Travel Journal

A few years ago, I wrote about my blissful two-day ‘digital detox’ aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train in the wilds of British Columbia. Disconnecting from phones and the internet gave me the rare chance to focus entirely on my surroundings. So, a week aboard Oceanwide Expeditions’ newest ship, ‘Hondius,’ in Northern Spitsbergen (also known as Svalbard), searching for pack ice and polar bears, was bound to be a fantastic experience in a true wilderness.

At 78°N, Longyearbyen is about as far north as you can fly before needing a ship to get closer to the Pole. It’s also probably the farthest you can travel from New Zealand, a fact that amused the ship’s crew and expedition team, who were thrilled to see our group of Kiwis join them!

Our departure included 158 guests from various nationalities, just shy of the 170 capacity, and 72 crew members. As the world’s first polar class 6 cruise vessel, the Hondius was perfect for navigating the icy waters we’d encounter on our journey to about 80°30’N, near the edge of the pack ice.

The Hondius was incredibly comfortable, with lovely cabins, a dining room that could accommodate everyone in one sitting, a purpose-built lecture room, a large observation lounge and bar, and two ‘shell’ doors for easy zodiac access. Despite guests from Germany, the Netherlands, China, and Vietnam, English was the official language spoken by the staff and 11 expedition members, making it ideal for Kiwis. The ship’s crew was delightful, friendly, and welcoming, making us feel like one big family for the week.

Like most expedition ships, the bridge remained open for most of the voyage, with the ship’s officers welcoming guests. This was a popular spot for wildlife watching with binoculars and scopes, especially since the outside temperature ranged between -1°C and +2°C.

After initial safety briefings and staff introductions, we quickly settled into the expedition’s daily rhythm. Our enthusiastic leader, Sara, would wake us as early as 6:30 a.m. most days. With 24-hour daylight near the summer solstice, we were thankful for the blackout blinds in our cabins!

Our days started with hearty breakfasts before off-ship excursions, either a zodiac landing or cruise, with guests divided into ‘blue’ and ‘red’ groups. The groups swapped mid-morning, so everyone got to enjoy each activity. After a hearty buffet lunch (mental note: must diet before and after each expedition cruise!), we resumed our activities before a day’s recap and preview of the next day’s plans before dinner around 7:30 p.m. Evenings were spent chatting with new friends in the lounge, reading polar literature in the library, or wildlife watching on deck or the bridge.

For two days, we meandered through the ice on the pack edge, searching for polar bears hunting seals. During these days, the expedition team presented lectures on topics like climate change, whaling history, marine mammals, photography, and famous Norwegian explorers like Nansen and Amundsen. Sara encouraged us to make the most of the endless daylight, urging us to join the expedition staff on deck to look for bears, whales, seals, and birds.

We were blessed with clear weather and plenty of sunshine. The ice in NW Spitsbergen provided a barrier to swells, and the fjords offered natural shelter, so sailing conditions were calm.

So, what about the wildlife? Unlike Antarctica, where sightings are predictable, here, we had to search, especially for polar bears. The Svalbard government enforces strict rules for tourism operators, particularly around firearms permits (all guides carry rifles ashore for safety but hope never to use them) and non-interference with wildlife. We saw walrus haul-outs from safe distances to avoid disturbing them.

Operators can’t report bear locations to other ships, so finding them involves a lot of educated guesswork. Rapid climate change in this part of the Arctic might push pack ice further northwest towards Greenland, potentially reducing Svalbard’s polar bear numbers and making them harder to spot.

On our expedition, there was almost too much sea ice in the north, so we focused our efforts off the NW tip. After two days, Sara’s perseverance paid off with a distant sighting of a bear at 11 p.m., prompting a scramble to the bridge to view the majestic animal through the ship’s scopes.

We also saw minke whales, plenty of seals, arctic foxes, Svalbard reindeer, and thousands of nesting birds, including arctic terns, kittiwakes, guillemots, skuas, puffins, auks, and eiders. The king eiders were a highlight for the birdwatchers on board.

The scenery of Svalbard is stunning, with snow-capped mountains, huge glaciers, and vast tundra. Despite the harsh conditions, saxifrage and mosses thrived. My favourite moments were ashore, where our guides encouraged us to contemplate the incredible landscape in silence. Without phones or cameras clicking, it was amazing how much you could really hear. This was the essence of the voyage for me—a chance to enjoy quiet moments and reflect on how lucky I was to visit a place few people can locate on a map, and even fewer Kiwis get to see.

So, ‘Takk’ (thanks), Svalbard, it’s been great!