At Sea
The Pacific Ocean slipped by quietly today as we made our way along the sparsely populated southeast coast of North Island. For many of us it was a welcome chance to relax and catch up on our reading, photo-editing, and sleep after so many consecutive days of adventures ashore.
The lecture program continued with presentations on 20th century Maori history, digital photography, and conservation efforts in New Zealand. And, despite the light winds, we crossed paths with a surprising diversity of seabirds, including white-capped, royal, wandering, and Salvin’s albatrosses, Buller’s and flesh-footed shearwaters, white-faced storm petrels, and Australasian gannets. Mammals were also part of the day, with a small pod of short-beaked common dolphins riding our bow wave and a brief visit from killer whales during dinner.
