0:00:00 > 0:00:00- 888
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- 888
0:00:07 > 0:00:09- 888
0:00:14 > 0:00:14- 888
0:00:43 > 0:00:44- Look at it.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- Listen to it.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52- I don't think I've ever visited - somewhere as incredible as this.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- I'm speechless.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57- Just look at it.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09- After a long journey from New - Zealand, over the Southern Ocean...
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- ..I've reached Cape Adare - in the Antarctic.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15- From there, - I hope to break through the ice...
0:01:15 > 0:01:19- ..past Mount Erebus, Cape Royds - and Cape Evans to Mc Murdo.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40- Our ship has dropped anchor - and we can walk on land once more.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45- It was a strange experience.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- I was walking - like these creatures for a while.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53- Yes, despite the cold, - the Antarctic is full of wildlife...
0:01:53 > 0:01:55- ..especially penguins.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00- As Conor O'Brien once said, - "Who would believe in penguins...
0:02:00 > 0:02:02- "..unless he had seen them?"
0:02:02 > 0:02:06- These are Adelie penguins - and they're not scared of me at all.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12- There are 270,000 pairs - and they've all mated.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17- When the eggs hatch, another - 270,000 penguins will be born!
0:02:17 > 0:02:23- This is the world's largest - Adelie penguin hatchery.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28- Can you see the pink colour - on the side of the mountain?
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- Nesting penguins - are responsible for that.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34- They eat krill, which is pink, - and stinks!
0:02:35 > 0:02:37- I've never seen so many birds - in one place.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41- I could have watched them for hours.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49- Some people had been here - before us, and left their mark.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56- This is one of the first buildings - erected in the Antarctic.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01- It was built in 1899 by a Norwegian - called Carsten Borchgrevink.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- You've never heard of him, - have you?
0:03:04 > 0:03:07- You've heard of Scott and Amundsen, - haven't you?
0:03:08 > 0:03:11- Borchgrevink was the first person - to build here...
0:03:11 > 0:03:16- ..and he was one of the first - people to stay here over the winter.
0:03:16 > 0:03:22- If Borchgrevink and his men - hadn't been the first people...
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- ..to stay here over the winter...
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- ..who knows what Scott - and the others would have done?
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- Borchgrevink deserves - more recognition.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38- At least this hut will stand for - years as a memorial to Borchgrevink.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- While we got to know the penguins...
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- ..the ship's staff - prepared our supper.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- The food on the Kapitan Klebnikov - was wonderful.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- We had a fresh salad every day.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- I still don't know how - they kept their lettuce fresh...
0:04:06 > 0:04:11- ..when mine always goes limp - after three days!
0:04:16 > 0:04:18- I wanted to be out on the deck.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- Seeing thousands of penguins - is an experience...
0:04:22 > 0:04:26- ..but they were nothing - compared to the icebergs.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30- They're incredible - some - bright blue, carved intricately...
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- ..some resembling - fairy tale palaces...
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- ..and some looking like Moby Dick.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38- One looked like this.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43- You only truly appreciate the size - of the icebergs from the air.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- Yes, they had helicopters - on the ship.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52- These cliffs rise 100ft and more - above the sea level.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- Two-thirds of every iceberg - is below sea level.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12- Back in the year 2000, a piece - of ice broke off the Ross Ice Shelf.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- It was huge - it was twice - the length of Wales at the time.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- It was the biggest recorded iceberg.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- Guess what? I'm standing on it!
0:05:25 > 0:05:29- This is it, well, part of it - - the B15A.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- It's an incredible experience.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35- I'm standing on an iceberg - - I never thought I'd do such a thing.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- Even though it's smaller - than it was...
0:05:39 > 0:05:41- ..if it were placed over Wales...
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- ..it would stretch - from Aberystwyth to Newport.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55- We pass the Mount Erebus volcano - as we head south.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- We'd reached the real ice by now.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- We'd be breaking through it - all the way from now on.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- There was something hypnotic - about watching the ship...
0:06:14 > 0:06:18- ..breaking through the ice. - At times, its thickness was 15 feet.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- The Kapitan Klebnikov broke through - it like a knife through butter.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- This is when I got really excited.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- There were orcas - killer whales - - following us.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- We'd opened a perfect channel for - the orcas to come for a breather...
0:06:39 > 0:06:40- ..as they feasted on fish.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46- Better still for them if a penguin - or seal happened to be dreaming.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- I watched them watching us for ages.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- With the sea frozen solid...
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- ..the only way to leave the ship - was by helicopter.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- Even from the air, - it's difficult to comprehend...
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- ..the size of the Antarctic. - But it is big - bigger than Europe.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- This is another - of the Antarctic's wonders...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- ..the dry valleys.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Many of you, like me...
0:07:30 > 0:07:35- ..thought the Sahara was - the driest place on this journey.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- That's where we're both wrong.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- Here, one of the Antarctic's - dry valleys...
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- ..is the driest place I'll ever see.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49- Captain Scott discovered - these valleys in 1903.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- The skeleton of this seal - was there then.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- It's been here for hundreds of years - and it hasn't decayed at all.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- These valleys haven't seen water - for thousands of years...
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- ..but water does pour - from the glacier during the summer.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09- But it's still drier here - than in the Sahara.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15- Russians are responsible - for the ship and the helicopters.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- They have a lot of experience - dealing with ice.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23- The Kapitan Klebnikov is a regular - visitor to the Antarctic.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- 100 Russians look after - the ship and its passengers...
0:08:27 > 0:08:32- ..and they regularly assess the ice - and the weather on the bridge.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38- They also keep a close eye - on the icebergs.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- Further south, - on the Cape Royds peninsula...
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- ..is Shackleton's cabin.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02- From this cabin, in 1908, - Shackleton's men...
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- ..discovered the Magnetic - South Pole for the first time.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11- More importantly, they set off - for the Geographic South Pole.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13- They came within 156kms of it.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- But Shackleton was wiser - than his friend Scott.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21- He knew when to stop. - He didn't have enough food...
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- ..to reach the South Pole - and return home safely.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- Apsley Cherry-Garrard - famously said...
0:09:27 > 0:09:29- .."For a joint scientific...
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- ..and geographical piece - of organisation give me Scott.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- "For a winter journey, Wilson.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- "For a dash to the Pole - and nothing else, Amundsen.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42- "If I am in the devil of a hole - and want to get out of it...
0:09:42 > 0:09:44- "..give me Shackleton every time."
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- Today, the cabin remains - just as it was in 1908.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54- A New Zealand trust - looks after all these cabins.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58- They're making sure - they remain like this.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- Due to the low temperature, - nothing rots here...
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- ..including these - deer skin sleeping bags.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- With everything just as it was...
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- ..it's easy to imagine that these - men have just gone for a walk...
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- ..and they'll return at any moment.
0:10:38 > 0:10:38- 888
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- 888
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- On we went through the ice - as we continued to head south.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- After leaving Shackleton's cabin - and Cape Royds...
0:11:01 > 0:11:05- ..we set a course - for the most famous cabin of all.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11- Here, on Cape Evans, is Captain - Robert Falcon Scott's last cabin.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21- Bowers, Evans, Oates, - Wilson and Scott...
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- ..set off from that cabin - on their journey to the South Pole.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- In that cabin, their colleagues - waited and waited...
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- ..for them to return - but they never did.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38- That is possibly - the saddest building on Antarctica.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- This is a picture of Scott - celebrating his 43rd birthday...
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- ..in June 1911.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56- This is the table around which - they all sat almost a century ago.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- This is the biological laboratory - in 1911.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- And here is the same laboratory - as it is today.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- This is Scott writing his diary - beside his bed.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25- Like Shackleton's cabin, - everything has been kept as it was.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30- It's amazing to see the type of - items they took on an expedition.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45- Herbert Ponting's photographs - are an excellent record of the era.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49- I've never believed in ghosts...
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- ..but there's an eerie feeling - in that cabin today.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- The ice was so thick here, - it was safe to walk on it.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07- The captain parked his ship - and allowed us to go for a wander.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15- Some of the penguins - had followed us through the water.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- Now, they wanted to go - for a wander, too.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26- For the first time, we could see the - enormity of the Kapitan Klebnikov.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- That's how it's spelt in Russian!
0:13:29 > 0:13:33- The wildlife wasn't the only thing - to attract the photographers.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38- This is a tradition for Antarctic - visitors - the polar plunge.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- No - I didn't!
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- For starters, I don't look - like that in a swimsuit...
0:13:44 > 0:13:49- ..and secondly, the water's freezing - - minus 1.7 degrees celsius.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- You might get such a shock - when you hit the water...
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- ..you might forget - to hold your breath.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- Anyone who falls - into the water here dies!
0:13:59 > 0:14:01- And on we went southwards.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- After three weeks of travelling...
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- ..we were approaching - the southernmost point...
0:14:06 > 0:14:08- ..we could reach by ship.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- The ice was very thick here.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- This is Mc Murdo Sound.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- Over there is the American-owned - Mc Murdo Station.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- It was built in 1955.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26- For a while, it was home - to the only nuclear station...
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- ..that's ever been in Antarctica.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31- They took that back to the USA - in 1972.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36- Today, Mc Murdo is a site - for scientific research...
0:14:36 > 0:14:38- ..and not a military presence.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- That's the Discovery Hut.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- It was built by Captain Scott - and his men back in 1902...
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- ..on their first expedition - to the South Pole.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- It wasn't a good hut - - it was very cold inside.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- They stayed on their ship instead.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- In 1902, the only things here - were the hut and the snow.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02- Look at it today!
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- This is Mc Murdo Station.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11- This is where the Americans - carry out their scientific research.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15- There are 500 scientists here, - doing what scientists do.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- 800 people are employed - to look after them.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- Not the prettiest of sights!
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- No one country owns the Antarctic.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30- But the Americans make sure - that everyone knows they're there.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38- This chapel is one of the few - attractive buildings in Mc Murdo.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40- It's appropriately named!
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- People need religion - no matter where they live.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47- Maybe the need is greater - in a place like this.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- The church is open all day, - every day.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- There are two full-time - chaplains here...
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- ..one Protestant - and one Roman Catholic.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- This is the Erebus Chalice...
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- ..the communion cup - from James Clark Ross' ship.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- He discovered the Ross Sea in 1841.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13- I didn't want to spend - too much time in Mc Murdo.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- I was quite happy - to return to the Klebnikov.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- By now, I was missing home.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- Imagine my surprise when I realised - we could send e-mails from the ship.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29- Vassili, the keeper of the - computers, explained it all to me.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- There are two systems. - When you're this far south...
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- ..only one satellite, - the Inmasat, can be used.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46- It allows us to send and receive - e-mails, faxes and phone calls...
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- ..for a price!
0:16:48 > 0:16:52- My bill for the e-mails - was over 100!
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- It was impossible to go - any further...
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- ..so we turned around - and headed northwards.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- It was nice to be back - amongst the wildlife.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- There was a group of professional - naturalists on board.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- One of them had found - a dead penguin.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- It was an opportunity for them - to answer questions...
0:17:22 > 0:17:24- ..about wildlife in the Antarctic.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- It was dead today - - it was still warm.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- It's not stiff yet.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Kirsten had bags of patience.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- ..pursuing food with no return. - It will not feed others' chicks.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41- Yes, the Antarctic's wildlife - was unique and wonderful.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- I was more interested - in the ice, though.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- The shapes, the colours, - the patterns, everything about it.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53- As we left the Ross Sea, we had a - chance to see the Ironside Glacier.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- It was an amazing sight.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- Having left Mc Murdo, - we sailed past Cape Adare again...
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- ..and headed for the Southern Ocean - and Australia and Tasmania.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- On the way, we stopped off - at Macquarie Island.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16- After spending so much time - surrounded by ice...
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- ..with only blue and white colours - around us...
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- ..seeing the colours on - Macquarie Island was quite a shock.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- Macquarie is full of wildlife.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40- The stars are these king penguins - - and they fully deserve the name.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- Of all the penguins we saw, - these were my favourites.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- They are elegant, - remarkably colourful...
0:19:48 > 0:19:50- ..full of character - and very curious.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- They weren't scared of us at all. - We became good friends!
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- When I woke up this morning - and looked in the mirror...
0:20:10 > 0:20:12- ..I thought, "Eugh! What a sight!"
0:20:12 > 0:20:17- But I feel quite attractive now - sitting next to this thing!
0:20:20 > 0:20:21- And it stinks!
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- This is an elephant seal.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- Isn't seal-aphant a better name!
0:20:31 > 0:20:36- On the other side of the island, - there were a group of king penguins.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38- Only around 10,000 of them!
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- This is just one beach. - There are more!
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- There were penguins - of all ages here.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55- Kirsten Le Mar, one of - the Klebnikov's naturalists...
0:20:55 > 0:20:57- ..studied them for years.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- She lived in that hut - for a whole year...
0:21:00 > 0:21:04- ..working for her research degree - on penguins.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- About 2,000,000 of these penguins - live in the Antarctic.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- They lay their eggs in November, - early spring in the Antarctic...
0:21:13 > 0:21:17- ..and hatch them standing up - to keep the eggs warm.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19- They're pretty and very clever.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43- That's it. I'll be heading - for Hobart, Tasmania next.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- That's where we part company - with the Kapitan Klebnikov...
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- ..and fly on to our - next destination, New Zealand.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- I feel quite sad about it all.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- Not that I don't want - to visit New Zealand...
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- ..but I'll be leaving Antarctica.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02- It's a remarkable place.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06- I know now why Scott and Shackleton - wanted to return all the time.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11- It's like a magnet that attracts you - - I want to return here already.
0:22:11 > 0:22:19- Why? Well, the ice - its colours, - its sound and its shapes.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- The beauty of the place - and the enormity of the place.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Oh, and the wildlife.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30- How could I forget you?
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- It's been like one long dream.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- It's a dream I'll never forget.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- Will I?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- Next week, I'll be in New Zealand...
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- ..representing Wales - in a rather strange competition...
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- ..meeting the Maoris - and being smoked!
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- S4C subtitles by Rh Sion Morgan