Antarcticaiceberg drifts northwards

SYDNEY: A large iceberg was spotted off an island about halfway between Antarctica and Australia, a rare sight in waters so far north, Australian scientists said yesterday. It could be headed for New Zealand.

Australian Antarctic Division researchers working on Macquarie Island, about 1,500 km southeast of Tasmania, first saw the iceberg last Thursday about 8 km off the northwest coast of the island.

"I've never seen anything like it - we looked out to the horizon and just saw this huge floating island of ice," said fur seal biologist Dean Miller.