Dominica, a rugged and little-known Caribbean nation, is home to soaring rainforests, towering volcanoes, friendly indigenous people, and a rich history.
Veteran historian Tom Heffernan joins many of our Caribbean voyages aboard Sea Cloud. Here, he shares some engaging historical and cultural insights revealed on this incredible journey.
After sailing north, sunrise found National Geographic Quest dropping anchor at Peninsula de Santa Elena. This is the oldest territory of Costa Rica, geologically speaking, and an iconic place where oceanic crust is exposed. We enjoyed the most stunning landscapes. Nurse sharks showed up on our way to Playa Matapalito, where the tilted stratos are evidence of uplifting by tectonic plate action where the forest meets the turquoise waters. We hiked through the dry forest of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Some guests kayaked through the bay. The Tora Carey organization shared about their work for turtle conservation. In the afternoon, snorkeling was an amazing experience. We saw large schools of diverse fish, including parrotfish, king angelfish, Cortez rainbow wrasses, and a sea turtle. Such amazing observations can make our explorers emotional. Cristian Zuniga from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste joined us for dinner and lectured about the organization’s goals and accomplishments. Tomorrow is sure to be another great day.
Today, we are in Gisborne, where Captain James Cook first landed in New Zealand in 1769 with his ship, the Endeavour . Guests had several options throughout the day. Some decided to spend the morning at the Eastwood Hill Arboretum, a park dedicated to the preservation of over 2,300 species of trees and plants from 81 different countries. The mission statement of the arboretum is to protect and preserve threatened and endangered species of plants from all over the world. Other guests chose to spend their morning or afternoon on the traditional Maori waka, named Tairawhiti . Guests took turns standing at the helm and actually sailed the canoe out into the bay to learn about life aboard a traditional Maori sailing craft. Cultural guides Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, Tua Pittman, Jennifer Kingsley, and Hironui Bouit joined in to help guests understand the challenges and rewards of open ocean navigation aboard a traditional waka. Still other guests enjoyed visiting a sheep station run by fifth-generation sheep farmers at Waipura Station. Matt Maclaurin shared his knowledge about everything sheep, including how to feed and steer sheep and how his dogs herd them. He answered many questions relating to the sheep business. We had a lovely tea with ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Air Corps) with biscuits at the Maclaurin family household, built in 1903. The final event on offer was a tour of the Bushmere Estate Winery, where guests were treated to seven or eight wonderful wines with a lovely antipasto platter. Guests learned all about the advantages and challenges of growing wine grapes from owner David Shona. After the tastings, guests toured the vineyards. They walked amongst the various varietals and got an up-close and personal look at the wine making process.
This morning, we started our day by sailing from the Weddell Sea to the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula to our afternoon destination at Neko Harbour. So often our guests think of sailing time as downtime. However, National Geographic Resolution is one of our most important tools of exploration, a way for us to explore our surrounding waters. This was evident when we ran into a pod of killer whales that we watched for a half hour. After lunch, the weather turned more exciting, and we found ourselves exploring the gentoo penguin colonies at Neko Harbour by foot and Zodiac. The weather added to the sense of exploration, and the visual impact was both surreal and mesmerizing.
This morning’s fog and swell conspired to make it a great day for parlour activities. We saw many guests reading or engaged in games of cards, Scrabble, and the like. We also had some talks planned. First off, Tiphanie May spoke on the weird and wonderful creatures of the sea while recounting her earlier years as a Fisheries Observer on commercial fishing ships in the waters of the Falklands! While involved in observing these ships for compliance, she saw the deepest dwelling fish in the sea (the snailfish), giant squid, and fish that have absolutely no haemoglobin in their blood (the icefish)! Shortly after Tiphanie’s talk, a pod of pilot whales were briefly spotted from the bow, a new species for this expedition! Our next presenter was Conor Ryan who spoke on, “The Smell of the Sea.” Conor educated us on the actual source of the smell (dimethyl sulfide). He gave us insights into original research he’s doing on why the release of this compound by diatoms has implications for the successful feeding of whales, and he even coached us on how to pass through airport security without any liquids! You just don’t get talks with that breadth anywhere else! Throughout the afternoon, the staff worked with guests to complete maps of our travels, fill in wildlife lists, and help to spot one or two more species from the bridge. Our hotel staff was busy preparing for our final wine and cheese tasting followed by the captain’s farewell dinner aboard National Geographic Endurance. It has been an amazing journey. Many new acquaintances turned into good friends, and guests are busy gathering contact info before their fellow travellers scatter, once again, to the four corners of the Earth.
On the first day of our exploration of the Northern Pacific region of Costa Rica, we visited Playa Celestia, a remote, pristine beach in the middle of a lush dry forest. One of our naturalists hosted a walk through the forest, full of green colors as the rainy season is ending. We learned about the importance of preserving what is considered one of the last remnants of the tropical dry forest on the Pacific. Some guests chose to play with paddleboards or take a swim. They appreciated the scenery of forests, cliffs, and caves carved by water through rock fissures and created by tectonic plate action. In the afternoon, we went kayaking or on Zodiac cruises through the magnificent mangroves. Swimming in the warm waters at Huevos Bay, a wonderful sunset, and an interesting recap all made for a perfect ending to an incredible journey.
