Pittwater Life November 2023 Issue

CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE: Four days from civilisation; the Northern Lights;
we made it – only 168 times has any ship reached 90 degrees North; crushing
through the ice – “it’s an out-of-body experience”; snug on an icy expedition
within sight of Le Commandant Charcot; the “friendly” Polar Bear that managed
to sniff out our cruise party from its home two kilometres away!
happened; the expedition team started
ushering us back onboard, saying they
needed to pack up. However, it was
revealed a polar bear from around two
kilometres away was making its way to
the ship.
We watched as the most magnificent
animal I have ever seen in the wild
walked across the icy expanse to
our ship. The bear had smelled our
footprints in the snow and was probably
thinking “how I am going to eat these
people”. (Actually, it probably smelled
the amazing French cuisine onboard that
was being cooked for our dinner.) The
Polar Bear stayed around for an hour,
which enabled us to just sit and observe
this beautiful creature.
We remained parked on the ice sheet
overnight before the expedition team
went out the next morning, scouting to
make sure there were no Polar Bears still
hanging around. The expedition team
set up a guarded perimeter around the
ship so that we could explore. On the
day’s agenda was more fun on the ice
– and the ‘Polar plunge’, an incredible,
exhilarating experience.
We left the North Pole that afternoon;
there was some sadness in knowing that
we possibly would never return and that
Lights, cameras, action!
quite possibly in years to come this ice
sheet will be gone… along with the Polar
Bears that call this place home.
Captain Patrick was quick to lift our
spirits, telling us the second half of
the cruise was going to be every bit as
exciting. We headed back to Svalbard for
three days and over to East Greenland.
In Svalbard, we visited Ny-Alesund, a
research town where Amundsen and
his men left in their airship to reach the
North Pole. We cruised in Zodiacs up
close and personal to Lilliehook Glacier,
where we could hear the cracking and
rumble of the glacier sliding into the
sea (also known as ‘carving’). The blues,
whites and greys of the landscapes
were so enchanting it was difficult to
stop taking more and more photos. We
saw more Polar Bears on land from our
Zodiacs (not too close). One morning
when we awoke there was so much fog
that we got in the Zodiac and seconds
later could not even see the ship
(although we did see a group of walruses
which came close to us in the ocean).
Last stop was Ittoqqortoormiit, one
of the remotest towns on the planet
in East Greenland inhabited by Inuit
people. Some of the guests went for a
four-hour hike with the expedition team.
(Everywhere we stopped on land you had
an option of hiking or possibly kayaking,
depending on the weather.)
Then we journeyed back to Iceland,
cruising past beautiful icebergs with the
sun setting. That evening at 11.30pm,
when most of us were asleep, the
captain announced over the loudspeaker
that the Northern Lights were out and
putting on a show! Jumping out of bed,
we quickly dressed and raced outside to
watch a mesmerising two-hour show of
the Northern Lights. What a way to end
the cruise!
After one more day at sea we arrived
in Iceland to start our land adventure.
Be warned: once you visit the world’s
polar regions you will want to keep
going back for more – the polar areas
are captivating, and so integral to what
keeps humans alive, and the planet’s
environments balanced.
*The author would like to thank Ponant
for the opportunity to experience the
world’s first luxurious Ice Breaker and
its journey of exploration through the
polar regions. For more information on
the Le Commandant North Pole trips,
or any of the polar regions, call Travel
View Avalon on 9973 4444. We would
love to help!
Travel Life
the team on 9918 4444
The Local Voice Since 1991
NOVEMBER 2023 81