We woke up on Sunday morning to the sight of Big Ben in the dawn light, shrouded in cloud, and birds flying all around us. The cliffs so black, the sea so green/blue, the snow so white. The drama of the scenery defies description.
We all stood on the deck and watched as the sun rose, throwing different shapes and shadows on the slopes. There is a lot more snow than we expected, but then a lot of the photos we've seen were taken over a sub-Antarctic summer.
The scene changes constantly - one minute in sunshine, the next in snow and freezing winds.
As the day went on, conditions improved so much that the watercraft teams were able to get out in inflatable research boats (IRBs) to do drills and familiarise themselves with the area.
The bird scientists are thrilled with the variety we're seeing. Expeditioners and experts have so far captured images of 25 species, including the fabulously blue-eyed Heard Island cormorant and the black-faced sheathbill, both endemic to the area. We've also seen southern elephant seals, Antarctic fur seals and gentoo penguins.
In a less picturesque but very real wildlife moment, a dead seal floated by the ship, being consumed by southern giant petrels. They're a constant presence around us, with their big chunky bodies and lethal beaks.
Light-mantled albatross nest along some of the cliffs on Heard Island and you can hear them calling from the ship. Google it - it's eerie.
We had a slight interruption to operations later in the week when RSV Nuyina made contact with the ocean floor off the coast of Heard Island.
Some of us felt a shudder on contact but for many it went unnoticed. Voyage leadership sent a message saying we were moving into deep waters so crew could assess if there had been any damage to the hull or underwater scientific equipment but at no point was there any concern for our safety.
The incident put a stop to operations while crew did their assessments. Amazingly, the sun came out, the wind dropped and someone found a deck chair. Cue photos on the helideck, with a backdrop of stunning Heard Island scenery.
With the helicopters cleared to fly, project groups started heading off into the field. More on that next week.
