Mawson’s Antarctica: Along the East Coast

Queenstown is the kind of place that will leave you breathless – in more ways than one. There are the high altitudes of the Southern Alps, the mirror-like Lake Wakatipu, the dreamy vine-laced countryside and the atmospheric town itself, with wine glasses toast the end of another remarkable day. Enjoy your one-night hotel stay in Queenstown.

This morning you will be transferred via coach from Queenstown to Bluff, where your ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht awaits. Marvel at the awe-inspiring scenery of rugged mountains, serene lakes, and lush forests. Step on board Scenic Eclipse II and be warmly greeted with a glass of Champagne. Settle into your luxurious suite, meet your butler and fellow travellers and toast to the journey ahead.

Clinging to the very southern tip of the South Island, Bluff is one of New Zealands oldest European settlements. It began life as a whaling station in the 1830s and has retained its strong ties to the sea, with one of the world’s few natural oyster beds sitting just offshore in the Foveaux Strait. Bluff is the gateway to Stewart Island and Antarctica beyond, offering travellers a taste of the rugged character of an oystering port. Freechoice: Invercargill Sights & Transport World: Visit Invercargill to admire the antique vehicles at the Transport World Museum and enjoy the town’s many stunning gardens. Southern Sojourn: Explore Southlands art and history from Bluff, starting with a scenic drive to Gore. Visit the Moonshine Museum and Eastern Southland Art Gallery, where youll discover local and international artworks. Bluff Scenic Drive & Walking Tour: Discover Stirling Point, the southernmost tip of the South Island, and explore Bluff Hill for panoramic views. Travel along the scenic coastline to Oyster Cove Marina, enjoy Ocean Beachs wild beauty, and explore Bluffs maritime history at the Bluff Maritime Museum.

While exploring the luxurious spaces on board Scenic Eclipse II, you’ll have the chance to meet some of the experts who will bring the places you visit to life. The Polar Discovery Team will enrich your Antarctic experience with their encyclopaedic knowledge of geology, glaciology, photography, marine biology, history, ecology and more. They will fascinate you with facts and stories beyond anything you can find in guidebooks or websites. These insights will be revealed as you cross the Southern Ocean, with the Polar Discovery Team hosting regular lectures and discussions in the yachts state-of-the-art theatre.

It’s time to ease into your ultra-luxury surroundings. This might be the day you sleep in, conserving energy for the activities ahead, then spend lazy hours in your suite, which cocoons you within the comforts of a 6-star hotel. Learn more about your new home from your Captain and your crew at the open bridge. They will share with you the details about Scenic Eclipse II’s world-class technology, which includes two on board helicopters^ and a submersible^, offering exclusive ways to explore across your journey. Then visit the theatre to hear today’s presentations from the Polar Discovery Team. 

Today you’ll cross the Antarctic Convergence, where the cold waters of the Antarctic circumpolar current meet and mingle with warmer waters to the north. Icebergs will begin to pop up around you, albatross are a common sight, and the nutrient-rich waters are popular among orcas, seals, penguins and whales.   Feel the excitement build as the Polar Discovery Team shares with you all the details on how your Zodiac and other discovery excursions will work. Get familiar with the team and your polar equipment. Due to the extraordinary nature of the region, Discovery excursions throughout your Expedition Voyage are dependent on the ice and weather conditions. Your experienced Captain and specialist Polar Discovery Team, who have made countless journeys to Antarctica, will use their expertise to design your voyage from day to day, making the most of your time in this spectacular destination.

This 160-kilometre-long chain of volcanic islands (some of them still active) straddles the Antarctic Circle. Here, you’ll have a front-row seat to one of the greatest convergences of wildlife in the world. Humpbacks, fin and minke whales may put on a show while we are nearby, breaching, blowing, and slapping their tails. Crabeater, Weddell, Ross Sea Seals and leopard seals loll about, sunbaking between swims. Join a Discovery Excursion or just take in the view from the Observation Deck or your private verandah. Discovery: Daily experiences may include cruising on Zodiacs, stepping ashore to view vast penguin rookeries or historic huts, and kayaking around icebergs. Wherever your voyage takes you, you will have countless “pinch me" moments.

The chain is named after British mariner Captain Balleny, who reported seeing smoke billowing from its 1,340-metre summit when exploring the area in 1839.  Almost completely mantled by ice, Young Island is the northernmost island in the archipelago. At the other end of the chain, Sturge is the southernmost island.   Pull out your binoculars from your suite or head for the telescopes in the Observation Lounge and take in the astonishing bird life, including enormous breeding colonies of southern fulmers and snow petrels. Gain deep insights from your expert Polar Discovery Team about the region and its rich birdlife. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below.

With jagged cliffs and ink-black escarpments backed by the towering Admiralty Mountains, the Adare Peninsula is a postcard of natural drama. Be greeted by the largest colony of Adélie penguins in Antarctica and listen to the cacophony of 250,000 breeding pairs as you draw close to shore.  This is where the Southern Ocean gives way to the Ross Sea. It was the site of the first documented landing on the continent in 1895 and Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink’s two 1899 huts remain on land. Explore the remains with your Polar Discovery Team, who will take you to shore in Zodiacs.   Discovery: Weather permitting, explore this fascinating environment by Zodiac, kayak and stand-up paddleboard, including possible shore landings.

Captain James Ross discovered and named Yule Bay, a curve in the coast of northern Victoria Land, in 1841. Like much of Antarctica, the immensity of the ice here can only be fully appreciated with some perspective – we recommend the Sky Bar for a grand vista.    In these rarely seen reaches of East Coast Antarctica, glaciers glitter like gems, ice lakes are scattered with star points of light and immense snow cliffs cast blue shadows, all under the gossamer sheen of a silvery light. This is a place of superlatives and the beauty will leave you speechless.  Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding belo

Today, get ready to explore as our experienced Polar Discovery Team plan your journey, picking the best spots based on the weather, ice, and wildlife sightings. Experience the grandeur of nature with the chance to see amazing wildlife, including penguins, whales, albatrosses, and seals.  Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below

If you’re a fan of geographical mysteries, you’ll be enthralled by the Terra Nova Islands. They were first spotted in the early 1900s, but when a German expedition set off to map the islands by helicopter in 1989, there was nothing there. Theories around these ‘phantom islands’ abound – were they fog banks, seaweed, icebergs?   What does exist is the Terra Nova Hut, Scott’s shelter from the elements on the volcanic shore of Cape Evans, and his base while he was trying for the Geographic South Pole. You may have a chance to explore this region today.  Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below.

Today, you may reach the Mawson Peninsula, a narrow tongue of ice along the George V Coast. It’s easy to be humbled by its immensity, with the Peninsula’s vertiginous white cliffs glittering in the sun and casting unimaginable shadows over opaline swirls of the ocean surrounding it. In between Scenic Discovery experiences, enjoy a specialty tea or coffee in the Observation Lounge and watch the world float by through Swarovski telescopes. 

You might sail past a number of immense glaciers that carve through East Antarctica, making for incredible spectacles. It’s hard to comprehend the scale of the Mertz Glacier, an enormous hunk of crystalised ice more than 30km wide that gleams like a turquoise jewel. Sunlight cascades over its waves like liquid silver; in the troughs between are shadows of azure.    The 9km-wide Suvorov Glacier is similarly impressive, an endless bank of white unfurling into the distance. There are no trees or shrubs; flora is just a sprinkling of occasional lichen, moss and algae. This is what infinity looks like.  Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below.

Australia has a rich Antarctic history and along Cape Denison at Commonwealth Bay you can see part of it frozen in time. The huts of the legendary explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, built from 1911-1914, are still standing here. A remarkable feat in the windiest place on the planet.   Weather permitting, you will have the opportunity to step back in time as you see the historic Mawson’s Huts, walking through and immediately feeling connected with the men of that incredible expedition. You may also see emperor penguins at nearby Dumont D’Urville station.  Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below.

If the wind stays away, Commonwealth Bay is one of the few places along East Coast Antarctica where it’s possible to step ashore, giving you the chance to marvel at Mawson’s six fragile wooden huts and structures.    The explorer and his team spent two years here documenting the continent. This legacy – along with his 1929-1931 expedition – is the reason why Australia has a territorial claim to 42 per cent of Antarctica. The Main Hut is the best preserved of the structures and you may be able spot his team’s belongings left behind, including a cast-iron stove, bottles, jars and cans.  Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below.

Largely ice free, Cape Denison’s peninsula emerges from beneath the continental ice sheet. The result is a series of dramatic rocky ridges and valleys, the sculptural sweep of snow and ice at times interrupted by sharp-toothed mountains like black cut-outs against a turquoise sky. In this fathomless expanse their scale is impossible to judge, with no points of reference to mark their soaring heights.    Cape Denison is a magnet for breeding wildlife. Weddell seals can often be seen with pups during the breeding season, while colonies of skuas, petrels and penguins fill the shores and the sky. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below.

Your Polar Discovery Team are always on call to lead active excursions, whether kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding. Or today could be the day to brave the polar plunge. Pull on your swimsuit, throw off your robe and jump into the near-freezing Southern Ocean – a rite of passage for polar explorers.  Small and rocky, Ile du Gouverneur is part of Antarctica’s Géologie Archipelago. In between these islands and the continent is sea ice, an important breeding site for Emperor penguins. The fact that it’s close to a research station means that the creatures here are well documented – they also include Adélie penguins, Antarctic skuas, Wilson’s storm petrels, southern giant petrels, snow petrels and Cape petrels. You’ll likely also spot Weddell seals basking in the sun.

After three weeks of active explorations, enjoy some downtime today in the expansive 550sqm Senses Spa. Be rejuvenated with a yoga or Pilates class or indulge in the high-quality treatments#and wellness experiences. Then take time out on the KLAFS Salt Therapy Lounge; your limbs will thank you later. Relax in one of the cabanas on Deck 10 with a warm drink and look out over the icy sea as Scenic Eclipse II begins its journey north. Alternatively, join the Polar Discovery Team in the theatre to discuss the incredible sites you’ve seen over your time in East Antarctica. 

Perhaps you’d like to begin the day with a fitness class, followed by a soak in the heated Vitality Pool. Reward your active start by calling on your butler to bring breakfast to your room. Then make a date with new friends to re-live Antarctic memories over a relaxed lunch at the Yacht Club.   The only thing you need to do now is decide which bar or lounge to move to, making the most of the truly all-inclusive beverage menu. The Polar Discovery Team will still be on hand for engaging Q&A sessions, so enjoy every chance to chat with them.

When you’re visiting some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems, you have a commitment to protect them for future generations. Take advantage of our open bridge policy to meet with the Captain and his team to find out all about Scenic Eclipse II’s state-of-the-art technology and environmentally sustainable systems that aim to leave as small a footprint as possible Visiting Antarctica positively breeds environmental ambassadors and you’ll be keen to learn more over an enrichment lecture in the state-of-the-art theatre. With one final port to visit tomorrow, they’ll also share their valuable insights on Macquarie Island.

Macquarie Island is a place that sparks every sense. From a distance, the earth appears to be moving. As Scenic Eclipse II approaches you realise that the land is, in fact, heaving – under the weight of millions of penguins.    Subject to permits and conditions, you can experience this extraordinary landscape that hosts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Southern Ocean. Countless tuxedoed, bushy eyebrowed and golden crowned penguins – king, rockhopper, gentoo and the endemic royal – breed here. You’re likely to see leopard seals patrolling the waters, southern elephant seals peeking from tussocked dunes, and sooty albatrosses circling overhead. 

Thousands of penguins. Countless seals and whales. Unique birdlife. Endless expanses of ice. The remarkable sights of the world’s southernmost continent take a while to digest. Sometimes, quiet contemplation is the best way to do that – perhaps editing images, writing in your journal, marking highlights on a map. Or join the Polar Discovery Team for one last lecture to recap an extraordinary adventure.  Then meet your fellow guests to relive every moment that sparked joy over the last three weeks. Toast a remarkable voyage over a glass of Champagne and one more exquisite meal. 

End your journey in the same way you began it – by indulging in Scenic’s truly all-inclusive philosophy. Enjoy an unrivalled selection of premium beverages available on board all day, every day, across eight bars and lounges and including premium gin, saké and more than 130 varieties of whiskey.  Make your reservation for the Night Market ^ @ Koko’s, where chefs prepare unique dishes inspired by the street markets of Asia while you watch from behind the hot and cold grill. Knowing that you share this night with your chef and only seven other guests make it all the more memorable.

Your voyage ends in Hobart, the culmination of an unforgettable journey into one of the last unexplored corners of the planet. After breakfast, it’s time to bid farewell to your new friends and the dedicated Scenic Eclipse II crew, who have made your voyage so remarkable.   Fly home carrying once-in-a-lifetime memories with you, or choose to extend your journey to explore the captivating city of Hobart. Please book your flight to depart out of Hobart after 12:00 PM. ^Reservation required #Spa treatments at additional cost. ^Helicopter and submersible experiences are at additional cost, subject to availability and regulatory approval, weigh restrictions, medical approval, and weather and ice conditions.  Please note, the itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons and weather conditions. As such, Scenic cannot guarantee the cruise will operate unaltered from the itinerary stated above.