With the one-year anniversary of our expedition to Campbell Island upon us, I have dragged out the video tapes and taken a trip down memory lane. One video that I know many of you were hoping to see was of our trip down to the island – charging through the raging seas of the roaring forties and furious fifties. Who can forget the excitement of the departure, with this being the first sojourn for the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessels (...
THE JOURNEY
Getting There & Back
Shelley McMurtrie
12 Dec 2011 - 18:00
CIBE Team
Carla Meurk
14 Feb 2011 - 19:19
In the final days of the CIBE I was kept busy engaging with the tourists aboard the Spirit of Enderby, other CIBE team members tidied up fieldwork and Steve C. boarded up the windows of the Met Service building, our home for the past 9 weeks, to protect the glass panes from storm damage as the Island will be uninhabited by people until next summer. Having loved my time on Campbell I was not looking forward to ‘normal’ life; I contemplated with dread having to check my email and...
Shelley McMurtrie
9 Dec 2010 - 10:25
CIBE Team
-SMcM.jpg "'Wellington' whisk Kevin Stinson and XO Layman with DOC staff Pete and Dave checking the gear manifest list")
-SMcM.jpg "The HMNZS Wellington in harbour at Bluff")
-SMcM.jpg "On the bridge of the Wellington")
-SMcM.jpg "My home for the trip to Campbell Island – very cosy")
-SMcM.jpg "We're on our way, with the Otago ready to follow")
-SMcM.jpg "The Harbour Master leaving the Wellington as we depart Bluff harbour")
-SMcM.jpg "My first view of the southern ocean as we come into the lee of Campbell Island")
It is a funny thing but the one topic of conversation on a ship heading to the Subantarctics isn’t about the splendor of your destination but about whether or not you will be bringing up your lunch on the way down. Thanks to a work Christmas function on my last night in Christchurch I had plenty of gory seasick disaster stories (thanks Dave!) vying for attention in my mind to keep my immediate future ripe with technicolour possibilities…
Of course in usual style we...
Mark Crompton
8 Dec 2010 - 20:35
We sailed from Bluff at 21.30 NZDT on Monday 06 December 2010 aboard the HMNZS Wellington. The Campbell Island Bicentennial Expedition was underway after a gestation period of nearly five years. As we entered Foveaux Strait I retired to my bunk where I remained for the entire voyage apart from one brief foray up to the bridge. My impression of the Southern Ocean was that there is a lot of it.
The forbidding coast of Campbell Island was sighted at first light on Wednesday 08...
Alex James
8 Dec 2010 - 13:30
After a busy morning of loading all and sundry onto the HMNZS Wellington we finally left Bluff Harbour at 8 p.m. on Monday December 6th, heading into relatively calm seas. Armed with both Sealegs tablets and ‘natural’ ginger anti-nausea pills I was hopeful although a little apprehensive on my sea sickness potential.
Over that night from the tight confines of my allocated bunk of adequate length but miniscule headroom I could feel the seas becoming angry. I kept taking...
Shelley McMurtrie
6 Dec 2010 - 20:30
CIBE Team
On the day of their departure, Sarah Bedford (Cue TV) interviewed Shelley McMurtrie (Expedition Coordinator) about the upcoming expedition to Campbell Island. Sarah wanted to know about the research, but more importantly, what the team was going to crave while on this remote island for 9 weeks.
[Shelley McMurtrie]
Shelley McMurtrie
6 Dec 2010 - 14:30
CIBE Team
-SMcM.jpg "The main store room where the food is put into bins and gear arranged")
-SMcM.jpg "Packing the food so that each bin is about 20kg - saves any stuffed backs during the loading/unloading")
-SMcM.jpg "It looks like a mess but there's a method there somewhere!")
-SMcM.jpg "Teir two of the quarantine process - packing gear in the quarantine room")
-SMcM.jpg "Loading up the trucks. Thank god for Gilly and the wee forklift!")
-SMcM.jpg "Anyone know where the nearest petrol station is?")
-SMcM.jpg "Cheryl from DOC cleaning the wheels of the trailer")
-SMcM.jpg "The final gear to be loaded - Alex Fergus' insect nets")
It's 3pm on Monday (6th Dec) and in around five hours we will be on the HMNZS Wellington making our way to Campbell Island. Just enough time then to get some photos loaded and write a quick blog! Sorry but I didn't manage to get a video clip together (gave up editing around 11pm last night).
So lets backtrack to last Friday...
Alex James, Mark Crompton, and I flew down to Invercargill on Friday (3rd Dec) while Colin and co. had driven down the previous day....
Shelley McMurtrie
5 Dec 2010 - 16:30
CIBE Team
Alex J, Mark C, and I arrived early Friday arvo and there was no time to waste; we were thrown right into the thick of the quarantine process. I must say, there's nothing like spending time in a warehouse with the bright sun overhead to help acclimatise for Campbell Island - was more suited to preparing for humid tropical rainforests! Can you believe it, Invercargill was in the mid-to-high twenties.
By the time Sunday arvo rolled around we were all done, and only a couple of...
Shelley McMurtrie
3 Dec 2010 - 14:35
CIBE Team
-SMcM.jpg "Erron Henderson (Manager of EOS) showing Alex and Shelley how to use the satellite phone - it works!")
-SMcM.jpg "Amber and Michelle from EOS loading up the van - good tetris packing skills")
-SMcM.jpg "Colin helping to load the most important item - the generator!")
-SMcM.jpg "Shelley having a photo shoot with The Press photographer while the EOS crew work hard in the background")
-SMcM.jpg "Alex J with a load for the trailer")
-SMcM.jpg "Nick from EOS loading up the trailer")
-SMcM.jpg "Waving goodbye - only an 8hr drive with a full van and trailer Colin!")
Wednesday dawned and the calmness of the day was broken by the sound of packing tape and the click of the camera shutter. The big packup day had arrived and we looked at the van and small trailer and wished we had ordered up the Tardis instead. But the 'Tetris' packing skills of team EOS were impressive as boxes were crammed into the smallest spaces. It should be said that Colin and I managed to get out of some of the packing when we were interviewed by The Press' environmental...
Shelley McMurtrie
30 Nov 2010 - 15:30
-SMcM.jpg "Amber from EOS and CIBE member Carla packing the gear - this all has to fit in the van and trailer!")
-SMcM.jpg "Michelle from EOS recording important info")
-SMcM.jpg "Alex J from EOS marking his gear")
-SMcM.jpg "Michelle and Amber from EOS doing more labelling")
-SMcM.jpg "Amber from EOS packing up our sample pottles")
The team at EOS Ecology spent another day packing up the gear for the Campbell Island expedition. Under a sea of pottles, tape, and boxes they did a fantastic job cleaning, packing, and labelling everyone's gear. Thanks guys - a stellar effort considering most of you aren't even going to the island! We all appreciate your hard work and on-going support of this project!
[Shelley McMurtrie]
Shelley McMurtrie
26 Nov 2010 - 15:25
-SMcM.jpg "Nick making sure the generator is ready for transporting to the island.")
-SMcM.jpg "Nick from EOS Ecology has spent the last month making sure that the generator is fault-free and ready to go!")
-SMcM.jpg "Michelle has been a great help to us. As a volunteer at EOS Ecology she has dedicated her time to getting supplies for the expedition.")
-SMcM.jpg "Michelle showing off her packing skills. We will at least not be short of two-minute noodles and mellow puffs - nutrition is key!")
-SMcM.jpg "Shelley checking out the first aid kits supplied and sponsored by Survival Kit Company - thanks Karen, these are fantastic!")
-SMcM.jpg "Amber from EOS taping up more boxes - will it ever end?")
-SMcM.jpg "Amber making sure the coffee and equipment sponsored by the great team at C4 Coffee is packed safely")
-SMcM.jpg "Erron from EOS performing a test on the BGan Explorer 700 satellite phone which has kindly been loaned for free from Wright Satellite Connections")
Well it has been a while since my last blog but I have a decent excuse - with the expedition mere days away I have been tied up getting all the gear ready. You would not want to see the lounge right now - camera and video gear all over the place! The staff at EOS Ecology (our largest corporate sponsor) have been a life saver, with many of the team helping get all the food and general supplies together for the 9 week expedition. Erron Henderson (the Manager) has taken over as the 'go-to...
Shelley McMurtrie
13 Nov 2010 - 12:15
CIBE Team
9 weeks on a remote island with no power or supermarket means it's a good idea to trial the food first. Having worked through our nutritional requirements, Suzanne Henderson (SJ Consulting) developed our menu and shopping list. She also thought it a good idea to come over and demonstrate how to cook a couple of the evening meals. This time it was the fish pie - you might be able to tell we quite liked it.
[Shelley McMurtrie]
Shelley McMurtrie
6 Nov 2010 - 17:15
-SMcM_0.jpg "Chef Suzanne starting on her fish pie recipe featuring our supporters products (Watties and BCC)")
-SMcM_0.jpg "Chef Suzanne making up the mashed potatoes")
-SMcM.jpg "The fish pie into the oven - yum")
.jpg "Shelley ripping into cutting those onions for the lasagna")
-SMcM_0.jpg "Dehydrated beef - just add water!")
-SMcM_0.jpg "Suzanne and Colin cooking up a storm")
-SMcM_0.jpg "Adding the cooked mince and veges to the lasagna")
With a 9 week expedition on a remote island with no power and no supermarket to pop into (closest on being 700km away!), finding food that will last but taste nice and be nutritional seemed like a tall order. So Chef consultant Suzanne Henderson came to the rescue to sort out our food order and develop some specialised menus with an eye for nutrition and quick/easy cooking (something that any of us could cook up on the gas hob and diesel oven). I think if Suz knew how much work was...
Shelley McMurtrie
6 Nov 2010 - 09:59
.jpg "Shelley, Alex, Steve trying on the freebies from swazi while checking out the catalogue for other stuff to buy... Alex, look at the catalog!")
.jpg "Alex and Steve checking out the swazi catalogue.")
.jpg "Colin trying out the jacket - no way the rain would touch him in this getup!")
Two boxes of goodies turned up the other day so there was excitement all around when we opened them up to check out the range. The Swazi guys had sent us different sizes of the jackets and tops they are giving us as well as a range of other items that they thought we would find useful. Time for a fashion show! We will try these on to get the final sizing back to Swazi for our freebies and an order for any other gear at cost price.
In fact I have got their tops on now and...
Shelley McMurtrie
30 Oct 2010 - 13:24
As we get ever closer to our departure date things are starting to ramp up (or possibly unravel!) in the organisation and logistics department. With so much equipment to organise and media output agreements to finalise I was delighted to get a call from a Michelle Beritzhoff with the offer of a helping hand. Michelle is a recent MSc graduate (marine, Otago University) who is now in Christchurch and has offered to help us any way she can with our preparation. I am sure that we will...
Shelley McMurtrie
29 Oct 2010 - 19:41
A trip to Wellington's national museum, Te Papa, for the EIANZ conference gave me the perfect opportunity to catch up with some people for the Campbell Island expedition....
Given this perfect conference location I managed to catch up with the team at Te Papa about a possible one-year exhibition there in 2012, and to make sure that any specimens we are bringing back will be good to use in this as well. Lots of exciting talks were had and even looked into options...
Shelley McMurtrie
5 Oct 2010 - 22:25
The evening of the 24th September couldn’t have been better if you had ordered it off a menu. The clock ticked over to 5pm and one of those beautiful spring evenings unfolded, with the wind dropping to a murmur and the warm night air refreshingly sweet. The setting at Peter and Annabel’s house near Tai Tapu was picture-perfect, with Annabel's stunning sculptures and paintings off-set against the rural setting outside. We had a good bunch of helpers to keep the night running...
Shelley McMurtrie
30 Sep 2010 - 22:26
Getting to Campbell Island is not as simple as jumping on a boat. The island is a World Heritage site that is protected against people running wild around the island. These meetings between the Department of Conservation and the Campbell Island Bicentennial Expedition team helps us to work through our research permits and iron out the logistical details. Details, details, the devil is in the details.
[Shelley McMurtrie]
Shelley McMurtrie
10 Sep 2010 - 22:19
When I went to bed on Friday night (3rd September) I was thinking about the productive weekend I would have getting everything organised for the upcoming CIBE support function (planned for 11th September). Little did I know that at 4.30am I would be leaping out of bed to shelter under the bedroom doorway in pitch black and the world seemingly falling down around us. We were so lucky in that the house seemed structurally ok, but loss of power, fallen furniture, smashed items, and a massive...
Shelley McMurtrie
5 Sep 2010 - 15:57
After angsting over the food list for the expedition I had a passing chat with a friend (who also happens to be my partner's sister) about our woes. As a chef she was excited about the prospect of working out a healthy, high energy, low sodium menu for us. So with a sigh of relief I thankfully passed over the task of organising the food to Suzanne. Since that time she has been meeting with suppliers, trialling products, and making and testing out full-proof recipes.
I am...
Shelley McMurtrie
31 Aug 2010 - 22:42
The 50º South Trust is having an invite-only support function on the evening of the 24th September 2010.
Our honoured guests and speakers are:
• The Rt Hon Kate Wilkinson (Minister of Conservation)
• Tim Shadbolt (Mayor of Invercargill; gateway to the Subantarctic)
• Diana, Lady Isaac (conservationist and philanthropist)
• Don Merton (saviour of the black robin and other NZ birds, and CIBE Patron)
• Ruud...
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