At Sea to Norfolk Island, 2/3/2024, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Australia and New Zealand
Late last night, we said goodbye to Aotearoa with a whale-krill-palooza and sailed north towards Norfolk Island. We traveled all day today, making our way to the home of the endemic Norfolk pine and so much more. A fresh breeze moved us along with seabirds as our companions. We spotted many different shearwaters and petrels, a few albatrosses, and a pod of dolphins or two. Expectations are high as we head to a famous and incredible spot.
Photo caption and photographer: A black-winged petrel. Photo by Mike Greenfelder
Mike learned early on that the best way to escape Ohio was to become a marine biologist. During college at Wittenberg University he attended a semester at Duke University's Marine Lab — that time only confirmed his love for all things oceanic and ma...
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Today we arrived at Owaraha Island in the Solomons. Guests were given a chance to visit the village and see the traditional pan pipers and the cultural dances of the people of this village. Guests were also offered a chance to hike to a spiritual village and snorkel the reef of this island. A good time was had by all. For the rest of the day, we were at sea headed to Honiara.
The decision to remain in Vanuatu proved inspired as we experienced two marvelous days in Espiritu Santo. This morning as we finally made our way across to the Solomon Islands, the seas were kind. Gentle swells and light winds made for an exceptionally pleasant crossing and much better conditions for wildlife spotting. In the morning we saw tropic birds and petrels amongst the regular flutter of flying fish, drawn out by the splashing of the bow through the swell. Most of the ship enjoyed a slow, lazy morning to recover from some busy expedition days, and the hotel and galley team laid out a beautiful brunch on the back deck later in the morning. After lunch we had talks from Undersea Specialist Mike Greenfelder and Cultural Specialist and Navigator Tua Pitman before a special afternoon tea – pancakes! During our evening recap Expedition Leader Alex Searle explained our plans for the following morning in the Solomon Islands, and National Geographic Orion made way with spectacular views of the sunset.
Today, National Geographic Orion docked at a pier in Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo, which is a part of the island nation of Vanuatu. We were greeted at the pier by a group of warriors who performed a traditional dance. We then visited the South Pacific World War II Museum, which was small but mighty. There were artifacts brought up from the SS President Coolidge, which was sunk off the coast during World War II. Near the museum, we looked at some of the military detritus left by the Americans after the war. After a few photo stops, we went to Millionaire Beach where the American military skuttled machinery utilized in World War II rather than leave it to be utilized by other people or countries. It was interesting to walk along the shoreline and observe remnants of machines and other discarded objects. After a delicious lunch, we went back out to explore more. We were privileged to see ‘Water Music’ performed live in the ocean. The women of Banks Island invented this tradition. They have created ways to replicate a variety of sounds utilizing only the position of their hands as they strike and move through the water. I cannot explain the sounds the women created and what an amazing experience it is to see this performance live. The final adventure of the day was fun in one of the ‘blue holes.’ A lot of people swam in this freshwater oasis. Many used the big swing to jump into the hole, while others happily floated along. The day was not complete until we learned about kava and had the opportunity to imbibe this famous beverage.