Noon Report:

• Location: S 39° 09.47′, E 145° 45.59′
• Speed: 18.5 knots!!!
• Course: 311º
• Weather: Cloud cover
• Temp: 61º F
• Wind: SW (234º) 26 knots!!!

We spent some time this morning up on deck 8 in the second floor of the Explorer’s Lounge hanging out and reading and being tossed around by wind and waves. (OK, Cheryl was reading. I was reviewing arrangements for the private tours I’ve organized to Petra and Luxor.)

This is what the pool on deck 7 looks like with 26 knot winds outside.

Not a lot to report today. We had a lecture this morning on the difference between New Zealand and Australia and a port talk this afternoon on Eden Australia (we’ll be there Wednesday).

Cheryl’s factoids on several differences between Australia and New Zealand:

• Australia has the oldest rocks on the planet (about 3 billion years old) while New Zealand has some of the youngest rocks (plate diving under NZ is pushing up more mountains-volcanoes still active)
• Normally, Australia is hot and dry while NZ get lots of rain. This year has been one of the wettest for both countries – both are complaining with all the cloudy, cool, and rainy days that they haven’t had summer yet (and summertime is almost over down here). (The north island of NZ is currently getting prepared for a cyclone heading right for them – so glad we are past that!)
• Australia’s aborigines came from Africa through India and across southeast Asia to Australia where they were nomadic hunter/gatherers only building temporary “humpy” brush shelters. New Zealand’s Polynesian (Maori) settlers spread out east from Taiwan across the Pacific and built wooden houses and settlements with gardens.
• The Australian plate is moving north 3-4″ a year (which means it is slowly getting even further away from NZ). As of 1995, the Zealandia plate is now being recognized as the 8th continent of the world, it just has most of the land being sunken under the water.
• The crossing from NZ to Tasmania has been rough with LOTS of wind – this is because we are in the “Roaring Forties” (thank goodness we aren’t even further south into the “Furious Fifties” where the wind circling Antartica has no land to stop it or even slow it down!!)
• FYI: Crossing the Tasman Sea is known as “Crossing the Ditch,” while crossing the Atlantic is known as “Crossing the Pond”

Around 5:00 the ship arrived at Phillip Island and at 6:30 we tendered in to the dock to see the Penguin Parade which begins at dusk (about 8:45). (Blue Penguins aka Fairy Penguins are among the very few species of penguins that live in a temperate climate).

This was a production. There was only one excursion at this port – to see the Penguins. We (almost all of guests on board) were tendered to the dock (~20 minutes)and loaded onto buses for the ride to the site (~20 minutes). They sent us in waves (in, not on waves – remember the bay was calm). It worked amazingly well. I can’t heap enough praise on our shore excursions team!

We arrived at the site and proceeded thru the visitor center…

down an extensive boardwalk…

…and wait for sunset (in a very chilly wind).

Shortly after sunset the penguins begin to venture out of the sea after several days of fishing. Because they are so small they risk being snatched up by a passing raptor (and even a large gull). So the most dangerous part of their lives is crossing the beach to the shelter of the dense vegetation.

Naturally they are extremely nervous. Several times we saw penguins come up onto the shore until there was a big enough group to feel more secure, begin to work up their courage to run across the sand, start to cross, and a bird would fly over and they’d all run back to the safety of the waves. Eventually one member would take the lead and would make for the shrubs and the others would follow.

Because of the sensitivity of these birds and the flashing of camera lights in the darkness, they have a ‘no cameras’ policy. However, I found the following promo from Viator that gives a quick overview of what we saw.

After watching several groups (in the water they’re called a ‘raft’, on land they’re a ‘waddle’) make the run, we started back up the boardwalk to the visitor center. All the way along the walk we heard penguins calling and “cooing” to each other. They are very social animals. They would stand and rest or gather in groups and chat, oblivious to the people tramping on the boardwalk above them.

Back at the visitor center we learned that they are just beginning their annual molting process, so they are packing on the ounces (doubling their body weight) because they can’t swim and fish during the two week molting period (so they have to rely on their body fat). During this phase, 60% of the colony of 32,000 birds is out at any point. They stay out for several days fishing for pilchard, sardines, squid, whatever else they can find. The counters last night counted just over 1,400 penguins returning to their burrows on shore. FYI: penguins have a gland under their eyes that secretes excess salt from their bodies so they can drink salt water. Phillips Island has finally eradicated all the wild foxes that were eating these ground dwelling penguins so that should help their numbers increase (still have to watch out for feral cats).

Back on the bus we returned to the port where they served us mulled wine and hot tea on the bus while we waited for the tender to come pick us up.

By 11 pm we were back at the ship (where we skipped the soup and sandwiches they offered) and returned to our stateroom tired but satisfied.

Tomorrow is Geelong and a wildlife refuge.

Till then, R