My story wouldn’t be complete without this chapter.

Throughout this trip, and you will have already discovered this in previous posts, there have been special moments, the significance of which has been heightened, sometimes even created, by sound.

At the time, I didn’t create these movies with my blog in mind. Rather, I knew that when I returned back home, I would want to listen to the places I visited, not just look at them. And I have done this often.

So, I am going to share these movies with you, in an attempt to transport you to the particular moment, when the scene and the sound combine, to create my memory.

The first one has to be the sound of the ship at sea.

You can’t really hear the engines, above the constant whooshing sound of the waves and the whistling of the wind. I would go out on the deck just to enjoy the solitude. Not another ship in sight. Just open sea. And the gentle rise and fall of the ship on the calm water.

And then, we reached the Ross Sea.

And ice…!

This was what the ship was made for, and it would glide through the various forms of ice we encountered, pushing it away, or breaking it apart. Creating little whirlpools. Leaving a trail, which would quickly close behind us.

And sometimes I would enjoy the spectacle from the warmth of the bridge, when the sound of the wind was reduced to an occasional whistle, accompanied by the background hum of the engines.

I enjoyed being on the bridge. It was peaceful.

Of course, I have to include the sounds of the penguins.

And, while this movie is not about the sound as such, (although there is a short loudspeaker announcement at the start, which does bring back memories!) it does remind me of the albatrosses, of which we saw many. How they glided so gracefully and effortlessly, despite their size (indeed because of their enormous wing span) needs to be seen.

In all of the reading I did, of the explorers, there was one thing which figured in all stories – in all dramas – in all experiences. It was the wind, particularly dangerous and deadly in the Antarctic. But equally as challenging in the Subantarctic.

At Scott’s Hut, when I took this movie from the top of the hill, it was so cold and so windy that I couldn’t keep the camera still. I was shaking so much that the movie itself it pretty bad. But it helps to paint a picture, especially since it was taken at around 10.30 at night.

And then there was our walk to Lake Hinemoa, on Auckland Island. At the end of our gentle walk through the Rata forest, in relative quiet, was the sound of the wind on the water, pummelling down from the head of the lake, and blowing straight into our faces as we burst through the undergrowth.

On the other hand, a few days earlier we were on Campbell Island, and while the weather was still a little tempestuous at times, I made a point of hanging back on a walk to the summit, so I could enjoy the stillness of the empty boardwalk.

I’m going to finish with the sound of the creek babbling over stones on the Auckland Island shore where the Grafton was wrecked. We were nearing the end of the trip, and I found myself simultaneously at peace and attentive. The sight of the crystal clear water and the shiny stones, coupled with the tinkling sound, had me mesmerised.