Early-season view of Seabee Hook, Cape Hallett. (Dave Campbell, Waikato University)

Twin Otter transport to Seabee Hook approximately 800 kilometres north of Scott Base. (Balks)

Camp at Cape Hallett on the edge of Willett Cove. (Antarctica New Zealand)

Seabee Hook is the site of an Adélie penguin colony with <30,000 birds. Penguins build nests on mounds (relict beach ridges) using stones about 3-10 cm in diameter. A groundwater monitoring well is in the foreground. (Balks)

Hallett station, jointly operated by the US and NZ, was established on Seabee Hook in 1957 as part of the International Geophysical Year. It was abandoned in 1973 following a fire. A few buildings and an oil storage tank remained on site in 2004. (Raytheon Polar Services)

We assisted Antarctica New Zealand along with NZ Armed Forces personnel with the dismantling of buildings remaining from the former Hallett station and collected debris spread throughout the site. (O'Keefe)

Debris on Seabee Hook included wire, pipes and building materials. (O'Keefe)

A welcome banner we discovered when dismantling a shed that housed a bulldozer. Cape Hallett was considered to be in the "banana belt". It was certainly warmer and moister than further south at Scott Base. (O'Keefe)

Site waste material packed and ready for transport to New Zealand. (Balks)

Soil profile showing a layer of guano (stained brown) and underlying dark beach sand. Soils within Antarctic penguin colonies are described as ornithogenic due to the presence of organic materials including guano, dead birds, feathers and egg shells. (Balks)

Friendly penguin helping Megan Balks describe a soil profile. Every time we dug a soil pit the penguins would come looking for stones for their nests. (Aislabie)

Groundwater at the bottom of a soil pit on disturbed soils. Note the buried wood. (Balks)

Erica pumping groundwater. (Balks)

Water flowing through Seabee Hook following melting of snow. (Balks)

More water on Seabee Hook this time forming ponds. (Balks)

View of Mount Herschel across Edisto Inlet through a holey ice berg. Sea ice adjacent to Seabee Hook is breaking out. (O'Keefe)

View of Mount Herschel later in the season as sea ice adjacent to Seabee Hook is beginning to break up. (Balks)

A high tide covering Willett Cove nearly reaches our tents. (Balks)

Fortunately the skidoos were parked on a high point on Willett Cover during the high tide. (Balks)

View up to the saddle at the head of Edisto Inlet, from the Twin Otter. (Balks)

View of Seabee Hook later in the season when the sea ice has broken up. (Balks)

View of the Drygalski ice tongue from the Twin Otter enroute to Scott Base. (Balks)