ought to feel mightily accomplished at this point, as most of us had more than our share of epic challenges just to get to Dunedin, New Zealand to embark on National Geographic Endurance as we begin our Epic Antarctic voyage. Delayed flights, lost luggage, and flooding in Auckland affected most of us, requiring a delay in our departure from the city pier. But challenge can become an opportunity, and those who were able to embark last night had some “town time,” a chance to explore this important and picturesque city on the southeast coast of New Zealand’s South Island. We slipped lines and set sail within minutes after the last of our guests were aboard, and we headed for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the New Zealand/Australian Subantarctic Islands.
This morning, we visited Fernandina Island, the youngest and westernmost island of the Galapagos. We stopped at Espinosa Point and walked along the shore on lava flows and black sand. We observed lots of marine iguanas, playful baby sea lions, Galapagos hawks, herons, and lava lizards. The iguanas displayed territorial behavior, some of them even bleeding from the ongoing fighting during this season. After our walk, we returned to the ship to get into our wetsuits. We enjoyed snorkeling along the coast, where we had the opportunity to observe tropical fish, Galapagos penguins, and sea lions. In the afternoon, National Geographic Endeavour II dropped anchor at Vicente Roca Point, located northwest of Isabela Island. Here we had an amazing time observing endemic wildlife and various geological features along the coast. We found marine iguanas, penguins on the rocks, Galapagos fur seals, and blue-footed boobies. We also got very close to a colony of flightless cormorants, one of the best examples of adaptive behavior in the Galapagos. We also observed many sea turtles in the shallow water; they were ready for our cameras! Back on board, the captain took us to the north. As we crossed the equatorial line, we celebrated with a wine tasting on the sundeck. We all had a wonderful time!
Today began with an early breakfast while the ship was moored in Torrent Bay in Abel Tasman National Park at the top of South Island. Departing on Zodiacs, we joined a local operator to explore the beautiful coastal park. Abel Tasman is usually known for turquoise water, sandy beaches, and warm sun. We experienced the tail end of a big rainstorm that dropped a summer’s worth of rain in one day on the northern part of New Zealand. As we began our walks through the forest of the park, the rain subsided, giving us an accurate experience of New Zealand’s temperate coastal forests! Abel Tasman is a recovering ecosystem after deforestation led to most of the ancient kahikatea and tōtara forests to be felled. Our walk took us through a mature kānuka forest with large groves of silver ferns called ponga. Our guides showed us how the forest is recovering with secondary canopy trees like rimu. Alongside the ponga groves were swathes of kawakawa, an important shrub for the Maori who used it in all sorts of applications because of its medicinal properties. Some bolder members of the group even copied the kererū and ate the kawakawa fruit, which has herby orange flesh. Arriving back at Torrent Bay, we split into groups to wander the stunning beachfront and swim in the warm water. We were welcomed back aboard with an incredible feast of pizza and other scrumptious, well-earned food after the morning walk. With the anchor pulled, National Geographic Orion set off to reach the town of Napier on the East Coast. Our route took us into the Cook Strait between the North and South Islands, which was astoundingly calm and mirror flat. As we cut through the still waters, Tua Pittman, the ship’s Cultural Navigator, regaled us with stories of amazing ocean voyages aboard traditional double-hulled wakas. The history of these incredible canoes is full of traditions and designs, and the canoes once sailed across this wild stretch of water in the Cook Strait.
Today was the first full day of our expedition. We started the morning by exploring one of the largest nesting grounds for magnificent frigatebirds in the Galapagos. Frigates nest in these grounds all year, and blue-footed boobies and yellow land iguanas also live and breed here. We walked along the palo santo dry forest as we learned more about various creatures and the ecology of the island. We had our first sightings of lava lizards, small reptiles found on most of the islands in the archipelago. We observed swallow-tailed gulls nesting near the rocks by the beach. Our guests were very surprised by the tameness of the wildlife; it is easy to photograph animals here. The afternoon started with our first water activities on Rabida Island, which included deep-water snorkeling for experienced guests. A refresher was offered so those who had not snorkeled in a long time could also enjoy the marvelous underwater world. This island offers a wide variety of fish and an incredible beach, one of the few red sand beaches in the world. Behind the beach, a lagoon is a nesting place for flamingos. Flamingos were a highlight of the day, but we can’t forget about the most popular animal in the Galapagos: sea lions. Today, our guests learned to differentiate seals from sea lions as we observed many on the beach and while snorkeling. Today was full of wildlife and knowledge! What a great way to start our expedition!
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