Icebergs off South Island

[MotherBear]

100 icebergs only 260km off the South Island
Saturday November 4, 2006
By Maggie McNaughton

A giant flotilla of 100 icebergs is passing just 260km off the coast of the South Island - the closest the glacial masses have been to this country for 70 years.

Dramatic pictures taken yesterday show the largest of the icebergs stretches 2km and towers 150 metres above the sea.

Mike Williams, physical oceanographer at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said it was the closest recorded iceberg to New Zealand since 1931.

"It's very rare for them to be in a place where they might come close to the South Island," he said.

An Air Force crew on a routine fisheries patrol saw the icebergs, concentrated in two large groups, in the Southern Ocean.

Squadron Leader Andy Nielsen said that, although it was not unusual to see icebergs in the Southern Ocean, he was surprised by the number and how far north they were.

Auckland University glacial geomorphology lecturer Dr Paul Augustinus said last night that it was unusual for icebergs to travel that far north from Antarctica.

But it was unlikely to be related to global warming. "I wouldn't like to speculate on the cause ... It could relate to a number of factors such as the break-up of a larger iceberg."

[MotherBear]

Iceberg armada heads for NZ
06 November 2006

An armada of icebergs heading toward New Zealand would have come from an iceberg more than 100 kilometres wide and 1500 metres deep, scientists say.
Experts believe a mammoth piece of ice broke off the Ross or Amery ice shelves in Antarctica. Crevasses within that piece then broke into smaller icebergs.

The air force said that more than 100 icebergs were passing 260km off the coast of the South Island. The largest iceberg stretched two kilometres wide and about 130 metres high, and would extend 1000 metres beneath the sea.

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research oceanographer Mike Williams said icebergs had been breaking from the ice shelves for thousands of years, caused by stresses within the ice shelf. This could not be linked to global warming. "We've only been in Antarctica for the last 100 years, so it's very hard to say there's been any change," he said. But it was rare for them to reach this far north without melting. "It must have been a very large iceberg. I think it would have to be one of the largest icebergs that carved off an ice shelf in recent years."

At the moment, the icebergs were of such a size they could not drift close to the coast. If they broke up so they did not extend so deep in the water, they might drift to within 100 kilometres, and then could be seen from the mainland.

- The Dominion Post

[selchie]

I hope that armada isn't planning to invade, especially if it has any plans on the sheepy population (Al Sheepa alert!) :D

[MotherBear]

Hurry before they melt. :D

Iceberg flights are go
10 November 2006



A scenic flight to see icebergs approaching south-east New Zealand tomorrow has been rescheduled for two sold-out flights next week.

Tickets on the original 66-seat charter flight sold out 22 minutes after they were offered for sale on Wednesday.

There was a 70-person waiting list. But the plan hit turbulence when Air New Zealand said its ATR aircraft was not certified for such an offshore sightseeing expedition.

Laker House of Travel manager Tony Laker yesterday said Pionair, a Christchurch-based company, would instead supply a 44-seat aircraft used on flights to the Chatham Islands.

The aircraft would fly south-east to the icebergs on Monday, instead of tomorrow, but it would make two trips, at 4pm and 6pm, he said.

The original $185 tickets were now $110 dearer, but about 90 per cent of passengers and those on the waiting list were still keen.

- The Southland Times

[MotherBear]

People with money to burn. ? ::)

Iceberg fetching bids of up to $1m on TradeMe
18 November 2006

An iceberg being auctioned on the TradeMe website is reaching bids of up to $1 million.

The 100 by 300 metre iceberg is listed as being in good condition apart from a few small stains which "should come out".

The seller, from Manukau City, claims the iceberg was got from the Ronne Ice shelf about six years ago but says his girlfriend doesn't like it "and it must go".

The seller has warned that anybody buying the iceberg would have to collect it themselves.

Questions from potential buyers include:

? ?Would it be suitable for Auckland stadium?
? ?Approximately how many ice cubes could I hope to get from the 'berg'?
? ?Do you have these in any other colours?
? ?I'm looking for a rental property for my mother-in-law. Do you think it would suit?
? ?If I purchased now, would you be able to hold it till next weekend? I have to borrow my brother-in-law's ute.

The auction, which closes on Thursday, has been viewed almost 60,000 times.

[Welshgirl]

lol, I just read about this and it's so funny - the guy has a real sense of humour ;D

[Glenda]

;D

He's bitten a little bit more than he can chew, I think! The bidding has gone up to $99m now and he's got 650 unanswered questions to work through!

:)

[MotherBear]

?..... and he's got 650 unanswered questions to work through! ?

I just hope someone thinks to put them all in a book or some other format so everyone can enjoy a good laugh.

[MotherBear]

Tourists take a step onto 'alien' landscape
20 November 2006
By JOANNA DAVIS

A Christchurch helicopter pilot is making the most of iceberg fever by flying sightseers to previously undiscovered bergs off the coast of Dunedin.

Christchurch Helicopters operations manager Andrew Reid flew five passengers from Christchurch and Auckland to Dunedin and then onto the icebergs, nearly 200km south of the Otago Peninsula, on Saturday.

Reid described landing on several of the icebergs as "an alien experience ? otherworldly".

After placing a "Caution: wet floor" sign outside the helicopter, the sightseers walked around the icebergs, using home-made crampons fashioned from screws pushed into the soles of their shoes.

Reid said he remained in the helicopter with it running at full revolutions "to make sure it stayed there". "It could've slipped away or the iceberg could've broken apart."

The icebergs, which are expected to melt as they drift north-eastwards, were "creaky and groaning", Reid said.

A Dunedin helicopter company gave out GPS points of five known icebergs before Reid and his passengers spotted others from the air, including one that was about 1km long.

Reid said the three-hour trip was "pretty full-on" as the group was flying so far offshore but it was not dangerous. When radio contact disappeared, he was able to stay in touch by satellite phone.

Meanwhile, Trade Me was forced to remove one of the southern icebergs from its online auction site yesterday. The iceberg had attracted about 100,000 viewers and a bid of $99 million before it was removed because of 65 complaints.

Business manager Mike O'Donnell said staff had requested a "proof of goods" from the person who listed the iceberg to establish that that person actually did own it before the auction closed.

"Basically, our attitude was everybody was having a good laugh but there's a surprisingly thin line between a good laugh and gullibility," O'Donnell said.

- The Press

Wait till that guy on trademe gets charged the success fee. It's something like 3.5%, so he might just have heart failure when he gets the email from Trademe saying his account is around $4m in debt!