Akademik Shokalskiy was marooned in Commonwealth Bay, about 3000km southwest of Bluff, on Christmas Eve during a research expedition led by Australian climate scientist Prof Chris Turney.
Its 52 passengers, including six New Zealanders, spent eight days trapped before a helicopter from the Chinese ship Xue Long (Snow Dragon) transferred them to Australian icebreaker and supply ship Aurora Australis, which was on its way to the Australian Antarctic base, Casey Station.
The passengers were still at the station, Aaron Russ said at Bluff yesterday and would not be taken back to Australia until Aurora Australis had finished its scheduled visit.
Mr Russ, of Christchurch, runs an adventure travel company and is also a tour guide for Christchurch-based company Heritage Expeditions which organised the logistics for Prof Turney's group.
''It's ironic that if they had stayed on the ship they would have been almost home by now,'' he said.
The Russian-owned Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been ice-strengthened, was built in Finland in 1982.
It was refurbished in 1998 and serves as a research ship, as well as taking paying passengers to the Arctic and Antarctic.
It was based at Bluff for 10 summers between 1993 and 2003. Mr Russ, who has visited the Antarctic many times, said he did not know how the ship became trapped in Commonwealth Bay.
''But I know the captain is very experienced and wouldn't have travelled into an area if he didn't think he could leave again quite safely.''
Commonwealth Bay was officially the windiest place on Earth, with gusts reaching 320kmh, he said.
That, combined with drifting icebergs which had calved from a glacier in the bay in 2010, meant conditions could change rapidly.
A wind change had released the ship from its frozen bed, he said.
A United States Coast Guard vessel was on its way to free Akademik Shokalskiy and Snow Dragon, but the wind shift meant the ships were able to find their own channels, he said.
The ship was not damaged and the crew was ''well accommodated for water and food'' during their enforced stay in Commonwealth Bay, Mr Russ said.
Asked whether anyone would get a bill for the cost of the rescue, he said he was not sure.
All passengers travelling to either pole were required to have evacuation insurance.
Yesterday, crewmen and helpers unloaded expedition equipment, including sled runners, winches, all-terrain vehicles, quad bikes, inflatable boats and computers from Akademik Shokalskiy and transferred them to a container to be shipped back to Australia.
All the passengers' personal effects had gone with them, Mr Russ said.
The ship would undergo a complete safety check but was expected to be back in service for another Heritage Expeditions tour to the Ross Sea, which leaves Bluff on Saturday.
