Antarctic Youth Ambassador Blog

Cape Evans

2011-12-12T18:28:00.001-08:00

We spent a couple more days at Cape Royds after the last blog. Lizzie, Martin and John Kemister flew out with their personal gear to Cape Evans. The weather packed in so we needed to stay. Later in the afternoon we saw the Kaptian Klenlicoff (KK) coming in, a Russian Ice Breaker used for cruises around both poles. They radioed to say they would be visiting the huts. The weather was marginal but it cleared enough for the two Mil 2 helicopters to transport passengers. First the expedition staff came out, put up flagged routes, unloaded emergency tents and gear, then the passengers came. The cruise starts at $18k US.
The Mil2’s are a big Russian helicopter, a bit like an old school bus. Seating for 10 people, loud and really smoky. They land on the back of the ice breaker and do trip after trip. We talked to the passengers as they walked past, telling them about the work we have done and what it is like to camp here. At 10pm everyone had seen the hut and they were pack to the ship
We moved the next day, Tuesday 22 November. The King of Malaysia visited with the Malaysian Minister of Science and the CEO of Antarctica NZ, Lou Sanson. We were given special instructions about how to address the king and not to wear gold or yellow. The king flew in to Christchurch in his private Boeing 737.While they were looking at the hut we flew to Cape Evans in Helicopter’s NZ’s flash new EC130. The king came to Cape Evans after us. By that stage the tents were up and I lay my red tent bag out in front of the tent and told the king to have a walk up the red carpet to check out a Scott Polar Tent. See the photo, he was impressed – fit for a king was a common saying that day.

The next day the KK was back on the horizon and started bringing passengers in to Cape Evans. They invited us on to the ship for a shower, so two at a time we took the empty return flight to the KK. I got to sit in the front, interesting machines, pretty old and basic. Landing on the back of the ship was interesting. Had a swim too which was fantastic, three weeks to the day since the last shower. Had a beer at the bar, a quick look around the ship then back on the helicopter to the camp. The wake of the ice from the ship was quite a sight. The others went to the ship too but some got stuck for an hour or two due to bad weather but it cleared and the operation went well and the ship left again.
Camp set up is not the most fun task but once it is done and we get in to a routine it is much nicer. The camp here is luxury. We have two 18ft containers beside each other which we cook, eat and hang out in. It has a fuel stove, gas oven and solar power. There is a large sliding window out the front which looks out on to the sea ice and over to the Barne Glacier which has 100 ft ice cliffs dropping to the sea below. The beach is 20m away so we see the open water when the ice breaks out, like a beach batch – can’t wait to go swimming. Al, the project leader said I can use it any time –keen? Just need to provide own transport. Also on site there is a carpentry workshop and a conservation lab, with Scott’s Terra Nova Hut about 100m away.
One of my tasks has been wiring up all the containers to the central battery bank and inverter. 24hr day light is a solar-power-enthusiasts dream come true. It took me 4 days to dig the snow out from the hut. Snow is always blowing here and it drops in the lee (downwind side) of any feature – rocks, buildings, tents. But interestingly the upwind side stays clear for a meter of two as the wind flows around the feature and keeps it clear. Anyhow there is a significant amount of snow on the lee side and it all blew back in when the next day another snow storm came through!
We are in the routine and the weather has improved. We sorted the food, it is like a supermarket with enough food to winter us all over. We have fresh bread daily and the standard 7:30 am start and 7pm knock off. Sometimes we go for a walk in the evenings. One night we went to a US scientists’ ice hole where they literally put fishing lines down and go fishing. There are lots of interesting sea creatures swimming around. We heard a seal sound then it suddenly shot past wanting to pop up through the hole. The seals are huge and very elegant in the water – the same can’t be said when on land. There are hundreds of them on the sea ice anywhere near tide cracks or holes in the ice. We visited a huge ice burg the other day just off the cape.
There has been plenty of work to do besides digging snow. I painted a small shelter called the Magnetic Hut, dug a trench in the permfrost– it is like concrete, assisted putting a canvas type roof product on the hut annex and more recently started installing a double glazed ranch slider on the front of the mess container.
The other day we saw a helicopter flying past carrying a huge device – covering the area of an average house. It is a Kevlar wrapped wooden lattice structure which measures the resistance of the earths crust, providing an indication of what is under the surface, a technique commonly used for mining exploration. It landed on the sea ice in front of our camp to refuel but on departure one corner got caught in an ice pin and it snapped. Luckily we had some wood and tape on hand so they fixed it.

Yesterday the Hagglands came out and we packed them up with our waste, unused tools and several thousand artifacts for the winter team to conserve. It was weird getting back to Scott Base after being out in almost complete isolation. Washing the clothes and having a shower was unbelievable good and sleeping in darkness was a wired change (the rooms have shutters- as opposed to a bright glow from our tents). This morning I rode a push bike to Mac Town (McMurdo Station) for a look. It is a busy place, heaps of huge machinery and I had to remember to bike on the right side of the road!!!
This is the last time we will be at Scott Base before the sea ice becomes unsafe to travel on. After that, all transport is by helicopter. 29th January is the next shower time and then back to NZ on the 4th February. Otherwise Sunday afternoons is the time reserved for a cat lick, a thermos of hot water in the tent with some handy towels and a face cloth. The beard is growing well, effective at keeping the face warm but tends to freeze up with snow/condensation from breathing and the infamous Antarctica snots-icles. The 7 weeks so far has gone very quickly. Christmas at camp will be interesting and New Year’s sitting on the beach in the sun will be memorable!!!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! I will try and get another update out in the beginning of January. This will be on Facebook - not on this website. See http://www.facebook.com/AntarcticYouthAmbassador

Camp Move (attempt)

2011-11-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Camp Move

We finished the work at Shacklton’s Nimrod hut on Thursday. This is quite an achievement for the trust, the first fully completed conservation project. We began the massive task of packing up camp on Friday. Everything gathered in flight piles. Flying all the gear is a challenging task as we must make sure all the weights are known and within the helo limitations. The New Zealand EC130 helicopter is down for the summer so they will do the camp move, slightly smaller than the Bell 212. Planned for 5 flights to Cape Evans. It is only a 15 minute flight. Most of the bulk is under slung in nets. On Saturday we were up and ready but the flight was cancelled due to flat light – basically when the visibility is low and everything is white resulting in difficulty gauging depth perception and the horizon for the pilot. We had all but one tent down so we put up another to sleep in. Later in the afternoon it started snowing and unusual for here there was no wind. It is really light and fluffy so when it blows around it gathers in huge drifts in the lee of tents, rocks, hills etc. It also means if we have significant wind in the next couple of days it will be whiteout. The sun came out yesterday afternoon which was amazing. It snowed overnight and today we have mostly been in the small survival shelter/hut, drinking cups of tea. It is overcast and quite cold. An American helicopter came in just after lunch with DV’s (distinguished quests), the heads of the USAP (US Antarctic Program including the head of NASA). It was amazing seeing the helicopter come in, it created a cloud of snow from the wash, the helicopter appeared when it had landed. They had a look around the hut and at the penguin colony.

Hopefully the weather is good to fly tomorrow although the forecast is not flash, so we could be here for a few more days, 6 of us living in a 2.4 x 3m space is challenging. The Americans have kindly invited us up for tea and also allowed me to use their sat link.

Photosand video at www.facebook.com/pages/Antarctic-Youth-Ambassador/162310110529673

Cape Royds

2011-11-13T23:31:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday 1 November the weather cleared and the wind dropped. Al, Martin and I needed to gather some gear from AHT’s camp at Cape Evans to use at Cape Royds. Normally the AHT camp put in would be by Haggunds convoy but plans changed due to the poor sea ice so the helo’s are being used. The rest of the team stayed at Scott Base to continue packing and preparing gear for Cape Royds. The thud of the Bell 212 (basically a civil Iroquois) could be heard as it took off from McMurdo. All our gear was loaded, it is amazing how much you can pile in. Summer camping trip Antarctic style. Cape Evans is only about 15 minutes by helo from Scott Base, over the hill and north up the coast, about two thirds of the distance to Cape Royds.

The Cape Evans camp is about 200m from Scott’s Terra Nova Hut, which is currently covered in large snow drifts: my job next week will be to clear all of that snow. The beach is gently sloping and reaches the sea ice which continues for as far as the eye can see. Emperor penguins wander in groups. I sat on the sea ice and they came right up and investigated. An amazing experience. They are a large bird, standing as high as me sitting. The penguin experts say these penguins are likely to have failed raising chicks or breading. So seeing the penguins is a bit sad having heard that. As we departed, Henry Worsley and his team landed in a Twin-Otter to begin their expedition to the pole. An interesting expedition for you to Google if interested.

The tools, fuel drums and generators were loaded in a fashion so the cargo net would pick it up evenly. Finally bed at 2am, then back up working again at 6am. We packed the remaining gear and the helo arrived as the wind died down. It took the rock drill back to Scott Base for repairs and returned to load the sling and us to Cape Royds where we met the others and began the mammoth task of setting up camp. Pegs had to be put in with the rock drill, through the concrete-like permafrost.

This is an amazing and quite intense place. A rocky volcanic cape, stripped of snow. An Adelie penguin colony is 400m away. The chicks are hatching now. An American research team is camping up the hill. They take pictures of particular nests daily which can be viewed here www.penguinscience.com . A webcam scans the colony and uploads that daily. We camp in a small gully. A comparatively large tent contains the kitchen and mess area which has a diesel heater then we have individual Scott polar tents to sleep in and house all our personal gear. The mess tent is tight with 6 in it but space management is improving. Shackleton’s hut is 100m down the hill. Mt Erebus is to the SE and is an amazing sight.

A typical day, Monday through to Saturday starts with breakfast at 7am then a briefing at 7:30 to go over the day’s tasks, health and safety and any other issues. First lunch is at 11am which is generally cheese, crackers, salami and hot drinks. Second lunch is at 3pm and is more substantial, often pasta. Finally tea is at 7pm when we knock off. We eat well but the food is basic. Stir frys and pasta dishes are common. I am normally ready for bed by 10. Sunday mornings deal with the record keeping of the project and planning. We get Sunday afternoons off to go for a walk, sleep, read, clean etc. It is looked forward to. Domestic chores are a challenge here. All water is melted from snow and a lot of snow makes not much water. Waste solids are packaged and returned to Scott Base for recycling or processing, and we have a permit to dispose of our small amounts of grey water and urine directly into the sea.

We communicate with Scott Base twice a day. This passes on any important information like weather and political poll results. We have a sat phone which can be used to make calls but it is expensive and sometimes difficult to use. Luckily I brought a small 12V battery down which is connected to a small solar panel to provide a bit of power to charge cameras and radios which is handy.

The project is interesting. Shackleton’s hut is amazing. It is like a snap shot in time, the smell is strong and the items as they were left. There is an eerie light inside from the windows, it is cold and very quiet. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to visit and spend three weeks here. The Antarctic Heritage Trust began conservation work at Shackleton’s hut in 2005, and this year marks the final year of work at this site. Meanwhile conservation work continues at Scott’s Terra Nova hut, Cape Evans (where we head to next week), with conservation plans written for Discovery Hut and Borchgrevink’s hut at Cape Adare.

The first day was spent clearing snow then carrying all the artefacts and gear to the hut. A lot of items are going back to the hut which have been away for some time being conserved. The main items are the Venesta boxes, of which there are several hundred . Most are now in their final resting place. The artefacts inside are amazing. It is interesting working out what the foods inside are. In some of the boxes there is perfectly white flour.

The weather has been clear the last few weeks but it is always, with the exception of a few hours, windy. Consistently 20 knots gusting 30. Not particularly cold, -10 to -4, but the wind chill is the killer. Exposed skin is vulnerable to frostnip. When it is calm, it is an entirely different place. We walk to the edge of the cape and watch the Adelie colony and see the wandering Emperors. The open water can be seen further to the north. The Trans-Antarctic Mountains are across the sound. Scott Base is to the south over the hill on Pram Point, the most southern point of Ross Island. The cloud formations are amazing down here and they change so quickly. Photography is easy as there is so much to look at.

Last night the American Penguin Researchers came for tea which was nice. They have a satellite internet link which they have let me use to upload this. Otherwise a blog would have to travel by disc which gets sent on the next helo flight, and these only occur every few weeks. It gets to Scott Base, waits for the next US flight then ends up in Chch to be uploaded. At this stage we may be going back to Scott Base to vote but if not it will be the end of January before my next shower.

Next update December.

more images at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antarctic-Youth-Ambassador/162310110529673

Off Camping Tomorrow

2011-10-31T00:57:00.001-07:00

Today we packed and weighed. The loads are all together and ready to fly, weather dependent. Today the flight from NZ was cancelled so no new people on base tonight. It has been low vis and windy, -23 deg C, -45deg C wind chill. The visibility reduces significantly here at times, often less than 20m. Light snow/ice blows around. Although there is very little “snow”, ice blows off the Antarctic Plateau. So we won’t be going anywhere if the forecasted weather arrives but we are to be ready for helo movements at 1050 either way. One of the uploaded photos shows you the amount of gear for an overnight stay for 3 of us so you can have some appreciation for the gear required.

Car camping they call it. The 3 of us are flying to Cape Evans (Scott’s hut) to gather some supplies. We rough it for the night and the next day we fly to Cape Royds where we meet the other 3 and set up camp for 20 days. After that time we are back to Cape Evans for 40 days.
I had my last shower tonight so will not be any cleaner than this till potentially February. A couple of tourist ships might come in (including a Russian Ice Breaker) so they might fly us back to the ship for a meal and shower.
There are 6 of us in the team. John Kermister is a conservator at the national Australian war museum. Lizzie Meek is a conservator with the Heritage Trust. Martin Wenzel is a restoration carpenter; he has been in Antarctica for all but 8 weeks of the last year. Jamie Ward is from Scotland and specializes in traditional carpentry. Lastly, Al Fastier is the project manager. He is an Antarctic veteran and very experienced. A great team. Lizzie is leaving prior to Xmas. Just after New Year’s, Scott’s grandson Falcon Scott will join us.
This will be it from me for a while. A CD with picts etc will be sent to NZ and should be online late November or early Decemeber.

Sun at its lowest point, directly south

Packing for the summer camping trip

2011-10-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

We spent all day packing and weighing gear. There will be about 5 helo loads (helo is the term used for helicopter down here) to get it out to Cape Royds. We are at Cape Royds for 3 weeks then at Scott’s for the remaining time. We use a Bell 212, basically a civil huey operated by the yanks. It is a serious amount of gear to take, about ten thousand pounds.
We put up 7 Scott Polar Tents to check them out before we live in them till Feb. It has dawned on me that going out camping for 3 months is a long time and there is a lot to think about. That means Xmas and New Year’s too. Coms will be minimal, only radio with Scott Base and sat phone. Also means showers will be non-existent.
Meeting lots of people, heaps of similar aged people which surprised me, I am about the only one without a PhD. A team is heading to a field camp at Roosevelt Island tomorrow. It is 800km’s away, they fly in ski Herc’s and Baslier’s which are a turbo-prob DC3. They are drilling ice cores 700m deep, going back at least 30 thousand years. They are camping on an ice mountain dome. There is nothing; they look over the horizon to whiteness.
Tonight we walked up to Observation hill which is probably the next most historic site after the huts. It has a large cross erected by Scott’s crew after he failed to return from the pole. It is 100 years later that I am at the same place.
Next we walked/slid down the hill to Mac town (Kiwi’s version of McMurdo). We checked out the amazing array of vehicles. They use a lot of fuel and they have enough for 2 years in case the icebreaker can’t get in or they go to war, no jokes. We went to the bar and yarned with a couple of friendly yanks. They brought us a Coors beer. The place is like an Alaskan mining town and the people match that description. It is literally like crossing the border. They have fuel lines and power lines everywhere which they are very protective of. The fuel line goes out to the ice runway and contains 10 thousand gallons so a rupture would be catastrophic.
The king of Malaysia and PM of Normay are coming down at some stage. The NZ high commission has given us special instruction to behave ourselves and they are very strict about pork contaminants.
Tomorrow we will finish the rest of the packing to be off on Tuesday. After that picts and updates will be scarce but I will be posting some CD’s to NZ to get uploaded.
I bet it is warming up back there, it is here too, got up to -15 deg C today, -35 deg C wind-chill, which is the killer.
more photos see;
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antarctic-Youth-Ambassador/162310110529673

Field Training

2011-10-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

This Place is ColdDuring the last 2 days I have been on an Antarctic Field Training Course. This is required by all people operating out of base. It is important to learn how cold it is and what gear needs to be worn and when. First, a class room session went over a few things then we packed the Haggland with all out gear and headed for the ice shelf. We sleep in big triangular tents called Scott... Polar Tents. The sleeping bags are essentially 1 sleeping bag inside another. That was all stowed along with the food for the night. We set up camp on the side of a hill called Castle Rock. It was quite windy, about -40deg C with wind-chill. So getting shelter was the key priority. Then we had tea but that is interesting. By the time I had finished eating my pizza, the end was frozen. A cup of water would have ice crystals in it after only a few minutes. The fuel gets quite viscous at low temperatures and lighting it isn’t easy. Before bed we went for a quick walk up the hill to look north to where we will be camping, 40km away. The camp overlooked Mt Erebus which is impressive, higher than Mt Cook with a small steam vent at the top. 11pm, the sun was still high and bright. Anything you don’t want to freeze must be in the sleeping bag (between the two), anything electronic, water bottles, clothes for the next day and boot liners. We have to pee in bottles to bring back. Although advised, I didn’t want to sleep with my pee so that was left to freeze beside my bed, in the tent, along with the drink bottle. Defrosting the pee was the first job to do once I got back to base. I got to drive the Haggland home. Hardcase machines, they float so if we break through the sea ice we should be ok. They have big ramps to cross cracks and winches to pull themselves out.
See Facebook for photos
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Scott Base

2011-10-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

The trip down was smooth, 5 hours in the C17 was amazing. It is an awesome aircraft to say the least, but loud. If the flight hadn't been delayed yesterday, it would have been 8 hours in an LC130, 5 hours was enough. The plane was full, mostly Americans and about 14 Kiwis. Nothing prepared me for walking out the door of the plane and onto the Sea ice. The plane has no windows so it was a surprise. We had our extreme weather clothing on (EWC's), but stepping out to the -15 deg C (-25 deg C wind chill) was a shock and a feeling I will never forget, what a place. The Kiwi Landcrusiers were waiting and we all jumped in the back and headed through McMurdo to Scott Base. McMurdo isn't very pretty, but Scott Base is tidy and very smart inside. We had a tour after a cup of tea watching the seals sunbathe on the pack ice. The place is all joined together and is going to take a bit to get used to navigating. Everyone is very friendly, a really neat Kiwi “family”. Tonight is when the Americans are allowed to come over for a drink. Otherwise they require an invitation!!! Any time you touch something metal you get a whack from the static build up, it is so dry. Fire and dehydration are really dangerous here. Tea time at 6, they have great food. Antarctic survival training tomorrow so you’ll get some more pictures then. At the moment I am overwhelmed and trying to get to grips with reality, might go for a walk, it’s probably getting down to -20 now.

The Beginning Is Near

2011-10-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

In just a week I will be leaving NZ's summer to go to the coldest, driest and windiest continent on earth. This blog will document my experiences while down on the ice. Updates will occur when we head to Scott Base every few weeks from our camp at Cape Royds then Cape Evans, the sites of Shackleton's and Scott's huts' respectively.

Here is the webcam image of Scott Base

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End of the Line

2011-02-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight will be my last at Scott base having spent close to 3 months on the ice.

To learn firsthand the history of Antarctica through living at Cape Royds and Cape Evans (the sites of the historic huts) has been as close to a traditional Antarctic experience as you can get. Ten weeks total living in a Scott polar tent with temperatures seldom above zero and sunlight streaming in 24/7 I have learnt to take all manners of obstacles in my stride. The things I have seen and done here beyond my wildest dreams. I have worked hard through sun and snow, but always woken up buzzing that I have realized my dream of being here.

(Last day at Cape Evans)

I write this final blog from inside the T.A.E (Tranz Antarctic Expedition) hut at Scott base, built by Hillary and his men in 1957. The humble start of New Zealand’s 53 year ongoing residence in Antarctica began here. Looking back on the many highlights of my trip, I am reminded of the smells of these historic huts, climbing icebergs, flying in helicopters over Antarctica’s unspoiled landscape, swimming in the brash ice on my 22nd birthday, spectacular wildlife and trips to the Scott Base Ski Field. These and many more memories have been so special to me in countless ways. To share them with my friends from the Antarctic Heritage Trust (AHT)and Antarctica New Zealand have made them all the more important. Living here I have forged some unique friendships in day to day life with many passionate driven people all of whom have dedicated themselves to preserving Antarctica’s rich history. All of which have taught me a great deal about team work and leadership, all of whom I regard as close friends.
(Antarctic Heritage Trust team in Scotts hut)

(T.A.E hut)

I hope that Antarctica remains the place it is today, a hub of scientific activity and history supported by a small and friendly Scott Base. Long may the rest of the world continue to support conservation and research in Antarctica for the benefit of us all.
(scott base)

Many thanks to the Sir Peter Blake Trust for this life changing opportunity, as well as the support of the Antarctic Heritage Trust and Antarctica New Zealand who have been with me all the way.
This program is a fitting way to celebrate the life and achievements of Sir Peter Blake, an ambassador for the environment and a truly remarkable leader.

(Sir Peter Blake)

Cape Evans Centenary 4/01/2011

2011-01-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

(expedition seal)

Today marks One Hundred years since the landing of Scott and his 24 men, on the ship Terra Nova at Cape Evans. In the coming weeks they erected the Terra Nova hut in anticipation for the coming winter, various scientific endeavors and ultimately attainment of the South Pole (some 30 odd days behind the Norwegian Amundsen).

(The Tennements as they were)
Whilst there were no big celebrations planned there was a definite sense of occasion as we set off for work on Scotts hut, still standing tall after one hundred years on the harshest continent on earth. It was the usual work around the hut finishing off re-cladding the roof, repairing the stables and treating various atrefacts (currently Oates bed frame).

(recladding the roof)

As we worked through the evening an Emperor penguin approached us across the fractured sea-ice coming right up to the hut within arm’s reach of us. We watched intently as he carried on intrigued in our behaviour. Up close they truly are an impressive creature. Astonishingly large in stature both high and wide, their size enormous in comparison to their adelie cousins, the colour of their coats so stunning you could look for hours. It was certainly a moment to remember as well as a stark contrast (beyond the obvious) to the taxidermy penguin sitting on Scotts study table.

(emperor)

(scotts penguin)

After dinner I went for a walk to view the world from the lookout towards inaccessible island managing to avoid the usual attack by nesting Skua. Ahead lays open water in the distance with groups of seals and penguins surrounding the water as the Trans Antarctic ranges provide inspirational backdrop. As the snow began to fall lightly it became as serene as ever, imagining a group of men frantically unloading the ship to spend over a year isolated from the rest of the world to conquer the last frontier on earth. Whichever way you think about it the determination of those men was second to none, the stories of their hardships dressed down as only small hurdles.

(waters edge)

To end the day I had a walk around the hut as per usual. Sir David Attenborough described the Terra Nova hut as “a time warp without parallel”. Also a pretty cool way to wind down at the end of the day.

White Christmas

2011-01-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

Out in the field at Cape Evans with five others from the AHT I am celebrating my first ever white Christmas! The day seemed to sneak up on us without the usual barrage of advertising or carols on the radio that you would expect in regular life.

Our celebrations started with fried eggs on toast for a late breakfast (a special treat considering that we are in the field) and a tradition brought to our team by Scottish conservation carpenter Jamie 'Jam' Ward. The team enjoyed a leisurely morning prior to lunch when the camp divided into Northern Hemisphere (Randy, Jam and Martin) and Southern Hemisphere (Al, J.T and myself) for Christmas games. J.T organized the games for the day with the “stick” game, dunnage toss (basically caber toss but with spare pieces of workshop lumber) and the “rope” game all being competed as teams and individuals, The Southerners coming out victors!

(dunnage toss)
The afternoon we went for a group walk up to the top ridge beside the Barne Glacier to enjoy the sunny still day and awe inspiring panoramic views.

(What a view)
To top the day off we exchanged gifts through a previously arranged secret Santa over a brilliantly cooked dinner.

(Christmas dinner in the field)
All in all a Christmas I will never forget!

Leaving Royds

2010-12-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I said goodbye to the Nimrod hut and natural beauty of Cape Royds as we packed up camp for the season and moved to Cape Evans for a brief time before Scott base. The weather for the move was once again fine with little winds (A blessing when pulling down tents etc). Amongst the fast paced activity in every direction I managed to take a moment to myself to visit the hut one last time and look back on my time here at Royds, as I will likely never have the opportunity to travel here again. A combination of subtleties like the worn socks hanging from the hut rafters to more prominent features like the penguin rookery close by will be sincerely missed. Royds is a phenomenal place stooped in page turning history and natural beauty.

(moving camp with the assistance of some heavy machinery)

The road to Cape Evans was paved in two displays of magnificent wildlife. First of all driving along in the hagglund a flock of a dozen or so snow petrels flew alongside us darting through the air with the agility of a bat and the attractiveness of a dove. Secondly as we passed the Barne glacier we came across a group of near 50 seals all sunbathing together in the same spot, both good omens according to some of the more superstitious members of our team. Upon arrival at Evans we spent the most part of the afternoon and evening setting up our camp. To celebrate the day’s success we had our dinner outside under the relative warmth of the evening sun.

(eating out under the sun)

Today the weather is unbelievable. The temperature is sitting above 2degrees with no wind. However in direct sunlight it feels a lot hotter, hot enough to wear a singlet for part of the day! We continued to establish camp today for the team to inhabit over the next 6 weeks. At the end of the day (which happens to mark 99 years since the Norwegian Amundsen first attained the South Pole) we are doing some exploring ourselves. We took the quad bike out over the ice to a nearby iceberg that has been stranded. Equipped with crampons and an ice axe I climbed the iceberg and had another unique Antarctic experience. A fresh glacial pool sat at the top with crisp tasting water that accompanied panoramic views of Erebus the Ross island peninsula and other stranded bergs.

(iceberg ahead)

Although my experience cannot compare I can associate with the words of Ernest Shackleton as he departed Cape Royds on the Nimrod, ‘We all turned to give three cheers and to take a last look at the place where we had spent so many happy days. The hut was not exactly a palatial residence…but, on the other hand it had been our home for a year that would always live in our memories…we watched the little hut fade away in the distance with feelings almost of sadness, and there were few men aboard who did not cherish a hope that someday they would once more live strenuous days under the shadow of mighty Erebus’.

Calm after the storm

2010-12-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

As the storm cleared we began our last week of work at Cape Royds before heading back to Cape Evans and eventually Scott base. Since the weekends storm the weather has been tropical with forecasted temperatures going the as high as +4degrees Celsius before accounting for wind-chill. Whilst pleasant for me at the time being and good enough to have lunch outside, I can’t help but think global warming has a part to play in these bizarrely high temperatures.

(fine weather)

This week has been fantastic so far. We completed the digging of the deflection dam and gradient gutter around the hut meaning we can now put away the jackhammers and move onto other tasks. With four days good sunshine some ice has melted around the hut giving us the opportunity to see our gradient gutter successfully in action (so far!). As a part of my work schedule I have also been able to spend a couple of days with Randy (a Canadian carpenter) cutting and assembling metal edging on some contemporary wooden boxes to be stacked around the hut along with some of the historical Venesta boxes.

(contemporary boxes)

We decided to celebrate some milestones in our month long work program the team went sledging before dinner last night. This was following the lead of a penguin that visited camp and slid down a nearby slope on his stomach for fun more than any logical reason. The snow was in perfect condition, not too firm but good to get a decent amount of pace up for a thrill.

(sledging)

To balance the long hours and physical work put in by everyone on the AHT team there is always fun to be had. Whether it is going sledging or for walks to the boarder where the Ross Sea meets the ice there is constantly a fantastic sense of happiness and collective enjoyment of being in each other’s company in one of the most amazing places on earth.

True Colours (Condition One)

2010-12-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

Sitting down to dinner at Cape Evans the weather started to turn on its head. Earlier in the day I had made a painstaking two hour journey across from Evans to Royds on the quad bike. J.T and Al were in the haggling tugging six cuba’s (big plastic bins with about 4cubic meters capacity) carrying artefacts that will return to Scott Base for conserving in the winter months, but this meant a maximum speed of 10km/h. All togged up in my cold weather gear it was a cold, slow trip into the prevailing winds. The purpose of our journey was to shift a ‘vortex generator’ (triangular steel objected used to scatter snow drift) to reduce the snow build up around Scott’s hut as well as move some gear before the sea-ice goes out for summer.
The weather cleared enough for us to move the vortex to its new position and head home to Royds. During the trip I met Antarctica New Zealand CEO Lou Sanson who was having a day trip out to visit the hut and field parties in the area, a really nice guy!

(snowy hut)

Unfortunately on arrival back at camp I was met with a tent full of snow. The Scott tents we use have ventilation pipes near the roof to make it safe to use a primus from inside. However with the weather being fine when I left camp for the night I neglected to tie them off resulting in a good amount of drift blowing in and covering my bags and clothes. Luckily a gut feeling had me zip up my bags before I left; meaning the majority of snow was kept away from my possessions! At least my outer tent didn’t rip open as was the case for Al and now the toilet tent.

It is now two days later and we have just finished work early for the day (3pm) as the wind blows around 30knots with a wind chill below -20C. We worked all of yesterday digging around the hut with constant snow and wind holding visibility to about 70m. This made for slow progress. There is however a very satisfying feeling though finishing work for the day and heading back to the warm wannigan for a nice cooked meal.

(in the trenches)

This morning I woke up after a blustery night’s sleep and kitted out for another day in the trenches. We were on landscaping duty in an attempt to slightly alter the gradient of the land to direct any melt water away from Shackleton’s hut. As the day progressed the weather moved to category one (visibility less than 30m due to heavy winds and snow drift). We continued to work for as long as possible out in the snow but eventually succumb to shelter not wanting to lose our way back to the campsite. The cold was not an issue with a number of wind proof layers on coupled with a lot of physical activity.

(working in the snow)

In a way it is great to experience the harsher side of Antarctica as it bears its teeth. Even just standing outside I can see our tents and flag markers disappear in and out of sight. The past two days work is certainly an episode I will not forget any time soon. With the Condition One weather forecasted to remain for at least the next day and a half we will have to wait it out and see.

(Al’s frozen moustache)

Special Guests

2010-12-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

It is Wednesday December the first and a somewhat exciting day at camp. The weather is fine yet again for the visit of the Artists. They have been invited to travel to Antarctica as part of an Antarctica New Zealand initiative. Amongst the artists is musician Dave Dobbyn, photographer Laurence Aberhart and Sculptor Joe Sheehan, all extremely talented and nice people. In their trip to Cape Royds they visited the hut, looked at the near-by penguin rookery and had a chat with us. Laurence also took the opportunity to take some long exposure photos within the hut using a century old camera similar to that used by Herbert Ponting and Frank Wild in the heroic era of Antarctic exploration.

red socks handshake with Dave Dobbyn
I also had the opportunity to show off the ‘swingle tree’ I found yesterday whilst excavating the stables. The swingle tree is the first to be found at Cape Royds so far. It is a wooden piece with hemp rope fixed at each end, the swingle tree was positioned behind the ponies when they dragged sleds and stopped the rope from rubbing the on pony’s hind quarters. The attached wooden toggle to the rope also seemed to have some dog chew marks in it, a nice piece of character added to the object.To make this find even more special Lizzie (Head Conservator) found a picture of it in use last night in a book on the Nimrod expedition.

swingle tree
In addition to the visit from the artists Lizzie and Al also gave us a first class tour of the hut. It was great to be talked through all the little details of the hut. Little things that you wouldn’t normally pick up on were highlighted making the building come to life with character. Stories of Shackleton’s leadership and seeing his signature etched on the wall along with Mawson’s lab (complete with a slide door to access under the building) were stand out in the details pointed out to us.

Shackleton’s signature on the head board on one of the bunks
Overall a busy, yet exciting past few days with nice weather and some esteemed company.

Ice Excavation

2010-12-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Having spent the best part of a week attached to the other end of a jackhammer or similar tool, I am moving jobs. Shackleton's hut was elavated about 300-450mm from the ground using piles. Over the years with the gradual weathering of the hut there has been a mass of ice accumulation underneath the floor. Although the mass of ice is not as bad as it once was (due to some intervention by the AHT in 2007, where they famously discovered Shackleton's hidden whiskey stash) there is still an estimated 12 cubic meters of ice still needing removal.

Kitted out in thermals, a bunny suit and waders I got to work with J.T and AI. As you can imagine, with very little crawl space breaking off and removing the ice is a big team effort. Breaking the ice away was awkward as well as quite exhausting at times, especially pushing the ice out, often on our stomachs pushing it with our hands. However there have been some exciting moments under the hut. In our excavation of the ice we came across a number of artefacts, perhaps for the first time in over a century (I put this down to wearing our lucky red socks from the Sir Peter Blake Trust). Amongst these artefacts was an axe with label in-tact, some rusted up tins and what appears to be some old custard powder. Quite interesting stuff, particularly now they have thawed out in the sun and the conservation team is restoring some of the items, from what appears in some cases to be utter disrepair.

All the while as I work away around and under the hut there have been some interesting happenings outside the hut. Some of the AHT team has been extracting old boxes from the stables area. A difficult job as wind-blown scoria over the years has deteriorated the boxes as well as burying them below ground level. It does however make for interesting finds, including a jug and leather horse strapping.

One thing that stands out working for the AHT is the value of good preparation and a great team environment. The individual skill of every team member along with an open minded approach makes for an incredibly efficient and effective machine, one which I am learning plenty from.

Outside of work hours we have taken to going for group walks. Today the weather was as close to tropical as Antarctica has to offer. We walked along the coast to Horseshoe Bay (with Cape Bird off in the distance). It was intriguing to find a few patches of lichen growing in a few places. Any fauna in a place as inhospitable as Antarctica must be incredibly robust to survive! Not long after that we found a family of seals relaxing on the ice-pack. Amongst these was a noisy pup that kept crying out and playing with its mother (penguins were all sure to stay clear as they navigated the pack-ice for the sea). The views were breathtaking in every direction. I still find it hard to believe how lucky I am to experience this magnificent landscape, but also how important it is that we continue to protect it.

Camp Life

2010-11-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

The first few days at camp have been flat out as we (the Antarctic Heritage Trust team) set up our base camp for the next month. The first day was spent organising resources into accessible locations as well as setting up tents and the wannigan (shipping like containers used for cooking and as a dining/storage room, interestingly the wannigans we are using once served as the old hydroponics room at Scott base for growing veggies). By day two everything at base had come together nicely and since then the field camp has really started to feel like home.

Under the lead of Al Fastier, everyone was at work on their various tasks in and around Shackleton's Nimrod hut, come day two of our stay. Al, J.T and I are responsible for digging a ditch around the immediate perimeter of the hut, as well as excavating ice from under the hut. Other members of the team will be conserving and repopulating artefacts from in and around the hut, installing a polycarbonate dam as well as putting up batten on the weathered cladding surrounding the hut.

As I had discovered trying to put down my tent pegs, scoria (a black rock found all over Antarctica) can be extremely hard to penetrate. Our trench target is 600mm depth from ground level. To achieve this depth we have been equipped with two jackhammers, a small drill hammer and a couple of spades. Taking care not to make contact with the hut, it has been a hard week digging, however in three and a half days we have completed trenching the South and East walls of the hut ahead of schedule! As Al tells us, "you eat an elephant one mouthful at a time".

Typically we start work every day with a briefing at 7:30am and finish at 7:00pm, with two 40 minute tea breaks in between. On Sundays we get half a day off to do as we please, and this week most of the team went for a walk through a gully and then back up the coast. We came across spectacular ice formations on a frozen lake we crossed, stunning views of the sea in the distance as pack ice continues to float away in the ongoing sunny calm weather, and penguins doing their thing. Outside of work, spare time has been filled with some entertaining dinner table conversation. Everyone at camp has a great sense of humour, making for endless laughs during and after meal times.

Our second night at base was magical. After dinner we walked across to the boundary of the nearby penguin colony by the sea. In the distance we spotted a group of emperor penguins making their way towards us over the sea ice. After over an hour they came to within 100m of us, constantly trumpeting and calling to each other. The combination of brilliant scenery, great weather and penguins made for a very memorable moment, one I will never forget!

Historic Huts - Cape Royds, aka Home!

2010-11-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

The trip to Royds was bliss. On the way we stopped close by the Barne Glacier for photos of the spectacular blues and I jumped on the quad bike for the remaining 45 minutes to Royds. That journey in itself was a highlight as I cruised across the sea-ice, all layered up for protection from the wind.

On arrival we were greeted by a curious Adelie penguin who showed off his speed and came within a couple of metres of us. Next I went to the Nimrod hut, with the intention of spending ten minutes to myself to take in the detail of a polar explorer's life over 100 years ago. The hut itself is situated opposite the fastest growing Adelie penguin colony in the world. Either side of the ridge shadowing the hut is the sea, covered in ice with spectacular snow covered mountain ranges and glaciers off in the distance.

Shackleton's hut is filled with light and is a very warming place. The open plan living as well as the smaller size made it feel like a perfectly preserved back country New Zealand hut. An affectionate place where I would happily eat at the table and bunk down in the preserved fur blankets for the night. I remembered Lady Hillary telling me of how Sir Ed had seen the ghost of Shackleton come out to greet him, and couldn't help but feel a comforting spirit surround me in the hut.

Historic Huts

2010-11-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

This morning I enjoyed my last proper shower and shave for roughly four weeks, today I head out to Camp Evans, then Cape Royds the following day. It is at Royds where I will be working with the Antarctic Heritage Trust on conserving Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod hut, in particular installing a deflection dam around the hut and excavating unwanted ice from beneath the hut.

The road from Scott Base to both Evans and Royds is over sea ice, taking roughly three hours in total. Having spent the early part of the day unwrapping artefacts (transported to the Scott Base hangar for conserving over winter) I got set to take off for Evans. On arrival, we got straight into work with no time for sightseeing. The objective at Evans was to pack up gear that will be needed at Cape Royds for the following week. Simple as this seems, it was a slow and tireless process. The combination of careful thinking and physical activities dragged the packing at Evans from 2pm - 11:30pm. It was at this time I was given the opportunity to step inside Scott's Terra Nova hut and take some time for myself.

The site of the hut is brilliant. The Barne Glacier sits to one side and Mt Erebus to the other. I entered the hut not quite sure what to think. Having read Scott's diary from his last expedition and heard a lot about the hut from others, in the end I am uncertain of the overall impression I came away with. Firstly, the size and smell of the hut came to me, with the interior stained in the scent of soot and blubber. Every detail of the hut is genuine and builds on the atmosphere of the century old building. As I walked down the dining table I passed the cook's mess still surrounded in boxes and foodstuffs, I stared down towards Herbert Ponting's photography dark room and then Scott's separate sleeping quarters. As a Navy man he was a firm believer in rank and therefore gave himself a private bedroom, whilst his colleagues slept in bunks in the dining hall!

Aside from the historic stuffed emperor penguin laying in the study, the hut seemed a dark and distant place, overshadowed by the ultimate fate of Scott and his party of four others who perished on their return from the pole, having been defeated by the Norwegian, Amundsen, some 35 days earlier. However, thinking of the highs and lows over their years in the hut it is definitely an astonishing place!

AFT (Antarctic Field Training)

2010-11-14T01:14:00.000-08:00

The past two days on the ice I have been completing my Antarctic Field training (AFT). This course is compulsory for all newbie’s on the ice with more seasoned Antarctic goers required to do a refresher course. The field training was very much safety and survival oriented. It was present to us in such a way that we were encouraged to work in teams (as we will be doing in the field). The aim of each activity was to make us aware of the dangers involved in the field so that we could make a risk assessment of our immediate environments based on our own personal judgment.
The morning kicked off with a couple of hours of conceptual do’s and don’ts with our instructor Gideon. These included the meanings of different coloured flags (used to mark safe routes and show danger), how to prime and light a primus, decision making, the restrictions on approaching wildlife, and the importance of scheduled and constant radio communications with Scott Base just to name a few. Following lunch we had went through a scenario where the hagglund was sinking in cracked sea ice. Here we were required to evacuate the vehicle through the roof hatch safely. It was great to get out on the sea-ice for the first real time and begin to learn firsthand hands on. By the end of the summer the majority of sea ice here will have melted making it unsafe to drive on, and then eventually ice sheet covered water. In the afternoon once again we boarded the hagglung, this time with our sleeping kits, cooking gear, food and personal gear we deem necessary to take with us for an overnight stay.

We headed out from Scott Base to AFT camp, about a 20minute drive away towards Castle Rock (given its name by the early explorers due to its shape). Here we set up camp for the night with Mt Erebus and Mt Terror in the not so far off distance. There were five others in my AFT group and amongst us we set up three field tents, made a snow kitchen (with a barrier to protect us from the wind) and two snow cave shelters!

Dehydration is one of the biggest issues in Antarctica with it being so dry. Therefore main priority of setting up camp was to get the kitchen set up so we could start melting ice for water. All the while Gideon watched over our progress often offering advice and communicating with me as nominated team leader. As the evening progressed everyone happily ate there dehydrated meals and enjoyed varied hot drinks. The carpenters in the team (Randy and Jam) showed off their ability by making a couple of sculptures, including arch/doorways and icemen. All of these cut from the ice using a mix of saws and shovels.
At about ten I settled into my snow cave for bed (I chose this over a tent, it’s not often you get to sleep out in the Antarctic snow!). A reasonably comfortable nights’ sleep was had with temperature not an issue at all. The team demobilized camp by 8.30 ready for pick up. We carried out another scenario ‘finding a team member who is missing in a whiteout’. Once again we operated as a team to find our missing teammate. With unrestricted visibility and only a light wind we had to simulate the white out with beanies over eyes, no vision, no talking.
The next outdoor session was not until after the famous Scott Base Sunday brunch. As Sunday is usually a ‘day off’ for most of the staff a traditional cooked breakfast is put on with waffles to boot. Although the food at the base is great quality anyway (especially the bread) the merits of a cooked breakfast can never be overlooked.

The final part of the course was probably the most enjoyable. We visited ‘Mac Town’ AKA the American base, McMurdo station. Here we learnt about sea cracks and the training began to feel more like sight-seeing. We went to Discovery hut and the dive hole. The dive hole was amazing. We saw four divers gearing up to head under the 2-3meter thick ice in the name of scientific research. Very cool! Lastly we went to the pressure ridges out the front of Scott Base. These ridges are pushed up through the sea ice and form a huge line a few kilometers long. Amongst the ridges of broken up ice are many tide cracks both big and small. Some of the cracks go right through to the sea and are more than capable of trapping a person part or all of the way down. The trouble is that the cracks are covered in drift snow and move tens of centimeters a day. This makes them well hidden and impossible to mark. The bright blues of some of the ice is an incredible sight.

An extract from Scott's last expedition diary sums up my brief time in Antarctica so far, "Such weather in such a place comes nearer to satisfying my ideal of perfection than any condition that I have ever experienced. The warm glow of the sunwith the keen invigorating cold of the air forms a combination which is in expressibly health-givingand satisfying to me...No words of mine can convey the impressiveness of the wonderful panorama displayed to our eyes"

To be walking around this land is an amazing experience. I am forever reminded how lucky I am to be here.

Dream Come True

2010-11-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

I was up before six this morning for a final check of my gear that I organised and packed last night. I also dressed in my Antarctic issue cold weather gear that I was required to wear and carry with me for landing. Wide awake brimming with excitement I checked my bags in return for a boarding pass, at the American base departure lounge.
After a little breakfast we were briefed for our flight via an American safety video that highlighted the dangers of the Antarctic such as fire (due to it being the driest continent on earth, almost drier than the Sahara desert!) cold and workplace safety. Just before 9:00am we had left the runway, destination Antarctica. The plane that carried us was not the usual Air force Hercules or similar that you would expect, but extremely similar to a commercial airplane. Two hours into the journey the occasional small iceberg could be spotted beneath the thick cloud. By 12.30 we were flying over large broken up sheets of sea-ice, with the cracks becoming less and less. Such a view was quite amazing and stirred many emotions mainly of elation, awe and disbelief that this was actually happening. It is only now that I am beginning to realise my lifelong dream to follow the footsteps south of the early explorers, Hillary and Peter Blake. As the skies cleared to perfect visibility I couldn’t help but smile.

Parts of the sea ice were huge as well as appearing quite thick. This only makes my respect for those who sailed to the continent grow. Navigating the frozen water (especially in early times or small boats like the ‘Seamaster’ used in Blake Expeditions) would have taken plenty of skill and courage as the sheet ice changed formations and at times began to close up.
As we landed on the ice runway outside McMurdo Station (the American base) we were ushered onto busses with Mt Erebus dominating the distant landscape. At only -1 degrees Celsius with very little wind conditions were perfect, if not a little hot considering the down jacket I was wearing. As we drove through McMurdo I constantly looked for landmarks like Discover hut and observation hill that I have seen photos of and hope to visit. As we were driven over the hill the humble yet homely Scott Base came into view.

We were met by David, the internal manager at Scott base who gave us the grand tour of the base after we had changed into some more casual clothing. David is a navy man but came across with a really nice vibe whilst making sure everything was explained and he met a set time schedule. Almost like a boarding master of Scott base which feels like a big hostel. Everyone is here for a different reason be it Scientific, Conservation or other but everyone cleans up after themselves and pitches in with work where they can.

I am now settling into the base having had a nice roast pork dinner with an extravagant chocolate mousse/ tart creation for dessert. Sitting in the lounge staring out at the ice is just amazing. It is now 9:30pm and the sun seems brighter than ever (the summer months in Antarctica sunlight is 24/7, it is the opposite in winter). It has been a long day I am now off to me allocated ‘bob the builder’ bed sheets to get some shut eye.

Brushing up on History

2010-11-10T21:12:00.001-08:00

Today started off with a trip around the Christchurch Antarctic Centre. Highlights included watching feeding time for the resident blue penguins, the storm room where I experienced a simulated Antarctic storm and brushing up on Antarctic facts, with the many displays and videos on show. The centre does a great job of promoting awareness of the continent and the importance of continuous scientific research being carried out there.

Following lunch the other members of the AHT team and I headed into town to visit 'The Heart of The Great Alone' photo exhibition. This displayed the works of Herbert Ponting (the photographer for Scotts 1910-1913 Terra Nova expedition) alongside photographs taken on Shackletons 1907-1909 Nimrod expedition. These photographs tell an amazing tale of life in the heroic age and put a face to the names I have read about in numerous books. The clothing was basic compared to today’s standards as was the accommodation and means of transport. One thing that remains consistent though is the magnificence of the landscape and appreciation of amazing natural beauty. Some artefacts accompanied the exhibition. Including the Union Jack presented to Scott by Queen Alexandra, and subsequently planted at the pole some 35 days after Amundsen and the Norwegian party beat him to it. The flag was in amazing condition (no doubt owing to a dedicated conservation team) considering its age and rich history.

The Museum was our next stop. Here the curator of Antarctic and Canterbury social history Natalie Cadenhead gave us a behind the scenes look at some of the Antarctic artefacts up close. This included some of the Terra Nova party’s skis, cutlery, dog shoes (that were not very effective) as well as the very first Antarctic Polar Medal ever awarded (which was given to captain Scott). Much of the artifacts are being conserved so that they can soon go on display.

This was a great opportunity to get thinking about the work to be done on the ice. I am now well and truly ready to hit the ice and make this dream a reality. Fingers crossed this time tomorrow I will be pinching myself at New Zealand’s Scott base!

Gearing to Go

2010-11-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

An early rise this morning to make my flight down to Christchurch, where I was to undergo the final steps of preparation, before departing to “the ice”. Upon arrival I was met by AHT (Antarctic Heritage Trust) administrator Karen Clarke with the news that our flight south had been bumped back a day to the twelfth, due to a backlog in cargo needing to be delivered to Scott Base. Although slightly disappointing it is not a huge setback in the scheme of things.

My adventure down on the ice will last approximately five weeks as I work alongside the AHT on conservation and repairs of Sir Earnest Shackleton’s ‘Nimrod’ hut at Cape Royds (about a two hour hagglund drive over temporary sea-ice from Scott Base on the Ross Island). Being so far away from any established base I will be enjoying the authentic Antarctic experience of staying a short distance from the hut in a tent similar those used by the explorers of the heroic-age of Antarctic exploration. The AHT team being deployed this summer consists of eight others all of whom are highly experienced and knowledgeable in their specialised professions, from carpentry project managers to artifact conservers and furniture specialists. Their backgrounds are varied with a mixture of Kiwis, British and Canadians on the team. So far, of the team of ten I have met Martin, Jamie (Jam), Randy and the project manager and twelve season Antarctic veteran Al Fastier. All of these men will stay on the icy continent for the duration of the New Zealand summer, later working on Scott’s ‘Terra Nova’ hut, with Martin and a few others “Wintering Over” at Scott Base.

The next port of call in Christchurch was The Antarctica New Zealand store room where we were fitted out with all the cold weather gear needed. A good amount of time was spent ensuring the clothing was a proper fit, a must in such harsh conditions! This included three jackets, eleven pairs of gloves (on top of the two pairs I brought with me) thermals, hats, polar-fleece layers, insulated overalls, tough waterproof trousers, merino tops, glasses, a “bunny suit” and two pairs of tough outdoor boots. All of this gear is designed to give different options of layering for different weather situations. Apparently the gear is good enough to stand up to -50 degrees C (any colder and you wouldn’t be outside), pretty amazing stuff!

Following the fit out Paul Woodgate gave us our departure briefing along with a quick lesson on the geography of Scott Base. A lunch at the Antarctic visitor centre followed, giving a break in the day’s events. This afternoon Al made a presentation to the AHT team at hand, outlining the work to be done this summer at Cape Royds and Cape Evans. To supplement this information he went into some detail as to the work the AHT has completed in previous seasons at the historic huts. It is truly amazing to see the progress of the AHT’s work since it was established in 1987. The passion, drive, forward thinking and sheer determination behind the Trusts efforts really ring true when you see evidence of the work done through rigorous processes and strict timelines. With all four historic huts in Antarctica being listed on the 100 most endangered sites on earth list in 2008 the importance of this work is plain to see. It is an
honour to be a part of such an exciting project on behalf of the Sir Peter Blake Trust, as the Antarctic Youth Ambassador.

My final day on the ice .. and now back home

2010-01-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

I am back! And if I didn’t have the photos as proof I think I would be convinced that I had just woken up from the most amazing dream ever. What an unbelievable experience! Yesterday morning I woke at Scott Base, it was an absolutely stunning day, bright blue sky, not a breath of wind and an almost warming sunshine .. This morning I woke up to the unfortunately grey and dismal weather of Christchurch. The wind is blowing and I can feel it’s bite through the window. I can see houses .. and trees!!! Aside from the exterior of Scott Base (and the delicious array of salads we were served daily) this is the first green I have seen in nine days.

The McMurdo shuttle (Ivan the Terra bus) was due to pick the 12 of us departing kiwis up from Scott Base at 1200, however it was a good 45 mins before it actually arrived. If I didn't think Antarctica could amaze me anymore, that 45 minute wait proved otherwise! As we (the ‘departees’ and fare welling party) stood gathered at the HFC (Hillary Field Centre) we were joined by another party of onlookers. Less than 100 metres offshore in sea ice holes just in front of the pressure ridges, a Minke whale (or two?) came to bid us farewell. Every so often they would rise to the surface spouting water high up into the air as they took a breath, and then intermittently they would lift their heads up out of the water. They were so graceful .. it was amazing to watch! So with the Minke's appearing inquisitively every 5-10 minutes, and with the seals lounging around the sea ice holes nearby, as well as having new friends from Scott Base nearby, it was a very special moment! - surely the best send-off party I could've imagined! (unfortunately I don't have photos of this incredible wildlife display .. but the picture at this link http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Minke_whale_in_ross_sea.jpg provides a vague idea of what it was like!)

I was so sad leaving Scott Base and Antarctica yesterday .. I know that I am so incredibly lucky to have had this experience at all, and I have had such a fantastic time, but to get on that plane and have no idea whether I would ever be able to set foot in Antarctica again was difficult to say the least! This nine day experience will forever hold a special place in my heart and I am really looking forward to sharing my experience with as many people as possible.

Here are some pictures from my last day in Antarctica:
The cute little 'beach front' church at McMurdo

A snapshot of McMurdo Station. The brown buildings in the background are the accommodation blocks. Note the overhead power cables - definately not what I had expected to see in Antarctica.

The tanker in port ready for the annual re-stocking of the fuel supplies. The icebreaker can be seen in the channel in the background.

The Scott Base - McMurdo intersection

My lunch bag for the trip home "Sir Peter's Ambassador" - thanks guys .. every single meal we had was delicious, and that lunch was no exception!

Some of the crew before departing: Stephen Sun, John McCrone, ??, Matt Vance, Jack Tame, Me and Dan O'Sullivan.

My last view of Scott Base (bottom right), Crater Hill (top right), the wind turbines (top left) and the Newman Glacier (affectionately known as Frank) :) (bottom left)

The C17 landing at Pegasus

The last photo of me in Antarctica

Boarding the plane

The cargo being loaded on board

My last view of an Antarctic glacier from the cockpit

A spacious flight home -- one crew member even set up a bed to make the trip home as comfortable as possible!

Landing in Christchurch with a dull and very wet evening to welcome us!

A day to remember forever!

2010-01-21T04:36:00.000-08:00

The luck that I have had today with one of the most amazing experiences I could ever imagine becomming a reality for me has just been incredible - I put it down to my lucky red socks - they worked for Sir Peter Blake and his crew back in the Americas Cup challenge in 1995 and they definately worked for me today!

An unexpected opportunity arose for Jana and I to head into the Dry Valleys today with Kevin, one of the environmental scientists/engineers posted at McMurdo Station. A group of American environmental scientists involved with Antarctic work are in the process of proposing that an area within the Taylor Valley, known as Blood Falls, is raised from ASMA status to ASPA status. ASMA's are Antarctic specially managed areas whilst ASPA's are Antarctic specially protected areas. Whilst all areas in Antarctica are regarded as highly valuable and are treated with a high level of care, access to ASMA's and ASPA's is more strigent, and, for ASPA's, this means that a permit is required for entry. Kevin is working on the proposal at present and has come up with several suggestions regarding the extent of the proposed ASPA, however he was looking for a second opinion, which Jana could provide. Whilst I (unfortunately) had no knowledge to offer regarding the proposal, I was extremely fortunate that there was room in the helicopter for me, and the trip gave me a fantastic opportunity to see the broader environmental responsibilities that the environmental scientists, and all Antarctic researchers have. I was also very lucky to see, first hand, how the Americans and the Kiwis share logistics and collaborate together to ultimately reduce the overall 'footprint' on Antarctica while performing top science and minimising the effects to the environment. It was a fantastic trip for so many reasons and I feel extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity.

Having boarded the helicopter I was extremely excited, still not really believing what was happening .. sitting in that helicopter was a very surreal feeling!

All buckled up and ready to go

In the Taylor Valley, which is in the Dry Valley system. The terminus of the Taylor glacier towers above.

Jana and I with the stunning reflections behind us

Kevin and Jana - the US and NZ environmental advisors

Blood falls (a red-orange water fall, which is thought to be caused by an ancient source of sea water trapped under the glacier that is essentially rusting the iron-rich rocks on the valley floor)

Stunning scenery!

The reflections were just incredible

Me in the Taylor Valley ...

... absorbing the majestic beauty ...

... while waiting for the helo.

Our transport had arrived

Stunning ice falls on the Canada Glacier

Our shadow on the valley floor

Amazing colours

An ice berg surrounded by broken (and breaking!) sea ice

On the way back to McMurdo we not only got to travel along the shelf edge observing icebergs and the breaking sea ice, but we also saw the channel that the icebreaker has been preparing for the cargo ship, which is due any day now (the icebreaker was still in the channel too). Seals were lying all over the sea ice just chilling out and there were orca whales everywhere!! The orcas were gorgeous! Such a treat!

... AND ... to top off a superb day, a lecture from Sir David Attenborough at McMurdo Station. His voice is just as impressive and engaging in real life as it is in his documentaries!

A FANTASTIC DAY ALL ROUND!!!

Back to the wind farm

2010-01-20T04:11:00.000-08:00

The evening sun is always incredible, somehow making everything look even more beautiful than it does during the day! Last night I spent a bit of time enjoying the scenery out and around Scott Base (by the way, today was the Scott Base's 53 birthday!). Scott Base is built on the tip of an island, known as the Ross Island. Around Ross Island is the ice shelf to the east and directly in front of the base (i.e. south) and to the west is the sea ice. Whilst the ice shelf is relatively permanent (and much thicker), the sea ice has become progressively thinner and weaker since I have been here. This is apparent by the number of holes that have appeared in the sea ice resulting in seals emerging to lounge around sunbathing on the ice. Although the sea ice can give you the illusion that you are surrounded by land, there is one phenomena that makes it very clear that something is going on out there in the great white sea in front of the base ... the Ross Sea beneath is, tidal (with just one tidal cycle per day, and holding no relationship with the moon phases) and therefore the water level rises and falls. Whilst we cannot see much of the Ross Sea there are two reminders to us that beneath the ice there is actually water. The first a permanent crack or tide crack that marks the boundary between the ice shelf and the sea ice. The second is this beautiful formation of pressure waves (see photo). As the tides change and the sea ice becomes thinner, the sea ice buckles forming a series of wave like features over the surface. Stunning!!!

Pressure waves out from Scott Base

Today Jana and I spent the whole day up at the wind turbine site working on the VSA. The site was broken into a number of zones and we assessed each zone based on a number of factors. For the first part of the morning we were fortunate enough to have Tanya helping us out, giving us tips on what to look out for. The following photos show a series of the features we were assessing.

Tania and I looking at the surface impressions on the ground as we worked through the VSA check list.

Evidence of vehicle tracks - they are much lighter in colour - grey-brown, compared to the darker grey-red scoria colouring of the surrounding, undisturbed terrain.

Fresh footprints at the site

Although there are a couple of snow patches, the white colouring in this photo is predominantly a salt, presumably calcium carbonate, that precipitates on the rocks. Extensive salt deposits (such as above)are typically an indicator of site disturbance.

Changes in the ground, or desert pavement, are evident throughout the turbine site. E.g. see the difference in the size of the larger cobbles in the foreground and the finer gravels marking increased disturbance in the middle of the photo. The size of the gravels, stones and cobbles in each zone also tend to illustrate different uses for each zone, with finer gravels representing increased disturbance.

Despite the common belief that there is no vegetation in Antarctica, this photo proves otherwise! There are many patches of lichens, as well as some mosses .. and the new cable way runs directly through them!

The field work for phase three of the Crater Hill wind turbine monitoring project is now complete, although I will hopefully have time before I leave to take a few more photos!

But for now my bed is calling!! As always, looking forward to another day in parad-ice!!!

Into the science

2010-01-19T01:02:00.000-08:00

Today has been another brilliant day down here! Honestly this place is just amazing! The sun has been shining, there has hardly been a cloud in the sky and there has been very little wind - not ideal for the turbines, but conditions like this make for a superb working environment!

Firstly this morning I had an interview with Simon Morton from Radio New Zealand on the Summer Report show. I was pretty nervous before hand, but I think it all went OK – despite the delay and odd interruption. The interview is on the Radio New Zealand website (http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/summerreport near the bottom of the page – time slot 9.18) for anyone who is interested.

Organising my notes for the VSA (visual site assessment)

After the interview Jana and I spent the rest of the morning up at the turbine site carrying out a VSA or visual site assessment. Just to put the science side of my time here into perspective for you, I am working alongside Jana Newman, an Environmental Advisor in the Environmental team at Antarctica New Zealand. Two years ago Jana carried out the first stage of monitoring at the Crater Hill site which had been proposed as the location for the Ross Island Wind Farm. The aim of her work was to assess the degree of disturbance that had already occurred at the site. A number of criteria were used during that assessment including:

• photo monitoring (taking a series of photos of the site that could be replicated in subsequent years),
• a visual site assessment (VSA – which included noting the spread and depth of vehicle tracks and boot prints; the disturbance of rocks within the desert pavement, and carrying out a litter survey, among other things!),
• a basic survey of the birds and vegetation observed near the site was also noted. The original phase of monitoring recommended that monitoring continued throughout the turbine construction phases.

The second environmental monitoring of the Crater Hill wind turbine site was carried out last summer (08/09 season) by Libby Liggins, last year’s Antarctic Youth Ambassador and one of Jana’s colleagues in the Environmental Team, Renee Burns. At that point the wind farm was already well on the way to being constructed with all of the foundation blocks at the three turbine sites having been installed. They replicated the work that Jana had done, and then extended it by adding some additional photo monitoring sites, dividing the site into zones based on the land use/activity, or the type of disturbance within each zone. This meant that the visual site assessment task could be better structured and more comprehensive.

This year I am again replicating Jana’s work as well as the work Libby and Renee did in the post construction monitoring report. Last night we managed to get all of the necessary photos taken for the photo monitoring component and today we made a good start on the task of VSA. Tomorrow morning we will be heading back up to the site with the ‘resident’ soil disturbance expert (Tanya O’Neill) so it’ll be great to have some advice from her too.

As Antarctica New Zealand is consciously trying to restrict the ‘foot print’ of Scott Base, careful thought and planning must go into all activities. Every event (scientist or group of scientists) is required to assess the impacts they expect their work here in Antarctica is likely to have on the environment. The event must then propose how they plan to mitigate the impacts so that the study site or environment is left as undisturbed as possible. As for all events or activities, monitoring of the wind turbine site is essential for measuring how well the impacts of the construction site have been minimised, in accordance with the initial assessment. The pre, during and post construction monitoring reports will also act as a benchmark for how well the wind turbine site recovers from the disturbance over time.

These strong environmental values to ensure that impacts are minimised fits well with the legacy of Sir Peter Blake, and the firm stance he had as an ambassador for the Antarctic environment.

The variation in desert pavement (ground) colouring - light brown-grey indicates a high proportion of fine sediment and therefore a high level of disturbance, the white dusting is a salt, also an indicator of disturbance. The darker colouring with larger cobbles indicates areas of less disturbance

In the shadow of the turbine

Heading around Observation Hill to meet the American Environmental team (Kevin, Laura and Corey who then came over and had dinner with us at Scott Base)

Looking out towards Black Island and the Pegasus airfield where the C17 landed. The sea ice at the foot of Obs Hill has already disappeared

Checking out the American poo-plant

On an American creation - a ski-bike constructed of unused bits and pieces from around their base

Penguins, a crevasse, dinner with a legend, fresh snow, a sightseeing tour, and FINALLY some SCIENCE!!!

2010-01-18T02:52:00.000-08:00

WEll, it really has been a jam-packed, fun-filled adventure down here in the deep south. Sunday's around Scott Base are typically reserved for activities outside of the normal routine and often various people organise FAM (or familiarisation trips), and these are held, of course, after the 10-12 brunch - which, by the way, includes waffels to die for!!! So, a trip was planned to head out to the ice fall to go for a walk on a glacier. This sounded like a pretty cool adventure to me, so I joined the trip. We did a bit of training in the morning, which included learning about the importance of travelling in pairs/groups when walking on a glacier, harnessing up, learning how to tie 50 million different types of knots into one length of rope, and then prussiking up a rope (basically climbing up and down a rope with 'minimal' effort). It definately looked easier than it was, but it was great fun to, as well as being a rewarding achievment! On our way out to the ice fall we came across four Adelie penguins making their way across the ice shelf .. they were gorgeous .. and surprisingly quick!

The ever-so-cute Adelie penguins we passed on our way out to the ice fall

Adelie penguins!

All lined up and on their way

Being lowered into the unknown

Exploring the crevasse

Stunning!

A beautifully decorated crevasse

Hanging out around the crevasse holes

All roped together and returning from our crevassing adventure

Sunday roast with a legend in our presence - Sir David Attenborough joined us at Scott Base for dinner

Monday morning - we woke to a dusting of fresh snow over everything

Heading off on a sightseeing tour out along Hut Point Peninsula

Castle Rock shrouded in cloud

A snack in the snow

Back in the hugglund and headed for home

After the adventures of the past 6 days, it was finally time to knuckle down and make a start on the wind farm monitoring project. Jana and I headed up to the wind farm this afternoon and began by carrying out the photo-monitoring (replicating photos taken in the last two seasons - 07/08 and 08/09 and comparing the images to analyse change in the disturbance around the turbine sites). It was windy and cold on site, and the sun was hidden by cloud. Jana had tried to prepare me as best she could for the work environment we were heading into, but, probably in the me being me way that I function, I don't understand very well until I am experiencing the situation for myself. And then I finally get it! Anyway - the key is to be SUPER prepared, and to have your necessary data/equipment/whatever extremely organised. Even though I tried to have everything sorted and organised before heading out to site, there is definately room for improvement there! We were lucky though. Because of the scale of the wind farm project, along with the ongoing work that is being done, there are several containers on site that are fairly comfortable inside which can be used to shelter out of the wind. Jana assures me this is absolutly not the norm for research in Antarctica. Well all I can say is that it has been a real blessing today! We fumbled around a bit this afternoon trying to get the photo monitoring sorted, however it was already after 5 pm by the time we had finished the first two photos (of nine), so we decided to head back, have dinner and then head head up to the site again after dinner (light is no issue which has been brillant!). After a good piece of steak, some fantastic salad (thanks Sharlene and Barry!) and a re-read of the report written last year (thanks Libby!) we were away laughing! And the sun had come out -- a gorgeous evening! The remaining photos were taken in no time. Part one of our monitoring is now complete!!

Doing the photo monitoring

Me and my baby .. to give you an idea of scale, I am standing near the bottom of the turbine

Wind turbine at dusk

Yet another Scott Base sign; by the way - it's a possum, not a cat! :)

A gorgeous clear day with lots to do

2010-01-16T03:46:00.000-08:00

Today has been fantastic! Such a beautiful clear day with so much to see and do. Just after breakfast two groups of Adelie penguins came out to play .. right outside Scott Base! They were amazing! Really the cutest things ever!! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me at the time, but I'm hoping they will pop their heads up around the place again while I'm down here. I'm told it's a rarity that they would be around the Base at all though, so I will not keep my hopes up too much.

This morning Jana and I had a site visit with Peter Brookeman - the Base engineer, so we have checked out the turbines and surrounding area so that we can properly prepare for our site monitoring work. We were then lucky enough to spend some time with Tanya O'Neill learning a bit about how she does her soil and disturbance sampling etc. This was really an invaluable experience for both Jana and I. After base meeting we managed to organise a visit with Margaret, one of the science technicians here at Scott Base, to Arrival Heights (a beautifully located, newly re-vamped set of offices that are used for science and the same location has been used for long term monitoring for ~25 years now! Thus the site has a relatively long history and therefore has a substantial scientific value). After that we went to spend some time at Scott's Discovery Hut which was built in 1902. Jana and I then spent this evening wandering up Crater Hill. It was so clear and absolutly stunning! Sights I had only before dreamed of seeing! Erebus was cloud free, apart from the odd puff of smoke that she created; Black Island, White Island and Minna Bluff were clearly visible; the Royal Society mountain range looked stunning ... it was purely magical! I just wish that everyone could see it! Anyway .. check out the photos that follow .. they provide a pretty good insight to the day I have had :)

The wind turbines which were offically opened today

Opening the door to the shaft of turbine one

Steps leading up to the top of the turbine tower

Andree showing us the control box for the tower

And inside the control box .. it all looked pretty impressive!

Tanya and I digging a soil pit .. we could only reach a depth of ~25 cm due to the presence of permafrost (frozen soil)

Me posing

Getting the grand tour of the interior of the Arrival Heights Science Lab

And the tour continued taking us right up onto the roof, here Margaret pointed out many landmarks to help me orientate myself

Aren't the clouds amazing?!?!

Pointing out the wind turbines in the distance

Discovery Hut, built in 1902 under the direction of Scott

Artefacts from inside the hut

Me inside the dining room of the Discovery Hut

Sheep still hanging in a small room off from the front door, waiting for some desparately hungry explorers to come along

Outside the Hut - the timber is all so beautifully weathered

A mummified seal

Vince's Cross: positioned on Hut Point, near Discovery Hut to commerate a young member of the British Antarctic Expedition who lost his life in 1902

Skuas - one of the bird species found in Antarctica

A view of Scott Base from half way up Crater Hill

The wind turbines against the awesome evening sky

Me admiring the view of Mt. Erebus from Crater Hill

Taking in the scenery

Jana and I at the top of Crater Hill .. the evening was just stunning; views - Absolutly Gorgeous!!

A real feeling of being on top of the world (despite our southern location!)

All in all an amazing day on this incredible continent!!

'Happy camper school'

2010-01-15T01:43:00.000-08:00

Well I am now back at Scott Base having survived the AFT (Antarctic Field Training) programme (also known as 'Survival School' or fondly referred to as 'Happy Camper School' by the Americans). I have kept a bit of a picture diary of our time out at camp ...
Packing the last bits and pieces in my green bag before heading out to camp

Setting up camp

Emerging from the yellow glow of the polar tent after laying out the ground sheet

Me (in the centre) leaning on my shovel after sculpting our dining suite and the bench for our tea tray

Jana playing camp mum in our ice kitchen

The remains of the 'A' frame hut near our AFT camp

Trying to learn how to cross-country ski

Jana in her very impressive ice coffin

Jo and I in our snow cave sleeping quarters

My shiner beginning to .. well, shine!

Despite the stories that have begun to swirl around base, the instructors didn't beat me, and Jana was not enforcing her 'camp mum' authority. Unfortunately the shovel and I had a bit of a disagreement while I was trying to improve the snow cave that the army boys had constructed. Anyway, the long and the short of it was a narrow tunnel, a full sized/length shovel, and an over enthusiastic new-be trying to improve the cave entrance: result = semi-permanent eye make-up, and a reputation for being clumsy. The price you pay for comfort!

The Hagglund - our transport from Scott Base to camp

The second day of survival school was about preparing us for unexpected situations like getting caught out in bad weather and needing to construct emergency shelters and learning how to 'self arrest' using an ice axe when sliding down an icy or snow covered slope. It was great fun!!

Emergency shelter = hole in the ground with a deeper hole in the centre (for feet) and snow piled up on the wind-ward side of the shelter

Once the 'victims of bad weather' are down and out of the wind, a bothy (wind-proof cover) is used to further protect the group

Jo provides a demonstration of the self arrest technique:

Sliding

Quick roll over. As you do this, the ice axe in positioned across your body with the head near your shoulder and the adze tucked in near your collar bone. You roll to the side that the head of the ice pick is on (this prevents the spike (bottom of the shaft) from getting caught in the snow before the pick)

A successful self-arrest

My bed (top bunk) where I have unfortunately spent most of this afternoon! All the excitement of Happer Campers School was too much for me .. Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning!

In Antarctica - a surreal day

2010-01-13T04:04:00.000-08:00

5.30 am – I received a text from Jana to say we had a two hour delay .. here we go again, I thought. At 7.30 I got up and got ready, unsure of what to think about the delay and the likelihood (or not) of reaching Antarctica today.

8.25 am – I reached the Antarctica New Zealand offices and it all looked promising. There were uniformed people checking our departure cards and issuing boarding passes – all very official. Coffee in the tea room was the next stop, followed by a toilet stop, a safety briefing, another toilet stop, gearing up with all of the EWC either on or close at hand, and finally boarding the aircraft.

All geared up and ready to board the plane

Getting on the bus that takes us from the 'departure lounge' to the plane

11.10 am – sitting on board the C17 air craft (a much quicker option than the Hercules) we had approximately 40 minutes on board before the plane took off. This allowed time for the plane to be pressurised, for the ‘flight attendant’ to give his safety briefing (he was hilarious too .. lots of personality) and then for the plane to get into position for take off. During that time I introduced myself to the American guy sitting next to me – Jim from North Hampton who is doing his Masters in electrical engineering. He was great and we had lots to chat about .. I always love meeting interesting people on planes! And then it was time for take off! That must be one of my most favourite things .. that feeling of speeding up, being pushed backwards (or in our case today – sideways) and leaving everything else behind always gives me such a buzz.

The crates of gear between us and the guys seated along the right wall of the plane

The interior of the C17 - definately not First Class, but an experience of a lifetime!

3.30 pm – our descent had begun. As the stage of our journey was announced over the loud speaker, we were also provided with other clues that we were descending, including the change in pitch of the planes engine as well as the rolling forward of the big crates that lined the centre of the plane. Although they didn’t move far, the movement was enough to give me a bit of a fright the first time they slid forward.

In the half hour or so prior to descent we had been flying over part of the Antarctic continent and were lucky enough to have the opportunity to go right up into the cockpit to check out the view. It was just amazing! Although it was white almost everywhere it was also possible to see the peaks of mountains pointing out above the sea of ice. Just as incredible was the way that you could see that the ice actually flows around the mountains, just like a river flowing through a valley. Fascinating!

My first glimpse of Antarctica

It's no wonder that people describe it as 'going to The Ice'

A view from the cockpit

frozen rivers; flowing glaciers

Jana and I ready to disembark

disembarking the C17. Note the crates being unloaded from the rear of the the plane

Boarding Ivan the Terra bus - our shuttle to Scott Base

Once we had landed at the Pegasus airfield, which is situated way out on the Ross Ice Shelf, we were picked up by the American operated bus-thing ‘Ivan’ the Terra Bus, on which we travelled the 45 minute journey to Ross Island, where the Americans dropped 17 of us Kiwi’s off at Scott Base (before they proceeded up and over the hill to McMurdo Station – the much larger American base) – en route to the base we even passed three Emperor Penguins which is apparently a rarity around Scott Base, so that was pretty cool! Unfortunately the bus was going quite fast, so they really did just flash by, but I’m hoping that they will stick around for a bit longer so that I get the chance to see them a bit closer!

Proof that am actually here!

Unreal!

On arrival at Scott Base we were met by one of the friendly Antarctica New Zealand staff members, given a series of briefings about safety and the day to day running’s of the base and then it was dinner time (braised beef, rice, peas, cauliflower in a cheese sauce, and a vegetarian mix of tofu, capsicum and courgette, followed by fruit salad and ice cream .. delicious! – you’ll get used to me and the rundown I provide of the meals .. one phrase that is often recited in my family is ‘it’s all about the food!’ And so I’ll be letting them down if I don’t recall every detail of every meal!! – I will try to keep it brief though :) ). After dinner we were taken on a tour of the base, and, since then we were left to our own devices.

It is now midnight and I am sitting on the top level of Q block (or something like that – I haven’t quite got a handle on the layout and names of all of the buildings yet .. but that’ll come I’m sure :) ) in one of the office work stations (corrals). It is (obviously) light outside, and although I knew to expect that, it is still a strange feeling. Jana, Jo and I went for a walk all around the outside of the base after our post-dinner tour on inside the base. (Jo is the Antarctica New Zealand receptionist who is down here on a familiarisation (fam) trip – they have an acronym for absolutely everything here!!!

Although we have been on the ground for over six hours now, it wasn’t until we were wandering around outside that it really sunk in that I was actually here in Antarctica. Before that the whole experience of today had just been so surreal. But now, having been outside and seen the seals lounging around on the sea ice off in the distance, the pressure ridges that have formed as a result of sea ice movement and the permanent tide crack that exists in the ice due to the rising and falling of the water underneath with the tides, the reality that I am actually here in Antarctica is really starting to sink in!!

A view of the wind farm at midnight

For now though, I must go and get some sleep (I am sharing a bunk room with Jana, Jo and Tanya O’Neill (a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Megan Balks (Waikato University) who was also my MSc supervisor). Tomorrow will be another big, and exciting day .. Antarctic Field Training is plan .. and I can’t wait!

Today's the day!! ... Or not ...

2010-01-12T02:17:00.000-08:00

It felt like I had only just gone to bed and I was getting up again, so, in a slightly dazed state, I pulled on an array of thermal and casual clothes including my flash red socks from the Sir Peter Blake Trust which I hoped would bring luck during my day’s adventures. Not ten minutes later Jana (pronounced Yana) rang to say the flight was two hours delayed so she wouldn’t be arriving to pick me up until 7.50 am. I guess you could say I had mixed feelings about the delay ... I was very grateful for the extra sleep, but I was also a bit sceptical as to whether the flight would leave at all given the stories I had heard regarding the flights from last week!! (Tuesday: flight cancelled; Wednesday: flight departed – 5 hours to Scott Base, too windy to land, 5 hour return trip to Christchurch; Thursday: flight cancelled). Never mind .. that was out of my hands so I just enjoyed the extra sleep and hoped for the best.

Just as I was getting up for the second time this morning, my phone rang again, and Jana informed me that the flight had been delayed again, with the plan still to fly south, but now four hours later than originally scheduled. It wasn’t until we were on our way to the Antarctica departures meeting point (at Antarctica New Zealand’s office) when Paul Woodgate rang to let us know that the flight had been cancelled for the day.

I must admit I was not surprised by the news at all, and I feel lucky to be getting a ‘real’ Antarctic experience! Jana and I carried on to the office in spite of the cancelled flight, and she offered to spend more time with me showing me the clothing warehouse and beyond. It was great .. checking out some of the survival and rescue gear including stretchers as well as the old boots and gloves which have since been replaced by the new kit (first issued last season - 08/09). I was really interested (and impressed!) to learn that all of the gear (e.g. jackets, gloves, sleeping bags, etc.) that is no longer used by Antarctica New Zealand gets bundled up and donated to communities like the Sherpa’s in Nepal and the Inuit’s in regions of the Arctic. Very cool! And actually lots of what goes on in the Antarctica New Zealand workplace is great .. the recycling system, the fair trade (and locally roasted) coffee, and that all of the garments issued as part of the Antarctic clothing kit (with the exception of the boots) are New Zealand made! It is always refreshing to see examples of environmentally conscience workplaces who proudly support local businesses!

I basically spent the rest of today exploring the International Antarctic Centre, which is conveniently located right next door. Jana gave me a bit of a tour to start, and then I spent hours wandering about, reading interesting stories and flicking through photos. As Waikato University has been quite heavily involved with Antarctic research for many years now, it was really interesting to see familiar names and faces popping up in the stories and photos throughout the centre. I even learned that David Lowe’s Sledge Dumplings caused havoc with some unsuspecting Waikato Uni party member on a trip to the Darwin Glacier region during the1978-79 season. From what I could gather the take home message was that sledge dumplings, followed by squash, are not the ideal food-activity combination! (Unfortunately I cannot even elaborate, but I’ll look forward to hearing the story when I get back to work).

David Lowe's sledge dumplings

Other familiar faces included Craig Cary from the Biology department and Jess.
Craig Cary taking samples of micro-organisms that live off a mummified seal carcass
Jess cooking dinner while sheltering from a storm

I also spent a good 10-15 minutes in the storm simulator at the Antarctic Centre .. I figured if I couldn’t experience the real Antarctic chill today, then I might as well experience the next best (?) or at least closest thing! So I got into the jacket provided and put the rubber booties over my shoes and got into the freezer. It was crazy to feel the difference in temperature once the wind was turned on .. despite the room temperature remaining at -8 degrees Celsius! I now have a much better understanding of why we are issued with so many hat and glove variations in our clothing kits! If today was anything to go by the hats and gloves in my kit will be very well worn by the time I come home!

Me experiencing the 'wind chill' in the storm simulator

Penguins at Christchurch's International Antarctic Centre
Swimming
Preening
Drying
Chillin'

So today’s Plan A: check-in at 6.00 am, all boarded by 8.30 am, and departing by 9.00 am, remains as Plan A, but has been re-scheduled for tomorrow (13th January). Whilst the weather at both Scott Base and here at Christchurch was fine today, and the forecast for tomorrow appears to be similar; there is a significant low pressure system hovering south of New Zealand which could make the flight particularly rough. It was because of this storm system that the flight south has been delayed so I am really hoping that it dies down over night!! Will let you know what tomorrow brings :)

The art of procrastination

2010-01-11T04:08:00.000-08:00

To delay the inevitable task of trying to pack my million pairs of socks along with many other necessary (and perhaps not so necessary) items, my cousins and I had a bit of a dress-up session in my newly issued Antarctic Extreme Weather (AEW) gear. They thought it was great! (And my auntie and uncle couldn't resist either! :) )

Inspecting my Antarctica clothing kit on the lounge floor

Alex, Uncle Gary, Riley and Auntie Chris having fun dressing up

Me joining in on the dress up session

All kitted out and ready to go!!

2010-01-11T02:51:00.000-08:00

Sitting here in a borrowed office at the Antarctica New Zealand headquarters I finally feel calm and relaxed; not to mention VERY excited! I have spent the day today at Antarctica New Zealand getting sorted with my Antarctic clothing kit, being briefed on the role of the environmental team and being introduced to a number of the staff around the place. My tour guide/mentor/and answerer of all my questions has been Jana Newman, one of the Environmental Advisors for Antarctica New Zealand, and she has been brilliant!!! Before this morning I really was ridiculously nervous and anxious, but after spending the day in Jana’s presence the nerves have gone and I am now just incredibly excited and eagerly anticipating the adventures tomorrow will bring.

To briefly fill in you blog-followers (and mum, you’ve heard this a million times so you can skip this bit if you like :) ), I have dreamed of visiting Antarctica since I was five years old. At any opportunity where I could choose my own topic for a school project my choice would either be on dolphins, Sir Edmund Hillary, or Antarctica. I remember being in one of those awkward situations in Year 12 where a careers advisor was trying to get a whole group of us students to plan our lives (when all we were really cared about was our summer holidays which were just around the corner). As it came to my turn to share with the group what one of my dreams was I didn’t have to think about it at all before sharing my dream of one day travelling to Antarctica. I think the careers advisor thought I was insane, and to this day I don’t know whether that was because she couldn’t understand why anyone would dream of being in sub-zero temperatures for days on end or because she thought it was one of those hopeless dreams that would never be realised. So when I say that this trip-of-a-lifetime is a dream come true for me, I really do mean that!

OK, so background aside .. Jana and I have been exchanging e-mails and having phone conversations since August last year, so it has been lovely to finally meet her and put a face to the name (and voice). I arrived at about 9.30 am (a good half an hour early! which, as some of you will know is not typical for me .. but looks like the New Year’s resolution is holding strong thus far!). After chatting for a bit, Jana took me on a tour through their offices and I meet some of the other staff. At 10.30 we headed over to the clothing warehouse where Paul Woodgate (Antarctica New Zealand Logistics Co-ordinator) was waiting .. patiently .. in the hallway. After the formalities of introductions Paul apologised for the delay in getting started and we learned that a TVNZ reporter and camera man were getting kitted out (and had been for close to 2 hours!!) (by the way, to get kitted out = receiving the gear you will need to keep warm in Antarctica outside of Scott Base – this includes a vast array of polyprop, thicker over layers and three different outer jackets that can be worn individually or layered; a pair of salopettes (similar to a bib overall), socks, various head garments (hat, balaclava, hood and head band!) and nine pairs of gloves and mittens!). Once the TVNZ guys finally pulled themselves away from the dressing room mirrors (and really, I’m sure Jack Tame couldn’t look bad if he tried!) we got the briefing underway. It was great to see numerous maps and models of Antarctica, Ross Island and Scott Base .. all very interesting! We were then informed of the plans for tomorrow – including the 6.20 am meeting time, and then it was my turn to meet Chris and try on my ‘kit’. Aside from looking and feeling like a sumo wrestler in all of the gear it was great fun, and I can’t wait to have it all on again tomorrow.

2009 AYA applications are NOW OPEN

2009-05-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

2009 Antarctic Youth Ambassador applications are NOW OPEN and close at 4pm on the 10th of June.

Life after Antarctica

2009-01-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

I am back in the real world. It’s been around ten days since I got back to New Zealand. Right now, my time in Antarctica feels like a dream, a strange time warp in my life. I always find an important or influential experience in my life feels longer on reflection, and the events remain vivid in my mind. I could easily recount my time in Antarctica, but not the events since coming home. It was straight back to work for me at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric research (NIWA) in Bream Bay, Northland. It’s by no means bad work, but it’s not Antarctica.

This is not the end of my Antarctic experience though. I am going to continue to carry my Antarctic adventures, from this trip and the one before, with me throughout my term as the Antarctic Youth Ambassador and beyond. My role as the Antarctic Youth Ambassador is to share these experiences and my passion for the environment with you! The coming months will see me finishing off my environmental monitoring project on the Crater Hill windfarm for Antarctica New Zealand. I will also be getting involved in environmental and education events… wherever I can be of help to young New Zealanders, Antarctica, the environment and our future.

On Wednesday, January 21, I took part in a Marine Youth Mentoring initiative organised by the Auckland Regional Council and the Department of Conservation. Myself, ~25 highshool students (aged 13-17) and ~20 marine experts went on a whale and dolphin safari on the Hauraki Gulf. The aim was to engage the young emerging environmentalists in the marine environment and expose them to a range of marine experts including scientists, technicians, managers and business people from a range of disciplines, from conservation to the utilization of the sea. In my opinion, the day was a great success. I met many clever and enthusiastic youths with a lot of questions for me. It was great for them to have the opportunity to ask all sorts of questions of the right people in such a fun environment.

I learnt as much as the students! I was excited and inspired to meet these youths who are already contributing to all sorts of environmental initiatives within our schools and communities, and to get familiar with the issues as they saw them. Thank you to all those involved - our future environment is in great hands!

The day was also a great success as we tracked down a pod of common dolphins. Everyone was thrilled! There was ~30 dolphins in the pod including a considerably smaller baby one (the favourite). I trust the programme continued to be successful over Thursday and Friday when the students and some of the adults stayed on Motutapu at the Outdoor Recreation Camp. On the island they were scheduled to do confidence courses, snorkeling, sailing, beach clean ups, learn about the intertidal zone and put plans together for Seaweek 2009 (1-8 March).

Seaweek aims to raise awareness of what lies beneath the surface of our oceans (read more here http://www.seaweek.org.nz/). It offers a number of opportunities to get involved, get educated and get proactive, so that each and everyone of us can take responsibility for the seas around us. The group of future marine leaders aboard the boat on Wednesday will be leading the Auckland Conservancy into Seaweek 2009 in ways that they determine themselves. I look forward to hearing their ideas and seeing the results!

Homebound: leaving Pegasus Airfield, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

2009-01-14T23:34:00.000-08:00

First thing this morning Cornelia gave me two thumbs up. It was all go; I would be getting home today. It was going to be a loaded plane, full of US personnel, a medevac patient, Naomi and me. Naomi is a kiwi that has been in Antarctica for around two months on a media scholarship administered by Antarctica New Zealand (read more here www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/research/7224 and www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/downloads/mediarelease/PR_IPY_Scholar3Oct08.pdf.).

There were varying reports as to when ‘Ivan’ the Terra Bus was coming to pick us up. I hurried… and I waited… and then somehow ended up being late. Unfortunately, there was no time for good byes!

I bumbled onto the Terra Bus into an intimidating sea of Americans dressed in red. Smokey, the bus driver greeted me as an old friend. He was classic. He took so much pride in his job and even remembered me and the date I’d arrived at the ice. During our traverse of the ice shelf, Smokey was graciously taking advice on how to drive ‘Ivan’ from a girl about a third his age. I’m not sure what her role was… maybe four eyes were deemed better than two due to the flat light. It was quite hilarious though.

Naomi and I were not looking forward to the flight much. Firstly, because it meant we were going home and secondly because we expected it to be long, loud and cramped. As it turned out, the flight was fine. We possibly had better seating than I’d had last time and having the medevac patient on board was a reality check. We also had the most amazing in-flight steward. He was a Nuiean-kiwi from the Royal New Zealand Airforce, who I swear must’ve been a steward for Air New Zealand in a past life. He kept everyone very happy passing out hot mince and cheese pies (complete with Wattie’s tomato sauce), biscuits and drinks. He was not required to do any of this, but took pride in doing so. It was fantastic and the Americans were in stitches!

I’ve heard that when you get back from the ice, you almost need to be re-integrated into society. It was even likened to getting out of jail by the kiwi pilot of our herc. I guess he must have flown some pretty strange characters from the ice in his time. I don’t think a nine day stint qualifies me. I hope. One Scott Base staff member (not mentioning names), who has spent many long periods in Antarctica, animatedly recounted his worst post-Antarctic experience to me yesterday. He felt supermarkets had to be the most frightening environment to launch oneself into straight away. He talked vividly about his experience trying to buy jam. There was too much selection, strangers trying to help… sounded normal to me… I wondered how long he had been on the ice this time…

The other more widely mentioned oddity on return is humidity. When you are in Antarctica, you don’t realize how dry it is until you leave. Some of you may know that intense feeling of transition between a dry and humid atmosphere from stepping out of plane in tropical country, or even out of a heavily air-conditioned shop in parts of Australia. I’d mentioned to a few people that I was straight back to work in Northland once I got back, which was met by ‘oooh… Northland… sticky’ and a wince. Lucky me!

I remember I was most affected by darkness last time I got back to New Zealand from Antarctica. It was like there was a ‘shut down’ switch that automatically kicked in as soon as darkness fell. Unfortunately for me, and those I was with, this happened at an extended family get-together. I was not much good for conversation.

When I hopped on the herc today, I wasn’t sure what was happening at the other end, but trusted that Woody would have it under control. Once landed, we hopped off the plane, went through international arrivals, collected our bags and in the arrival lounge Woody was waiting. First thing he asked me, ‘You right to catch a flight in twenty minutes up to Auckland?’. It was the fastest undress/redress, unpack/pack I have ever done. It’s fair to say I was feeling the heat and humidity too! But I got there.

Darkness fell while I was flying between Christchurch and Auckland. Luckily there was no one trying to make conversation with me. It might have been the tired and glum look on my face that stopped them. There is still so much of Antarctica to discover! I was very sad to leave, but I also realize how privileged I have been to even get there.

'Ivan' the Terra Bus and the sea of red (Americans in their Extreme Cold Weather clothing)

Our ride home, a Royal New Zealand Airforce Hercules

My last view of Mount Discovery for a while!

Visiting our Antarctic neighbours

2009-01-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

A much clearer day than we’d had for a while presented itself this morning. There was no doubt that the Hercules that I need to board tomorrow, was going to be arriving. This was good news for all the science parties wanting to head out into the field. Unfortunately, I left base very early this morning and didn’t get the chance to say good-bye and wish them all the best. I trust I will probably cross paths with a lot of them again in future.

Today Renee and I walked over to McMurdo Station to meet with the environmental team of the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). There was a lot of concern from the American side that we had elected to walk the four kilometers between bases. Admittedly, there is a bit of a hill, but the exercise is good, it keeps you warm and you hardly sweat in Antarctica. I have been told more than once during my time in Antarctica, ‘you kiwis are tough’. We have quite the reputation down here.

McMurdo Station is so incredibly different from Scott Base. You do feel like you enter a different country somewhere along that four kilometre track. MacTown consists of a whole lot of stand-alone buildings, with empty streets and only the dust blowing about. Most buildings just have a number and are without signage. Although there is ‘Hotel California’ (an accommodation block), ‘Trash Barn’ (for recyclable sorting) and ‘Chapel of the Snows’. We were to meet our hosts at ‘192’, which is the environmental block. We discovered the numbering isn’t chronological, but we found each other. This sterility of MacTown is only superficial however; inside these buildings are bustling with people and culture. For example, walk into ‘Trash Barn' and you’ll find a larger than life model of Oscar the Grouch overlooking the whole operation, a cowboy’s hat was tossed in the corner, I’m sure I saw an American flag (or two) and some American rock was playing. The population of MacTown averages ~1200 people making it the largest ‘town’ in Antarctica. During peak season there are up to 2000 people and 200 people over winter. As a comparison, at Scott Base, we usually only have ~20 personnel over winter.

Renee and I had a great tour of the base. The whole of McMurdo seems to be very well tailored, or well used, to visits. Everyone was very accommodating and knowledgeable, not about only their job, but also the history of the Station, Antarctica, the Antarctic Treaty, and how their job fits into that. People were very enthusiastic about the role they played in keeping McMurdo alive.

Our tour included the food hall, the gym (where they offer volleyball, basketball, basketball, soccer and yoga), the communications office, the meteorological office, the power plant (diesel generators), the RO plant (desalinates sea water so that it is suitable for consumption) and even the waste water treatment plant. Yes, this is the kind of water treatment plant you are thinking of. Our guide of the plant was very offended we had initially asked for a tour of the power plant and RO plant, but not his waste water treatment plant. Here all MacTown’s ‘grey water' (which is brown) is treated through a biological process so that it is then suitable to be released into the ocean without doing harm to the environment. I can vouch for the fact that they do a really good job, and the water coming out of the process is very clear.

Because of the sheer population size of McMurdo, there is a lot of waste water to be treated and accordingly there is a much larger treatment plant than at Scott Base. To help ease pressure on the water treatment system at Scott Base, our policy is that all showers must be under three minutes. There are no complaints and the system works well. It is a good habit to become mindful of water usage in Antarctica anyway. In the field camps, often your water source is restricted to what ever you can safely get from the closest bank of clean snow, glacier or glacial river. Any ‘grey water’ created must be brought back to Scott Base to be treated correctly in the waste water plant. This includes urine (stored in big yellow ‘P’ bottles) which is separated from the poo (which goes in bright orange poo buckets). You are forced not to be too precious about such things down here!

Amongst all the hustle and bustle of the biggest Antarctic town, I did find a couple of sanctuaries. The ‘Chapel of the Snows’ is very warm and inviting, it has a great vantage point right on the shore, tea and coffee making facilities and a kiwi Minister who assures me all denominations and all sorts are welcome. A slightly better vantage point can be found on top of the Creary Lab in the library. There are also tea and coffee making facilities here and many interesting books to complement and educate you about the view.

Being a biologist, the highlight of my tour to McMurdo Station was definitely the Creary Lab. It is an amazing complex. It is huge and has the space, facilities and equipment for all sorts of science (the mind wanders with possibilities…). The lab accommodates ~500 scientists every year and has ~25 staff dedicated to running it. There was a 'touch pool' set up with the latest collection of strange Antarctic sea creatures collected by divers in the bay. There were isopods (sea lice) three inches long, starfish, fish, urchins, anemones, sponges and giant sea spiders similar in form to the long legged house spiders we see in New Zealand (only bigger and creepier).

Around McMurdo Station, there definitely wasn’t any talk of the rugby, not started by the Americans anyhow. There was talk of other upcoming events however. Prince Albert of Monaco is visiting both Scott Base and McMurdo Station from Thursday. The other news was that tomorrow is 'Mexican Day' and most importantly 'Cookie day'. If I am still around tomorrow, it would be a sin to miss the Wednesday tradition!

Despite the Herc arriving today, there is a chance I may be delayed until Friday in fact. Sadly, there has been a medical emergency and an American individual needs to get to Christchurch hospital as soon as possible. There may be no space on the plane for me. I’m trying to psyche myself into either scenario, but I still feel like I would be pretty happy to stay for a bit… even if it was a really long bit!

A comic artist at McMurdo Station produced this following the rugby match. 'Daisy picking' at MacTown is a communal rubbish collection day (equivalent to our communtiy beach clean up days in New Zealand)

Inside 'Trash Barn'

Just as 'Chapel of the Snows' has a name and a number, there is also a bell and a megaphone side by side

The ice breaker viewed from the coast in front of McMurdo Station

Some numbered buildings that are surplus to requirement at the moment. Notice they are all on skis

Sea spiders sitting on a sponge. These spider crabs are about the size of my palm. You can see the back end of the isopod to the left of the sponge too. Sleep well!

A little history to Scott Base

2009-01-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

People were a little slow around base today. Along with rugby niggles, there may have been a bit too much celebration last night. To cap it off there were many disappointed people whose flights out of McMurdo Sound were once again delayed. Including mine! I’m not too disappointed though. The difference being that I would be going back to New Zealand, where as the scientists are all headed to either the Darwin Glacier or into the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Much more exciting.

The Hercules I was to be boarding on Tuesday morning did not leave Christchurch today due to bad landing weather down here. The RNZAF Hercules generally fly in one day and leave the next, as they require an eight hour turn around time. Although the weather feels mild down here at the moment, snowfall has reduced visibility, making it unsafe to fly.

All of a sudden a little pressure was off me. I did not have to rush to do everything I wanted in just one day. So I ended up spending most of the day in the Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE) hut which was a real change of pace. At present the TAE hut offers a quiet area for Scott Base staff that is detached from the main Scott Base complex (beware: intercom messages still come through loud and clear and can give you a massive fright). The stand-alone hut has the feel of a kiwi bach and is full of all sorts of information from newspaper cuttings to scientific publications. It is an unofficial recent history museum, complete with food and clothing relicts from 1957 to present.

Up until 1989 the TAE hut was used as a mess and as additional accommodation, but there is much more history surrounding this little hut. On January 20 1957, Able Seaman Tito, the youngest and a maori member of the expedition on HMNZS Endeavor raised the New Zealand flag to open the TAE hut, the founding of Scott Base. The low rocky promontory on the southeast tip of Hut Point Peninsula was chosen for its almost level land surface, its clear access over sea ice and because it is suitable for meteorological observations, upper atmospheric physics and seismic recording. This was important, as the base was set up for two major events: to support science for the International Geophysical Year (IGY, 1957-1958) and to provide a base for the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE, 1955-1958) jointly led by Dr. Vivian Fuchs (UK) and Sir Edmund Hillary.

Following the conquest of the South Pole by Amundsen, the next obvious challenge was to cross the entire continent. Shackleton was the first to attempt a trans-Antarctic crossing in 1914. He set out with a sledge party from the Weddell Sea, traveling toward the Ross Sea. Although there is an amazing and heroic survival story surrounding this expedition, Shackleton was not successful in his attempt. Dr. Vivian Fuchs, a British scientist, was the next to initiate a trans-Antarctic venture. Fuchs was experienced in Antarctica and qualified to supervise the extensive scientific investigation to be made alongside the crossing. In a planning document for the expedition, he writes:

‘Shackleton’s attempt to make a trans-antarctic journey in 1914 was frustrated by the loss of his ship the ‘Endurance’. Since that time such a journey has been constantly in the minds of polar travelers. Today the interest of many nations in the Antarctic brings competition into the field. For varying reasons it may be expected that some nations (e.g. United States, Argentina, Chile, France) will initiate such a venture. Success will bring world-wide prestige.

A trans-continental journey made wholly within territory claimed by the British Commonwealth, and with an exploratory and scientific programme as indicated below, would gain prestige and at the same time contribute to the solidarity of Commonwealth interests. At the present time we have the men and the experience required to make certain of success. Other nations competing in the Antarctic are not yet in so a favourable position to make a journey of comparable importance. Now, therefore, is the time to seize the opportunity.’

The planned route was from Vahsel Bay in the Weddell Sea, to the Ross Sea. The Commonwealth TAE had two parties: the crossing party led by Fuchs, and the Ross Sea party, led by Sir Ed. The Ross Sea party supported the crossing party by building Scott Base, laying supply depots and establishing a vehicle route from the Polar Plateau through the western mountains back to Ross Island. Sir Ed and his team of four men (a.k.a. the Southern Tractor party) left Scott Base on October 14, 1957, in three Ferguson tractors and a weasel (tracked vehicle) towing ten tonnes of cargo. The men reached the South Pole on January 4, 1958, and were met by the crossing party at the Pole on January 19. The complete Commonwealth TAE team returned to Scott Base victorious on March 2, 1958.

The secondary aim of the TAE was science contributing to the IGY. Its scientific objectives included meteorology, geology, gravimetric work, seismic sounding of the polar ice sheet, and (most interestingly I think) the geography of Antarctica’s interior. Fuchs writes, ‘the transcontinental journey will also show whether the polar plateau is or is not interrupted by mountain ranges south of latitude 80 degrees South…the route through Victoria Land will pass over unexplored areas and will delimit the western margin of the Victoria Land mountains. The eastern limits of these mountains are known from the work of Scott and Shackleton's expeditions’. It surprises me that at this late stage, there really had been no further advance in our understanding of Antarctica’s geography since Scott and Shackleton’s time.

Whilst the two main parties were off traversing the continent, a New Zealand scientific party based at Scott Base also contributed to the IGY and managed to explore 103 600 square kilometers of unchartered continent. The objective of the IGY was to learn more about the earth, in particular about the upper atmosphere and its response to solar influence. Many countries were involved in the initiative including the US, UK, Soviet Union, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Japan, Norway and South Africa. This marked New Zealand’s first active involvement in scientific research in Antarctica. New Zealand’s IGY leader was Trevor Hatherton… and I’m sitting in the Hatherton Lab of Scott Base right now. The success of the IGY for New Zealand and globally, illustrated the value of Scott Base as a scientific observation laboratory. From initial plans for its removal after three years, Scott Base became permanent.

I just received word that I may not even fly home on Wednesday! The US has apparently over booked the plane and I may be bumped, and flown on Friday. Provided I’m okay with that. I am pretty okay with that. Life could be much worse.

The TAE hut right on the shore with sea ice beyond

A poster found in the TAE hut depicting the New Zealand trans-Antarctic expedition party

A diagram of Scott Base from 1970-71. There is still one linking corridor along the complete length of the base (~500 metres). You really can’t evade anyone, they WILL find you! ‘B’ is still the science/computer area (Hatherton Lab), ‘Q’ is where I sleep and ‘A’ is bathrooms etc. so there has been a little change. I thought the snippets of advice were great - they haven’t changed much!

A weddell seal, just to keep you interested! We see these beasts from Scott Base out on the sea ice at the moment. They hang around open cracks and holes and are very territorial. This photo was taken of in Terra Nova Bay in 2006 where I was doing research.

Victory to the Antarctic New Zealand rugby team!

2009-01-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Today at Scott Base, everyone felt their New Zealand roots. This was for two reasons. Firstly, today is the anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s death last year. We all know Sir Ed, as an outstanding New Zealander, but lesser known is the legacy he has formed for New Zealanders in Antarctica. Here at Scott Base we have two buildings in particular that have strong links to Sir Ed. The Hillary Field Centre (HFC) has been named after him and is a relatively new addition to Scott Base (opened 2006). This area is where all cargo and field equipment gets held and loaded onto vehicles, it has large chillers for the storage of food and scientific samples/materials, the gym, and it is also where all the Antarctic Field Training is done. The other building is the Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE) hut, the first and founding dwelling of Scott Base. Sir Ed and his team built this hut as a base for their overland trip to the South Pole in 1957. This location was chosen as it was good ground, but also Sir Ed was a friend of Rear Admiral George Dufek who had already established his base just over the hill, which later became McMurdo Station.

The second reason for feeling a strong connection to the New Zealand mainland today was the rugby match between New Zealand and the United States of America. It really did feel like I was heading to a big rugby game at home. The field (slightly smaller than usual) was marked out with trail flags, the posts were padded with field sleeping mattresses, there was a referee, linesmen, a commentator, a scoreboard, lots of supporters in the grandstands (couches were put on cargo trailers), paramedics on call, the impressive Ross Island Cup, and on the New Zealand side we even had a water boy with oranges and a few cheerleaders. Around twenty minutes prior to the public transport out to the game (provided by hagglunds), I ran into Toni, a domestic hand at Scott Base. I’d talked to Toni earlier in the day, at that stage she was a little unsure she would make it to the game. How her tune had changed! Now she was head cheerleader and rallying up more. She had made pom poms from the different coloured waste bags on base and had written four cheers, a chorus for between the cheers, and a victory cheer (we were feeling pretty confident). This was to be the first and last time I am ever a cheerleader. I swear. I would have much rathered playing rugby.

We nipped upstairs to an almost secret room across from the library, where all the dress up delights you could ever hope for were stored. I imagine these outfits and props would provide a little light relief for those staff working over the winter stretch. Today the most ill matched cheerleading squad was created by picking the most outrageous dresses we could find. We were never going to look good, as conditions outside demanded we retain our thermals and massive boots while cheering on the sideline.

The game began with a minute of silence to remember Sir Ed. The national anthems of both sides were sung and a very impressive haka followed. The match was close. Both teams fought hard. There was a lot of heart put into the game, and a few injured players came out (thankfully no medevac/medical evacuation was required). I am proud to say New Zealand came out on top and is the first to win the new Ross Island Cup, scoring 8 points to nil. The annual rugby game between the bases is an old tradition, but this year was the first to have a cup, kindly donated by the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Following the official presentation, speeches from both sides, a few photos and a snow fight, the match after party was hosted at Scott Base. All the US players and supporters squeezed into the Scott Base bar where the unofficial speeches took place (the cheerleaders got special mention). What a great day. It was so well organized and a lot of fun to see everyone, New Zealanders and Americans, getting in behind such an event and having a great time.

Having cycled over to McMurdo Station earlier in the day, we knew the Americans were going to be present at the game in force. All around the station there wasn’t talk of the icebreaker (which was a matter of hours away) bringing valuable supplies, there was only chatter of the game. We’d passed through McMurdo Station on our way to Hut Point, from which we could gain a good view of the incoming icebreaker. Hut Point is the location of Discovery Hut, built by Scott and his men during their 1901 – 04 expedition. To enter the hut you must be with a qualified guide. We didn’t enter today, but I did during my last visit. I recall the hut feeling the most eerie of the three huts I visited (Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds and Scott’s Terra Nova hut at Cape Evans). It is a large hut that remains well intact and little disturbed. Seal carcasses, skins and fat still hang in there, well preserved by the conditions. There remain boxes of Huntley and Palmers biscuits and special dog biscuits made in London ‘for use on the voyage’. The Antarctic Heritage Trust (see links) is responsible for the upkeep of these huts. A major challenge that their team has certainly risen to.

The incoming icebreaker was quite an amazing sight. It seems to make slow progress as it thrusts forward, zig zags, reverses and thrusts forward again; but it is effective, leaving a channel of open water within the sea ice. The ship will dock at McMurdo Station where they have a fragment of ice shelf rigged up to the land to be used as a wharf.

Tomorrow is my last day here on base! There is still so much I would like to do and so many people I would like to talk to. In some ways the time has gone fast, but I am happy with what I have achieved so far.

The kiwi boys and girls warm up

The Antarctic USA team from the Mount Terror Rugby Club has a minute of silence to remember Sir Edmund Hillary on the anniversary of his death last year

The Antarctic New Zealand team standing on the side of the field, and the Ross Island Cup at stake

The New Zealand cheerleaders were well received. The grandstand can be seen up to the left

Scott’s Discovery Hut at Hut Point. In the background is McMurdo Station and Crater Hill. This photo was taken in November 2006

The McMurdo Dry Valleys: a different facet of Antarctica

2009-01-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

I woke this morning in no particular hurry to do anything. Our flight was scheduled for 1pm. The weather was foggy and I was feeling discouraged as a science field party scheduled to fly out to the Darwin Glacier in a Basler at 7:30am had not gone. Their flight was delayed until Monday. Then Renee came and found me to say our flight had been shifted to 10am and I had to be down there at 9:30am. Twenty minutes and I was going to be flying in a chopper!

Silly me, of course it wasn’t twenty minutes. Around midday, we travelled over the hill to McMurdo Station’s helipad. The fogginess of Scott Base was holding us up, so we opted for the blue skies and warmer temperatures of McMurdo instead. The contrast in weather conditions between the two bases was phenomenal, but there was even more to come.

Our pilot was Rob, a New Zealander from Picton flying for Helicopters (NZ) Ltd. So a complete change! Different time, different pilot and different aircraft… but they made it happen. We took off and traversed the vast sea ice and ice shelf. We passed over the barren Bratina Island and then into the narrow Miers Valley of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. What a different world! After looking at the white of the ice for days, all of a sudden I was looking at expansive mountain ranges of loose sediment, with lakes and rivers. The only white to be seen was in the massive glaciers scouring the valleys.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are located southwest of Ross Island. They have a unique ecosystem and landform that is very sensitive to disturbance. For this reason 15 000 square kilometers of these Dry Valleys have been designated as an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA), one of the first to be designated under the environmental protocol of the Antarctic Treaty System. There is an overall ‘Code of Conduct’ for the ASMA and a specific management plan for each of four Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) within the ASMA.

The purpose of our travel was to visit a few field camps of scientists and make sure they are taking the appropriate measures to stay safe and protect this special environment. Antarctica New Zealand supports around 45 science events (~191 personnel) annually, representing all the New Zealand universities and three Crown research institutes. 75% of these events have international partnerships with the USA, Australia, Italy, UK, and/or Canada. It also runs media, arts and ‘Youth on Ice’ events aswell as a Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies course. It is Antarctica New Zealand’s responsibility to make sure each of these events and every individual conforms to our Treaty requirements as a signatory nation as described within the Antarctica (Environmental Protection) Act 1994. To ensure this is happening, environmental officers (i.e. Renee) from Antarctica New Zealand conduct a series of audits on a selection of events they are supporting. The information collected in the audit is given to both the leader of each event and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as part of Antarctica New Zealand’s annual compliance report.

Our first visit was to a camp of six scientists in the Miers Valley. Their camp location was picturesque; I didn’t want to ever leave! The weather was mild, a glacier up valley was feeding a flowing river that ran alongside camp and further down valley into a lake. We received a great welcome as we touched down from the two scientists present at camp (probably because we were bringing in more supplies). They had been doing the lab work inside a large tent. The other four could just be seen as dots up in the mountains, but we managed to have a chat via radio. These scientists, along with others in the Garwood and Shangri La Valleys, are focusing on describing and interpreting the biocomplexity of terrestrial ecosystems in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. They record landscape and environmental factors and take soil samples, assessing their chemical and physical properties and checking for any kind of life. This research will provide much greater understanding of the region and help New Zealand manage it appropriately. After having a look about and a chat, it was time to fly elsewhere unfortunately.

We scooted down valley, over a ridge, over the campsite of the Shangri La group and turned toward a haze of snow that was spilling out of the Garwood Valley. Rob the pilot turned to me and said ominously, ‘that’s where we’re meant to be headed’. Leaving behind the clear air and the infinite visibility, you could physically feel the jolt as we penetrated the snow flurry. Visibility was instantly reduced so Rob kept us close to the valley floor. I get the feeling Rob knows these valleys better that the back of his hand. Word on the street is that he has been flying down here for around 40 years. I felt safe. As the second field camp came into view, we could see we were in for quite a different experience. The scientists still came out to greet us, but weather had brought their fieldwork to a holt for the day. We had a quick look about, but were restricted by time as the chopper was accumulating snow and we were turning into snowmen. Our stay was long enough to feel the scientists’ frustration at the weather, and the difficulty that comes with it. We loaded up their samples to be taken back to Scott Base and got out of there. They were brief visits, but long enough to see how well the camps are operating. I know the field groups appreciated having the contact, I imagine it can be lonely in these remote regions.

Just minutes after take off, we had traveled over the glacier at the head of the valley and we were back in clear skies. I hoped the weather would pass just as quickly for the field camp we’d left behind.

What a big day! Two personal high points for me in this visit to the Dry Valleys was seeing a mummified seal in the Garwood Valley and ventifacts in the Miers Valley. Seals and penguins often travel inland to die. It is quite common to come across a dead seal in the Dry Valleys. They remain remarkably well preserved in the dry and cold climate of these mountains. Ventifacts are rocks that have been weathered by the wind, forming very distinct angles and faces reflecting the prevailing wind patterns. For these rocks to form they must remain undisturbed for very long periods. Today’s experience has provided me with a very different view of Antarctica. I think it is going to take a while to all sink in.

Renee and I were on Scott Base dishes tonight. At the base, everyone pitches in to make light work of the domestic stuff. This is particularly the case on Saturdays when there is a base meeting and tasks are read out, for which people will volunteer. Tasks vary from helping with cargo, peeling potatoes, making new trail flags and today many surrounded the upcoming rugby match. Couches and chairs were being organised for spectators… it is going to be quite an event; I am looking forward to it.

Where the ice meets the foothills of the McMurdo Dry Valleys

The McMurdo Dry Valleys. A glacier can be seen at the top of the valley. All erosion is by way of wind and ice, there is no rain

The tiny field camp in the vast Miers Valley. The glacier in the head of the valley feeds the river that runs alongside camp and down into the lake

The Garwood Valley field camp. The polar tent is their 'toilet' tent, the dome tents are for sleeping and the big tent is for cooking and science. About 15 metres to the right of their camp is a lake

Scott Base from the air, taken just before landing. Observation Hill can be seen in the backgound, beyond this in McMurdo Station (not seen)

A windfarm with an enviable view

2009-01-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

Looking outside the window of the Hatherton Lab of Scott Base, I feel relieved as I watch the weather roll in. You can generally see the ‘weather’ coming well ahead of time, consisting of wind and snow or ice storms that rise around only ten metres over the sea ice. I’m happy that it has held off until this time in the evening.

It was the most fabulous, sun-filled day today. Perfect for our environmental monitoring of the windfarm development on Crater Hill. Antarctica New Zealand have been working towards this wind turbine installation and commissioning in collaboration with Meridian Energy for many years now. It will be the world’s southernmost windfarm and along with that comes many challenges. However the benefits will be enormous. The three wind turbines (37 metres in height, 330 kilowatt) will supply renewable energy to Scott Base and McMurdo Station through a linked electrical grid. The windfarm will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of both bases (1 242 tonnes of CO2 annually) and diesel fuel consumption will be cut by ~11% (463 000 litres). In addition, it will reduce the environmental risks associated with the transporting, handling and storage of diesel in Antarctica. This season the foundations have been installed. Next summer season the turbines themselves will be erected and commissioned and we will start to see the exciting results!

Crater Hill has been chosen as the windfarm site as it is one of the few ice free areas (2%) in Antarctica with a ground cover of volcanic scoria covering the permafrost. It is close to both bases and sits high on Ross Island (190 metres above sea level) and therefore has a great wind resource. I definitely felt the wind up there today! Our job is to quantify the environmental impacts of the development and report them back to Antarctica New Zealand along with any recommendations to minimize further impacts, or steps towards remediation we think necessary. To capture all this information we carried out an assessment of terrestrial disturbance, did some photo monitoring, and a floral survey. Unfortunately, we cannot look for animals (other than skua), because the only ones we are likely to encounter are almost invisible to the naked eye. These include nematodes (worms), springtails (collembola) and mites. We were lucky enough to find a few tiny lichens, mosses and algal matts however. I took a few pictures of the vegetation we saw, just for reference. I didn’t expect to be able to identify them anytime soon. Then came along Roman Turk, the lichen king. I was casually flicking through my photos when a full species name came flying over my shoulder. Roman is an amazing biologist from Austria, he is a good laugh and passionate about lichens, although he admits ‘…they are senseless beings…’. He is referring to their habit of existing in some of the most vulnerable and most unlikely positions. It is so fantastic to be surrounded by so many experts here at Scott Base. Their enthusiasm and excitement for their upcoming field adventures is contagious.

I am hoping to awake to a similar weather tomorrow. I have my own little Antarctic adventure to partake in. We are scheduled to fly southwest into the McMurdo Dry Valleys to visit a field event and conduct an environmental audit of their activity. We will be jumping on a helicopter that is scheduled to pick up soil samples from the scientists at a field camp in the Miers Valley. The chopper and pilots will be from the American base. It is really common to share helo hours between bases, as New Zealand shares a joint logisitics and resource pool with the Americans and the Italians stationed at Mario Zucelli in Terra Nova Bay. I was lucky enough to visit the relatively new Italian Base last time I was in Antarctica. They traveled an hour over the sea ice in their shiny red FIATs to invite us to lunch. We of course made time in our busy science schedules for the event. The reception we received was amazing! We were treated like royal visitors. We were first greeted with a flute of champagne, followed by a macchiato (a short black coffee with a splash of hot milk). Then it was onto the dining room. There we were treated to delights such as marlin and salmon, fresh breads, cheeses and fantastic chocolate. One of my team members has since sought and ordered the same chocolate direct from Italy- it was something special! Last but not least was the gelato (they have their own machine) and limoncello to warm us before venturing out of the very comfortable base. They really know how to entertain. In return, and on limited resources, we invited them over for some scones a few days later. They were wrapped. So that’s a little how the resource pool works!

The seven pre-cast concrete foundations for turbine one, with a stage for the transformer on the right. Directly behind the stage you can glimpse Observation Hill that lies between Scott Base and McMurdo Station. It's a great view over the sea ice!

A skua

Roman Turk, the lichen king! What a great Austrian character. The photo was taken on our way down to the ice on the Herc

Stazione Mario Zucelli. The Italian base in Terra Nova Bay I visited in 2006

A night out on the ice

2009-01-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, and half of today, was dedicated to my AFT (Antarctic Field Training). We started with a briefing from Heidi on first aid kits, survival bags, tents, camp stoves, sleeping kits, and radio use when we go into the field. It is all a bit different in Antarctica. Sometimes easier than in New Zealand (things don’t tend to get wet), but mostly harder. As you can probably imagine, the sleeping kits are pretty ‘butty’ as Heidi would put it. You have an oversized foam bed roll, a thick thermorest mattress, a polar sleeping bag or two heavy sleeping bags (one zips into the other), a polar fleece liner or flannel liner if you don’t feel the cold, another thick cotton bag that goes around the whole set up and a ‘num num’. The ‘num num’ is a layer of black sheepskin that lies between your thermorest and sleeping bag/s. They are a new introduction to Antarctica New Zealand’s field issue and have proved exceedingly popular. You’ve got to be quick though! There isn’t enough for everyone and Renee and I were beaten to them - mostly by grown men… I won’t mention any names.

Following lunch, the seven trainees jumped into a hagglund with Heidi at the wheel. A hagglund is a track vehicle that can be used on all terrains, and will float in the water. They look quite cumbersome but I realised they are amazingly maneuverable as we weaved through the transition zone between the land and the ice on our way to field camp. At this time of year, the transition is at its weakest. The ice is buckled and ice melt and seawater that has escaped through cracks form massive pools. Despite this, vehicles from both Scott Base and McMurdo Station must persist through this zone. It is their lifeline, feeding the aircraft runways, the ANDRILL site (an international geological project), the A-frame (a.k.a. the kiwi bach), a rugby field and field training sites. At this time in the year, almost everywhere else must be accessed via air (usually helicopter).

On the way to our field campsite, we passed the A-frame. This dwelling is just as it sounds - a little A-frame hut. The hut was originally owned by the Americans who decided they wanted to get rid of it. When things are to be gotten rid of at McMurdo Station they are taken to the ‘Skua bar’ where they can be ‘skua-ed’. Skuas are big brown birds found coastally in Antarctica. They have a bad reputation as they manage to be noisy 24 hours, are notorious scavengers and can prey on the chicks of the much-loved penguins. Many US personnel leaving the Station use this op-shop to offload any excess baggage. Kiwi’s are often found at the ‘Skua bar’ cashing in on free leftovers from the Americans. One year the A-frame was ‘skua-ed’! It is a decent sized, self-contained hut, that is always well stocked with food and can be booked. It provides a great retreat for Scott Base staff and visitors. Apparently, the Americans are now very jealous of this luxury.

There is a great relationship between the Kiwis and Americans. There is a bus that runs between the bases (although it is easily walkable) all day, free of charge. Scott Base is so popular with the Americans that it has got to a point where their visiting is restricted to invitation only. For example, tonight is ‘America night’ in the bar, an invitation for them to visit. At McMurdo Station, kiwis have their own parking spaces marked ‘kiwis only’. We travel to McMurdo Station (a.k.a. MacTown) for the company and facilities that are more extensive than those of Scott Base. They have a doctor, a bigger shop, a coffee shop and a burger bar for example. However, that doesn’t stop the Americans from coming over here and buying out all the Cadbury chocolate apparently!

There is also a healthy rivalry that comes with being neighbours. We also passed a rugby field on our way to the field campsite. This was a strange site; the goal posts seemed to almost float against the white backdrop of the ice and sky. The annual match between New Zealand and the USA is scheduled for Sunday, I hope to be there… and may even be playing I’ve been told! It is not to be taken lightly however. This year the New Zealand Rugby Union has donated a shiny new trophy to celebrate the contest. Although New Zealand has won every year to date, there is definitely a little added pressure this time.

After a thirty minute drive, we arrived at our field campsite. Here we learnt how to erect a few different tents. My choice was the most commonly used tent in Antarctica, Scott’s polar tent. The design used today is not far different from that originally used by Robert Falcon Scott during his expeditions. Scott was a famous British Antarctic adventurer who led both the Discovery (1901 – 04) and Terra Nova expeditions (1910 – 1913) in pursuit of scientific discovery and claiming the South Pole for Britain. It was his second expedition that claimed his life. There became a race to get to the South Pole in the early 1900's. Earnest Shackleton (a former co-voyager of Scott’s) came within 180 kilometres of the Pole on his Nimrod expedition and Roald Amundsen’s Norwegian party were on their way. Scott reached the South Pole only to find the he had been pipped-at-the-post by the Norwegians. Sadly, Scott and his four companions died whilst returning from the Pole due to hunger, cold and exhaustion. Around eight months later the bodies of Scott and his men were found in their polar tent.

The polar tent is said to be popular because it can be set in a short amount of time, it is secure in strong wind, you can stand at full height inside them, and they have a bright yellow colour that gives a happy ambience inside. This is the tent I lived in for a month whilst stationed at Terra Nova Bay in 2006. It was my little sanctuary then, so I was keen to re-visit that feeling last night!

As part of our AFT, we also learnt how to make emergency snow shelters in case of sudden weather change. Such shelters are designed to keep you out of the wind first and foremost. Although the ambient temperature in Antarctica often doesn’t seem that low, once you add the wind chill factor, the temperature can fall quickly, and sometimes dangerously. We were given ten minutes to build a rough shelter and the rest of the evening to elaborate if we wanted. It is amazing what you can achieve in as little as ten minutes. We all managed to build something that could quite possibly save our lives in future. For this reason, it was quite a reassuring and empowering exercise. Last time I did my AFT I persisted with my snow cave and had a very restful sleep in it. This time I could see bad weather coming in over the sea ice from Black Island, so opted for the polar tent! Those who slept out in their shelters had a much quieter sleep without the flapping of the tent in the wind, but some woke covered in fresh snow! Either way we all had a fun night out. It is amazing how much fun a little distance and time away from normality can be.

After cleaning up camp today, we traveled to a nearby icefall to practice snow travel and climbing. Practicing ‘self arrests’ was an adventure! To do this, you purposely gain great speeds whilst falling down the slope and stop yourself using either you fists and toes, or an ice axe. Great fun. The rest of my day was spent scoping out my Crater Hill field site. I am looking forward to getting stuck in tomorrow!

Our camp kitchen, even with an ice kitchen table. A polar tent can be seen in the background. Flags are used in Antarctica to mark hazards (black signals crevices, thin ice, deep holes), fuel lines (blue) and safe routes (red and green flags), in case of snow cover and/or bad visibility

Me in an emergency shelter, with an igloo behind. We practice building both of these types of survival shelter on AFT and some people sleep in them

Front door view from our polar tent

Practising self arrest methods on an ice fall. In the background you can see the hagglund we used to travel to our field camp

The Antarctic Treaty and its significance

2009-01-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

A bit of information on the side...

The Antarctic Treaty (June 23, 1961) is a legal agreement that dedicates the area south of latitude 60°S, including the entire Antarctic continent, ice shelves and offshore islands to peace and science. This sentiment and the Treaty were inspired by the international scientific community, whom despite territorial conflict among nations and the prospect of military activities in Antarctica, designated 1957-58 as the International Geophysical Year. This worldwide effort involved twelve nations cooperating in Antarctica on globally important scientific research. The ensuing Treaty suspended any political claims to territory and banned all military activity on the continent, except that in support of scientific programs.

The Antarctic Treaty has proven very effective and continues to be significant for international relations, scientific endeavor and the environmental protection of Antarctica. Forty-five countries, representing two thirds of the world’s population have signed the Treaty. Signatory nations cooperate and share responsibility for this unique region that has no indigenous peoples, and that no one owns, but that constitutes 10% of both the world’s land surface and oceans. The Treaty encourages the free exchange of scientific resources, plans, information and personnel among signatory nations. Through this collaborative research of international scientists we have gained a much richer understanding of Antarctica, the Southern Ocean and our world. Thus, we are better equipped to protect the Antarctic environment. Although the Antarctic Treaty itself does not stipulate any environmental protocol and is not binding, it has created the spirit and underlying philosophy to which the behaviour of signatory nations adhere.

First day at Scott Base

2009-01-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

Thankfully I woke up this morning and it was still beautiful blue sky! After breakfast Renee and I changed out of our normal attire worn around base, and dressed up as Antarctic action figures again. We were heading up to Crater Hill with Johno, project manager for New Zealand’s southernmost wind farm. This was to be our sneak preview of what the upcoming days of work will hold. (It was great just to get outside too!)

Crater Hill lies directly behind Scott Base and McMurdo Station and is around 10 minutes drive away. We were there to check out the site of the three wind turbines Antarctica New Zealand and Meridian Energy are constructing to generate power for both Scott Base and McMurdo Station. Our role is to undertake an environmental monitoring project of the activity at the site. At present, only the turbine foundations have been put in. The towers and turbines will be erected in the next austral summer and will be commissioned the year after (see links for information on Meridian Energy's website).

So we’ll have an office with a view! Prior to getting stuck into the work however, we will have to undergo Antarctic Field Training (AFT). AFT helps you adapt to Antarctic conditions and operate safely in them. The training includes a combination of snowcraft, survival methods, Antarctic camping, glacier travel, GPS, special information about the Dry Valleys, and vehicles depending on the needs of your field party.

We had an AFT briefing this morning from Heidi, a Field Instructor on base. She covered many key points about keeping safe in Antarctica, but a couple in particular have stuck in my mind. The first was to do with natural instinct. Basically you can’t trust it down here. This land is so different from any environment our natural instinct has been learnt in, it just doesn’t hold up. I guess over a number of seasons your instincts may be appropriately shifted. However, from what I gather, every season is different, you never know what Antarctica is going to throw at you! This all adds to the charm of the continent according to a few base staff and scientists I have been chatting with, ‘…that is why I love this place’ said Blake, a field coordinator/camp manager.

Blake is (hopefully) heading out to the Darwin Glacier to set up a field camp site tomorrow, but it is all dependent on the weather. I think anyone else in a similar job in New Zealand would be at the end of their tether! I feel like everyone here either has, or has been forced to develop, a laid back demeanor and even temperament. Dr. Ken Ryan, one of the scientists I worked with during my last adventure to Antarctica, said you always have to be prepared to ‘hurry up and wait’ in Antarctica. I think that sums it up nicely. Make sure you can be ready at a drop of a hat, but be patient too. This explains why even though we are in peak season and everyone is stretched and working incredibly hard, the base staff maintain amazing morale and composure.

The second point of Heidi’s that stuck in my head was ‘teamwork’. Teamwork is one of Antarctica New Zealand’s quoted core values and you definitely see it continuously around base amongst everyone, whether they be staff or scientists. You also see it on a much larger scale amongst bases and nations. In AFT, teamwork is signaled as being important for survival. It is vital we continuously check each other for cold weather injuries as you cannot always feel when you have frost nip, or frost bite. An individuals' thought processes can easily become wayward down here, mainly due to dehydration (it is the driest continent), but also hypothermia - you have to look out for each other. This is definitely where I feel the culture of teamwork and cooperation stems from. The environment gives you no other option, you could not go it alone. This culture has also been written into the Antarctic Treaty, to which every nation in Antarctica adheres (see my next post for more).

I’m looking out the window and it’s snowing! What was dark gravel on the ground has become a white fluffy carpet over the last half hour. This is the first snow I’ve witnessed in Antarctica. It’s actually quite a rare event. I’ve heard snow only occurs when it is warm and humid, otherwise the moisture just falls as ice crystals. Most of what covers the ground and looks like snow in Antarctica, is not fresh snow, but is snow drift carried from elsewhere. Although it is beautiful right now, I hope that it stops falling for those people on base who are looking to fly into the Dry Valleys tommorrow. They need good visibility to fly, and many of them work on lichens and mosses that are hard enough to see on bare ground, let alone snow covered ground!

I’m pretty far from everywhere really! In the background past the laboratory on the coast, you can just make out the shadows on the ice. This is actually crumpled ice, or pressure ridges, caused by the ice shelf pushing into sea ice

A snippet of the goings-on at Scott Base and McMurdo Station, from the Scott Base noticeboard

Snow outside Scott Base. I’m looking out of the corridor leading to Q-hut (an accommodation block) toward the flagpole (middle), the Scott base ‘distances’ sign (right), the RO water intake (takes in water to be desalinated for drinking) and a lab for keeping Antarctic fish (left). The lounge (far left) is Scott Base’s newest addition and a really great spot for watching the snow

The big travel day

2009-01-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

We are here! I’m sitting in my bunk and feeling very at home. Scott Base has such a warm, friendly feel to it. There are a lot of faces I recognise, one being Brian, my camp manager from last time. He had been expecting me! The base is apparently at full capacity with just over one hundred people, but it doesn’t feel it. Everyone is relaxed and happy, keen to have a chat and get to know your story.

There were forty five excited Antarctic goers on our flight today. Some were first timers and many had done several seasons on the ice. Some were Scott base staff, some scientists, some pilots from the US Airforce and some worked in construction. There were New Zealanders, an Australian, a Czech, an Austrian, a couple of Germans, a lot of Americans and probably a few other nationalities! All were more than happy to put on their ECWs (Extreme Cold Weather gear) on a hot Christchurch day to go and sit in the cargo nets of a Hercules for seven and a half hours in very noisy, cramped and HOT conditions. All to get to Antarctica. It seems the novelty of the continent doesn’t wear off, even for the most seasoned antarcticans.

The only issues that concerned people aboard the Herc were the primitive toilet or ‘honey pot’, what component of their packed lunch they should eat next and where to place their feet! In Antarctica everything is big. My feet are actually quite small, but once transformed into ‘Antarctic Libby’ who wears mukluk-like boots, I suddenly have trouble finding the space to place them anywhere! The heavy duty, heavy soled, knee high (on me anyhow) boots were constantly being reshuffled with persons sitting next to you, across from you and passing among you. We put up with this because we know these boots are brilliant (Chris said so), and all your space issues will melt away as soon as you step off the plane and onto the expansive ice shelf.

We landed on the ice at Pegasus in McMurdo Sound. Upon exiting the aircraft, I immediately gained a view of Erebus on Ross Island and back across to the Transantarctic Mountains of the continent. It is such a beautiful day! Clear blue sky and very mild (-5 degrees Celsius with little wind chill). We then jumped on the Terra bus, which is definitely not your average bus and serves both Scott Base and McMurdo Station. Rather than making a straight line course across McMurdo Sound toward Scott Base we followed the land more closely, making sure to stay on the ice shelf, rather than the sea ice. Last time I was down in Antarctica, sea ice travel was the norm, but being here so late in the summer means it is no longer safe. The ice shelf (~20-400 metres thick) on the other hand is quite safe. Ice shelf is made of ice that initially forms over the land, but has since flowed from the land with gravity and now sits over the sea permanently. Sea ice (up to ~6 metres thick) is usually a seasonal phenomenon; forming as the ocean freezes in winter, and breaking up in late summer. The weakened sea ice may not withstand the weight of the Terra bus and swimming in Antarctica is not very comfortable (I can vouch for that).

I am feeling incredibly tired and excited at the same time. Today was long and my body definitely feels that it is time to sleep, but my mind is distracted by the fact that there is a bright blue sky outside and all the potential that offers . . . I must close the black out shutters and try my hardest to pretend that Antarctica isn't still lit up.

Renee and I about to board the Royal New Zealand Air force Hercules

Inside the Hercules, conditions were hot, very noisy and cramped- but everyone was happy ECWs finally put to good use… in Antarctica!

Renee and I are standing on the airstrip at Pegasus. Looking over the ice you can see the bare ground (black) of Ross Island where McMurdo Station and Scott Base are located with Mount Erebus steaming in the background

First leg of the southbound journey

2009-01-04T00:56:00.000-08:00

I have had some great in-flight experiences in the past, purely due to the people I have ended up seated beside. They have been some of the most fascinating characters. Today on my flight from Auckland to Christchurch I was secretly hoping that the person seated next to me might strike up a conversation just so I might become one of those fascinating in-flight friends! The fact I am off to Antarctica may just qualify me . . . Instead I squirmed in my seat, bubbling inside. Thankfully, my travel and project companion, Renee, was there to greet me on arrival in Christchurch and exploded with excitement at much the same time I did.

We trundled straight over to the Antarctica New Zealand clothing warehouse where Chris was waiting. He had neatly laid out all my clothing ahead of time (even correctly sized). Antarctica New Zealand has a completely new kit this year, which is quite different to what I’d used previously; but not to fear, Chris gave me the run down. I know exactly when to wear each of my six pairs of gloves and four jackets, including the individual purpose of each pocket (there are up to ten).

And then came Woody (a.k.a. Paul). Just as you start to feel daunted by the fact that you will have to be wearing all this gear because it is ACTUALLY pretty cold in Antarctica, Woody strides in. He greets you as a friend and grabs your attention. It’s just a casual chat. One in which he manages to divulge all the important information you need to know about the upcoming 24 hours, answer any questions you may have had, and even those you thought you may have had, if he hadn’t already answered them. Was I worried? Never.

Just to bait our excitement a little more, Renee and I visited the Antarctic Attraction right next door. It worked. I am so ready to get to Antarctica! I have packed and re-packed. All that is left to do is catch a little sleep! Having said that, ‘March of the Penguins’ is on the television right now . . .

We are scheduled to fly south around 10am tomorrow aboard a Royal New Zealand Airforce Hercules (C130). The flight should take around seven and a half hours. We will be on base for dinner . . . definitely there before dark (ha ha). There is always the potential for delay and cancellation on these southbound flights, so fingers and toes crossed that everything goes to plan. I’ll be wearing my red socks from the Sir Peter Blake Trust too, just for a little added luck.

There was a lot of gear to pack!

The lucky red socks

My Antarctic adventure!

2009-01-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I left behind ordinary life: my work, friends and family in Northland. Tommorrow I start a new adventure! I will fly to Christchurch in the morning to meet up with Renee Burns an Environmental Officer at Antarctica New Zealand. We will spend the day getting fitted up with all our Antarctic gear and finalising the details of our environmental monitoring project of the wind turbines being erected on Crater Hill, Ross Island. On Monday, we will be boarding a Hercules on route to Antarctica!

I have known of my upcoming trip to Antarctica since August when I was awarded the Antarctic Youth Ambassadorship. However, in the midst of some of the hottest days we have had this summer, when everyone is on holiday, it has been difficult getting my head around the fact I will be in Antarctica very soon. What a contrast it is going to be. All the more exciting I say!

My excitement is not one bit diminished by the fact I have already visited the continent either. My last trip was during November and December of 2006. I was lucky enough to be taken down as a research assistant alongside scientists from Victoria University of Wellington working on the Latitudinal Gradient Project (LGP). The LGP is a long running and multinational initiative aimed at understanding the coastal, marine and terrestrial ecosystems that exist along the Victoria Land (read more here http://www.lgp.aq/). We were sampling and studying communities of algae and bacteria that live in the seasonal sea ice that forms around the continent annually and that fuel the ecosystems of the Southern Ocean. Our study site was Terra Nova Bay, where we based our scientific activity out of the German Base ‘Gondwana’ and slept in polar tents on the ice for a month. It was an amazing, eye-opening and wonderfully rewarding professional and personal experience (trust me, I will convince you in days to come . . . some of you may take more than others!).

On leaving Scott Base at the end of this research venture, I was very reluctant to leave (to say the least). I remember expressing this to Brain, our camp manager, to which he said, ‘See you next time then’. How unrealistic that seemed at the time! I am still pinching myself.

I have a jam-packed itinerary whilst on the ice. However, given that it is Antarctica, activities may well vary depending upon logistics and weather conditions. I will be updating the blog daily, tune in and join my adventure!

Gondwana Station, Terra Nova Bay 2006. Our camp set up: polar tents in the foreground, Gondwana Station in the mid ground and the sea ice where we worked beyond

The members of event K043, from left to right: Andrew Martin, Dr. Ken Ryan, me, Dr. Simon Davy and Snout (a.k.a. Daniel McNaughtan)

Snout and I drilling sea ice cores for sampling and analysis (Photo: K. Ryan)

2008/09 Antarctic Youth Ambassador Announced

2008-12-06T01:08:00.000-08:00

Libby in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam (Photo: K. Smyth)

Libby Liggins of Auckland has been selected as this year’s Antarctic Youth Ambassador.

The award, developed by Antarctica New Zealand in partnership with the Sir Peter Blake Trust, aims to provide an opportunity for a young New Zealander to contribute to environmental work in Antarctica. Libby Liggins is the second recipient of this award which attracted a large number of high quality applicants.

“I was very impressed by the calibre of people who were applying for this award. Most of the applicants were already contributing a lot to the environment and it was inspiring to see so much passion in the new generation of New Zealanders,” said Laura Fayerman, Environmental Programme Manager from the Sir Peter Blake Trust, and a member of the award selection panel.

Libby Liggins, 25 years old, has just completed a Master of Science in Conservation Biology. She has experience as a Research Assistant for Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory and as a Research Assistant for the Latitudinal Gradient Project in the Ross Sea. Libby has won a number of awards and scholarships, including the Enderby Trust Expedition scholarship, The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society Stocker Scholarship and the Robert G. Jaeger award for graduate research.

“I am very excited about gaining the Antarctic Youth Ambassador position. It is an amazing opportunity. I feel hugely honoured to represent Antarctica New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust, to relay their values and the importance of Antarctica to young New Zealanders. Antarctica is a very special place and our nation has a presence there that every New Zealander should know about and be proud of,” Libby said.

Libby will be travelling to Scott Base in January 2009 where she will be contributing to the environmental monitoring of the Crater Hill wind turbine site. The wind turbine project, which is a collaboration between Antarctica New Zealand and Meridian Energy, will begin construction this coming summer season. Libby will be contributing to the team which will monitor the impacts of construction over a three year period.

Environment Manager for Antarctica New Zealand, Dr Neil Gilbert, says he is pleased with Libby’s selection and with the Youth Ambassador programme. “Libby is an outstanding recipient for this award which invests in the future of the Antarctic environment by building capability and understanding in young New Zealanders,” he said.

For more information please contact:

Matt Vance
Communications Advisor
Ph: 03 358 0213 (Direct)
Cell: 021 997 993
Email: m.vance@antarcticanz.govt.nz

Laura Fayerman
Environmental Programme Manager
Sir Peter Blake Trust Ph: 0274 954 311 Email: lauraf@sirpeterblaketrust.org

Reflections on the frozen continent

2008-07-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

“Antarctica: a land of ice, snow, extreme cold, high winds, blizzards, calms, sunshine, the most extraordinary natural beauty imaginable – full of life, full of intrigue. A land that has drawn man to explore, to suffer the most severe privations in the quest to be ‘first’ – and to sometimes die in the attempt – ‘for flag and country’. A land that was once subtropical and is now one of the driest places on earth – a desert – with very little rainfall overall. A land that never warms below the surface. A land with only a recent history involving man. But what a history.” ¬¬Sir Peter Blake

About the Antarctic Youth Ambassador Programme
In December 2007 I embarked on a journey to fulfill my lifelong dream to visit Antarctica. I did so as the inaugural recipient of the Antarctic Youth Ambassador Award. The award, launched in January 2007 in association with the 50th anniversary of Scott Base, is an initiative between Antarctica New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust to select a young New Zealander to participate in environmental work in Antarctica and for them to act as an ambassador to educate others through their experiences. I had been selected from a pool of worthy applicants, aged between 18-25, who had expressed a passion for adventure and contributed towards the protection of the natural environment. My credentials, including travel through sixty-two countries as mountaineer, paraglider and sailor, and work with the United Nations Environment Programme had convinced the judges of my suitability for the award.

So it was that I found myself decked out from head to toe in full Antarctic extreme cold weather gear standing outside the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch one warm sunny morning in December waiting to board a US Air Force C-17 cargo plane bound for Scott Base. Accompanying me was Dr Neil Gilbert, the environmental manager for Antarctica New Zealand. We were embarking on a ten-day visit to the Ross Dependency to conduct environmental audits around Scott Base and assist in a review of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA).

Antarctic Field Training
Antarctic field training (AFT) is compulsory to all new arrivals at Scott Base. The training involves learning Antarctic survival and safety skills, along with Scott Base specific field protocols. The best part about the course is camping overnight in a ‘Scott Polar Tent’.
The day began with a seminar about equipment and safety. In the afternoon we loaded up a Hagglund tracked vehicle and departed for the AFT camp about 8km to the north on the Ross ice-shelf in the shadow of Mt Erebus’s smoking crater. Here I learnt to pitch the polar tents and dug an emergency snow shelter. In the evening, after a hot meal of the dehydrated form, I sat outside under the midnight sun and sipped at a cup of tea. My attention was drawn to the south, along the route that Scott, Shackleton and Hillary must have embarked on all those years ago in pursuit of the South Pole. I imagined myself venturing off into that unending whiteness on a sledge, or in Hillary’s case a Massey Ferguson tractor. I returned to my tent, tied up the doors and crawled into my three sleeping bags atop two thermal mattresses. Although it was
-20°C outside, it was warm and comfortable inside the tent. In keeping with what I had been taught, I ensured my radio and camera were kept warm inside my sleeping bag and that my trusty pee-bottle was always close at hand to save venturing out in the night.

ANDRILL
Having completed my field training I was now free to familiarize myself with Scott Base and the some of the scientific projects being undertaken in the vicinity. One such project is known as ANDRILL (Antarctic geological DRILLing), this is a multi-million dollar, multinational project to improve our understanding of the Antarctic’s past climate for the last 65 million years, in order to guide future scenarios of global warming on the continent. Situated 50km from Scott Base, the ANDRILL project looks from a distance like a Bedouin nomad camp in the middle of a white sand desert. The camp comprises of a drilling platform residing on 8m thick sea-ice and living/working quarters for about thirty staff. Due to the weight, the drilling platform is stabilized from below the ice by massive airbags. It is from here that the drill extends down through seawater for ~300m before penetrating the ocean floor.

Upon arrival at the camp the ANDRILL team were celebrating reaching their target depth of 1100m into the seabed and had begun extracting a good quality core. The technology being utilized in the project was a combination of conventional oil/gas equipment, tools used in geological core extraction and a hell of a lot of innovative and creative adaptation for the specialized and challenging conditions on the Antarctic sea-ice. I joint the team in celebrating their success with pikelets with fresh cream and jam. ‘Who said life is hard down in Antarctica?’

Historic Huts
My next adventure was to Cape Evans and Royds, home of Scott’s ‘Terra Nova’ and Shackleton’s ‘Nimrod’ historic huts. This journey took me to the east of Scott Base ~50km along the shores of Ross Island. Together with six others, I headed off across the sea-ice in the back of a Hagglund tracked vehicle. A few hours passed by until the Hagglund finally came to halt. I clambered out from the dark canopy and stood in the bright sun with a fine view of Mt Erebus and a small wooden hut about 100m away. Beside us sat a green wanagan (shipping container converted into a mobile home) with a New Zealand flag set on a pole and a second flag bearing the letters ‘AHT’. This was the camp of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, a non-profit organization responsible for the care of the expedition bases associated with the first explorers of the Ross Sea region. The conservation team housed within had the somewhat ominous task to restore and conserve what remained of Scott’s infamous ‘Terra Nova’ hut, which lay some meters away. Al Fastier, the Trust’s Programme Manager came out and greeted us beside the Hagglund. There was a stiff breeze blowing down off Mt Erebus so Al ushered us over to the entrance of the hut where he informed us of the history and conservation work he and his team had were undertaking over the summer months.

Stepping into the hut was like stepping back in time. I had expected it to be just some old run-down hut with nothing much of interest. However, as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness I began to sense that this was not just any old hut.

The room inside was large, perhaps 15m across by 8m wide. In the centre sat a large dinning table, to the right was a kitchen fully stocked with supplies, bunk beds lay to centre left and right of the dining table. Towards the rear I could make out a laboratory and photographic darkroom. In the far left corner I recognized something I had seen before in a photograph. It was the bunk and desk of Robert Falcon Scott. An airy sensation ran down my spine as I looked around and recognized more features from the historic photos. From within these walls lay the memories of men whose adventure, discovery and endurance I could scarcely begin to fathom. I sat myself down on the floor and looked up into the rafters searching for the ghosts that haunted these walls. The experience left me perplexed for the next few days. It also made me recognize and appreciate the work of the AHT team to protect these huts as a vestige of Antarctica’s heroic age and early explorers.

McMurdo Dry Valleys
The training and tours were over and it was time to get down to business with our environmental work in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. These valleys are the largest expanse of ice-free ground in Antarctica covering an area of about 15,000km2, equivalent to that of Fiordland National Park. Their scientific values include unique geologic and biotic features of both local and global importance; these include salt deposits, desert pavements, low biodiversity ecosystems and indicators of past and present climate. They are also greatly valued as a wilderness, as they represent a near pristine environment free from humans and uncontaminated by human activities. They compose a dramatic landscape of barren mountains and sweeping glaciers that contrast starkly against the monotonous whiteness of the rest of the continent. The work in the valleys involved locating, surveying and reviewing the status of cited ‘special features’ as part of a five yearly review as stipulated by the Antarctic Treaty provisions.

We flew into the valleys by helicopter, accompanied by Emily Kelly of the United Stated Antarctic Program. We made a few stops along the way to check out an abandoned structure, which we marked for removal, and a possible site where a tourist zone may be established in the future. We then flew up the Taylor valley and attempted to locate two special features, but as the weather deteriorated and landings became impossible we were forced to return to base. Two days later when the weather had settled we tried again, but this time flying up the Wright valley and landing at Don Juan Pond. Don Juan Pond is a hyper saline lake that is so salty that it never freezes. Around the pond lay a myriad of strange mummified creatures; on closer inspection it was apparent they were the corpses of penguins and seals. Interestingly, the pond is 60km away from the sea, suggesting these poor creatures to have been seriously disorientated before coming to grief on the edge of the pond. Quite astonishingly, some of these mummies have been dated as old as 2000 years, providing further evidence of the unique environmental conditions in the valleys.

We surveyed a number of other special features and I left with a deep appreciation for both the aesthetic and scientific values of the area. While few will ever venture there, at least they provide a small area on this planet where the human ‘footprint’ has been minimal and will hopefully stay that way into the future.

Reflections on the frozen continent
Antarctica was truly wonderful to behold. The harshness and fragility of the place is both frightening and amazing. Going there was a physical and emotional rollercoaster ride from start till finish. Once away from Scott Base and in the Dry Valley’s, the remoteness and solitude is so intense that the obsessions of the material world become meaningless and one is confronted by the reality of one’s own existence and survival. The future of the frozen continent is inextricably tied to ‘our’ decisions as to how ‘we’ confront the issues of human induced climate change. As Edwin Mickleburgh is quoted, "The continent has become a symbol of our time. The test of man's willingness to pull back from the destruction of the Antarctic wilderness is the test also of his willingness to avert destruction globally. If he cannot succeed in Antarctica he has little chance of success elsewhere." A hundred years ago the Antarctic challenge was a race to reach the South Pole. Today the challenge is one of science and stewardship. Sir Peter Blake’s legacy reminds us that vision alone is not enough, “Change comes through realizing the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation." And so my adventure continues endowed with these experiences, lessons and challenges…

Web Links
Jay’s Antarctic Blog: www.antarcticyouthambassador.blogspot.com
The Sir Peter Blake Trust: www.sirpeterblaketrust.org
Antarctica New Zealand: www.antarcticanz.govt.nz
The ANDRILL Project: www.andrill.org
The Antarctic Heritage Trust: www.heritage-antarctica.org

Check out Jay's Antarctic Story in ADVENTURE magazine

2008-04-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

In the April/May 2008 issue (147) of ADVENTURE magazine Jay recounts his Antarctic journey as the inaugural Antarctic Youth Ambassador. Pick up a copy of 'The Green Issue" at bookstores and magazine counters near you.

Are you the next Antarctic Youth Ambassador?

2008-04-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

The Sir Peter Blake Trust in partnership with Antarctica New Zealand is running the 2nd year of the Antarctic Youth Ambassador programme, giving the chance for an individual to get involved with Antarctica's environmental issues. This is a once in a life time opportunity.

Please find an advert that can be posted for students on how to get more information (via the Trust website: www.sirpeterblaketrust.org).

Please circulate this email to anyone who may be interested in applying for this amazing opportunity, or other departments that may have suitable candidates.

Applications close Friday 30th May 2008, and criteria follows:

To apply to be an Antarctic Youth Ambassador you must be:

· 18-25 years of age at time of application;

· A New Zealand citizen or a New Zealand resident;

· Able to demonstrate a passion for and contribution to New Zealand's natural environment;

· Able to demonstrate experience in remote outdoor settings;

· In exceptional health with a high standard of fitness;

· Able to show leadership potential;

· Hard working, adaptable and a team player;

· Independent, self-confident and self-reliant;

· Articulate and experienced at presentations and public speaking;

· Able to show a high standard of writing ability.

Many thanks,

Laura Fayerman
Environmental Programme Manager

Sir Peter Blake Trust

M: 0274 954 311

?T: +64 9 307 8875 F: +64 9 309 3350
E: info@sirpeterblaketrust.org
W: sirpeterblaketrust.org

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Viaduct Harbour, Cnr Quay & Hobson St.
PO Box 106-955, Auckland City 1143

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Exploring the Antarctic Dry Valleys

2007-11-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

Antarctica is truly wonderful to behold. The harshness and fragility of the place is both frightening and amazing. Going there was a physical and emotional rollercoaster ride from start till finish… Once away from Scott Base and in the Dry Valley’s, the remoteness and solitude is so intense that the obsessions of the material world become meaningless and one is confronted by the reality of one’s own existence and survival

The Historic Huts of the Ross Sea Region

2007-11-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

My next adventure was to Cape Evans and Cape Royds, home of Scott’s ‘Terra Nova’ and Shackleton’s ‘Nimrod’ historic huts. This journey took me to the east of Scott Base ~50km along the shores of Ross Island.

Together with six others, I headed off across the sea-ice in the back of a Hagglund. A few hours passed by until the Hagglund finally came to halt. I clambered out from the dark canopy and stood in the bright sun with a fine view of Mt Erebus and a small wooden hut about 100m away. Beside us sat a green wanagan (shipping container converted into a mobile home) with a New Zealand flag set on a pole and a second flag bearing the letters ‘AHT’.

This was the camp of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, a non-profit organization responsible for the care of the expedition bases associated with the first explorers of the Ross Sea region. The conservation team housed within had the somewhat ominous task to restore and conserve what remained of Scott’s infamous ‘Terra Nova’ hut, for which lay some meters in the distance.

Al Fastier, the Trust’s Programme Manager came out and greeted us beside the Hagglund. There was a stiff breeze blowing down off Mt Erebus so Al ushered us over to the entrance of the hut where he informed us of the history and conservation work he and his team had embarked on over the summer month. We were then invited to enter into the hut.

Stepping into the hut was like stepping back in time. I had expected it to be just some old run-down hut with nothing of particular interest. However, as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness I began to sense that this was not just any old hut.

The room inside was large, perhaps 15m across by 8 wide. In the centre sat a large dinning table, to the right was a kitchen fully stocked with supplies, bunk beds lay to centre left and right of the dining table. Towards the rear I could make out a laboratory and photographic darkroom. In the far left corner I recognized something I had seen before in a photograph. It was the bunk and desk of Robert Falcon Scott. An airy sensation ran down my spine as I looked around and recognized more features from the historic photos. From within these walls lay the memories of men whose adventure, discovery and endurance was on a magnitude I could hardly begin to imagine. I sat myself down on the floor and looked up into the rafters searching for the ghosts that haunted these walls.

The experience of visiting the historic huts left me awestruck for the next few days. It also made me appreciate the work and effort of the AHT team to protect these huts for future generations as a vestige of Antarctica’s heroic age and early explorers.

Video
A Visit to The Historic Huts of the Ross Sea Region

Slideshows
A Visit to The Historic Huts of the Ross Sea Region

Visiting the ANDRILL project

2007-11-25T22:18:00.000-08:00

After Antarctic Field Training (AFT) was completed I moved onto familiarizing myself with Scott Base and some of the projects being undertaken in the vicinity. One such project is known as ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing).

ANDRILL is a multinational project to improve understanding of Antarctica's role in Cenozoic (65 million years ago to present) global change, through stratigraphic drilling of marginal sedimentary basins. The chief objective is to drill back in time to recover a history of paleoenvironmental changes that will guide our understanding of how fast, how large, and how frequent were glacial and interglacial changes in the Antarctica region. Future scenarios of global warming require guidance and constraint from past history that will reveal potential timing frequency and site of future changes. New Zealand, USA, Germany and Italy, are involved in the planning of ANDRILL. Visit the ANDRILL website at www.andrill.org.

The ANDRILL drilling platform is situated on the sea-ice about 50km away from Scott Base. To get there I joint a team of Antarctica New Zealand Board members onboard a Piston Bully tracked vehicle, similar to the ones they use on ski resorts to grade the trails.

We departed Scott Base early in the morning and began the slow journey out across the sea-ice. The Piston Bully, while extremely versatile and reliable in the polar conditions, does not exactly race along. With a top speed of about 25km per hour and with no suspension to speak of, the journey could be described at best as a bumpy slow amble across the sea ice.

To make up for the lack of comfort inside the vehicle, the views outside were spectacular. As we ventured across the sea-ice and away from Scott Base the Mt Erebus massif came into view with its smoking crater and crevasse-ridden slopes. Towards the continent lay the Royal Society Mountains, Mt Discovery and the Dry Valleys. After snapping my way through half of my digital camera’s memory card I noticed a tall white tent off in the distance. On closer inspection this I noticed a number of smaller colored tents scatted around comprising what looked like a Bedouin nomad camp in the middle of a white sand desert.

An hour later the Piston Bully rolled into the ANDRILL camp. The tall white tent, seen from a distance, turned out to be the drilling platform and the smaller colored tents, the camp for the project team comprising of ~30 people. We were greeted and invited into the camp and given pikelets with cream and jam. ‘Who said life is hard down in Antarctica?’

We then toured the camp setup and the drilling platform. Amazingly, the drilling platform resides on only 8m of sea-ice (it was designed to sit on only 2m) and is stabilized by massive airbags under the ice to stop it collapsing into the water below. The drill travels through the 8m sea ice and then through ~300 of seawater before reaching the ocean floor. This is where the drilling begins, but it’s not as simple as that, the team has to deal with the constantly moving sea-ice and daily tide fluctuations of up to 1.5m up or down. All of this adds up to a continuously moving platform on ice, which is also susceptible to melting and cracking.

Upon our arrival the ANDRILL team were celebrating reaching their target depth of 1100m into the seabed and had begun extracting a good quality core. The technology being utilized in the project was a combination of conventional oil/gas equipment, tools used in geological core extraction and hell of a lot of innovative and creative adaptation for the specialized and challenging conditions on the Antarctic sea-ice.

After a mind-boggling tour we returned to our Piston Bully and started the slow ride back to Scott Base. On our way back a small black dot came skittering across the ice in front of the vehicle. Much to our surprise, an Adelie penguin stood, not 20m away, in the middle of our track. We stopped the engine and climbed out of the cab. In abiding by the Antarctic Code of Conduct we walked to within 10m to observe the creature. For some strange reason the penguin promptly decided to ran directly towards me and came to a stop within an arms reach away from me. He stood there and pranced around, much to my delight, while I snapped some photos. After observing him for sometime we were called back to the vehicle to get on our way. But as I walked away my little penguin friend decided he wanted to follow me and as I climbed into the cab of the Piston Bully, he also came right up to cab entrance. As the engine flared up my little penguin friend dived away from the vehicle on his belly. But as we drove away I looked back and saw him sliding along on his belly after us until he just a dot on the horizon.

A visit to the ANDRILL Project

Antarctic Field Training.... going camping in the snow

2007-11-23T03:43:00.000-08:00

On arrival in Antarctica we were greeted and escorted to an awaiting truck by Yvonne Boesterling, the Coordinator of Scott Base. I tossed my bags in the back and crawled into the heated cab to escape from the frigid air outside. As we drove off I caught my first glimpse of the United States McMurdo Station and the little green huts of Scott Base off in the distance.

The truck left the sea-ice and drove up to McMurdo Station. The station was enormous, with an occupancy of up to 3000 people and resembling an Alaskan mining town with little aesthetic appeal. As we continued over the hill Scott Base came into view. In contrast Scott Base’s little green huts, all of which are interconnected, were quite pleasant. Compared to McMurdo Station Scott Base only holds 80 people during peak periods.

Inside Scott Base there was a frenzy of activity. I snuck into a corner and stripped off my cold weather gear, the temperature inside was a tropical 20 degree Celsius and a damned sight warmer than the average Dunedin student flat. I was shown to the mess hall and enjoyed a wonderful meal, complete with desert and coffee. After dinner I was given a tour of the base and a safety briefing before being shown to my room. Exhausted from the day’s travel, I collapsed in my bed and slept like a log until morning.

The next day Neil Gilbert, Roman Turk and I met with our instructor, Jason Whatson, for our Antarctic Field Training (AFT). This involves learning Antarctic survival and safety skills, along with Scott Base specific field protocols. The best part about the course is that we would get to go outside and camp in the snow.

The day began with a seminar about equipment and safety. In the afternoon we loaded up a Haglund tracked vehicle and departed for the AFT camp about 8km to the north on the Ross ice-shelf in the shadow of Mt Erebus. Here I learnt to pitch the mighty polar tents (a first for me) and dug an emergency snow shelter. In the evening, after a hot meal of the dehydrated form, I sat outside under the midnight sun and sipped at a cup of tea.

My attention was suddenly drawn to the south, along the route that Scott, Shackleton and Hillary must have embarked on all those years ago in pursuit of the South Pole. I imagined myself venturing off into that unending whiteness on a sledge, or in Hillary’s case a Massey Ferguson tractor!

That night my dreams were filled with images of the polar explorers and when I awoke in the morning I was certain I had traveled to The Pole and back in my sleep.

In Antarctica at last!

2007-11-21T03:46:00.000-08:00

The sound of an incoming text message wakes me from my slumber. I roll over and reach for my cell phone, taking note of the time on the alarm clock, its 5am.

The message on the phone reads “Flight delayed 3hrs, 9am pickup”. I jump out of bed and check the webcam at Scott Base on my laptop. The image loads slowly and I stare squinting at it, still half asleep. With no blue sky in sight I return to my bed convinced that today, like yesterday would present a further delay in our departure.

At 8am I pull myself out of bed and start gathering my things in the hope that I might at least make it to the airport today before being “boomeranged” back to my hotel to wait for the weather to improve.

I snatch another look at the webcam, but it’s much the same as it was earlier.

I drag my bags down to the driveway and a few minutes later Paul Woodgate appears in the big Antartica New Zealand van.

He jumps out and tells me, “today’s a flying day mate”, when I ask about the webcam he informs that it will improve over the course of the flight. With heightened spirits we drive off to the International Antarctic Centre to begin the check-in process before a scheduled departure at noon. On arrival at the centre a mass of other eager Antarctic travellers are gathering.

We then board a bus that takes us to the side of the giant, grey bird known as the US Airforce C-17 cargo plane.

It’s carrying two 13-tonne helium gas tanks, approximately 30 people and another 20 odd tonnes of baggage. This massive payload makes me hold my breath during takeoff.

Thirty minutes later and we are at cruising altitude. Midway through the five-hour flight the cabin engineer calls out over the speaker that we are welcome to go up to the cockpit and meet the pilots. I jump at the opportunity and join the queue to get a glimpse out the front window. It’s not every day you get to go to the cockpit of a C-17, especially since 9/11.

The hours pass by until finally some mountains appear on the distant horizon. As we get closer I notice that the mountains extend into the distance for as far as the eye can see.

Glaciers stretch in every direction, the great frozen continent is now below us and our destination is now in site. I return to my seat and fasten my seatbelt. The plane banks hard and begins the descent.

The plane touches down with a thud and a roar. After a long drawn out taxi the engines come to a stop and the cabin door opens.

I rise from my seat and fit my cold weather jacket, hats and gloves. I walk towards the door and look out across the Ross Sea and Ross Island. At last I have arrived. ANTARCTICA HERE I AM!

Check out my slideshow of the flight and a video.

Slideshow

Video

Early test for Ice enthusiast

2007-11-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

GEARED UP: the big chill of Antarctica holds no fears for Jay Piggott.
DAVID HALLETT/The Press

A mother's challenge to a headstrong teenager in the depths of an Otago winter put Jay Piggott on the path that is scheduled to take him to Scott Base today.

Piggott will travel south as the first Antarctic Youth Ambassador.
Piggott was 13 when his mother tried to talk him out of camping in a tent pitched in their Dunedin backyard. His response was to spend the entire winter sleeping in the tent each night, regardless of the weather or the temperature.
Within three years, he had climbed Aoraki-Mount Cook and over the last 10 years has managed to fit in climbing and skiing expeditions to Alaska, five Himalayan mountaineering expeditions, and travel to 60 countries across the globe while establishing a career as an ecologist at the University of Otago.
The enthusiasm Piggott showed to his mother also captured the imagination of Antarctica New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust, which run the youth ambassador scheme that was announced as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations at Scott Base.
Piggott's 10 days on the Ice will be spent taking part in a review of the way specially protected areas are managed in the Dry Valleys, an ice-free area near Scott Base.

By JOHN HENZELL - The Press | Tuesday, 20 November 2007

VIDEO

Antarctic Youth Ambassador Jay Piggott gears up for his trip to the ice on Tuesday.
Video: Daniel Tobin.

Next stop Antarctica..... BUT NOT TODAY!

2007-11-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

At 5:30am Paul Woodgate, Logistics Co-ordinator for Antarctica NZ, called up to inform me the weather at Scott Base is NOT co-operating and as such the flight has been delayed by 24hrs. It looks like today is not my lucky day and we will just have to try again tomorrow.

SCOTT BASE WEBCAMS

These images are sent from video cameras situated at Scott Base. The first camera is located in the Hillary Field Centre briefing room, looking towards the vehicle hitching rail, while the second camera is mounted on the lab at Arrival Heights.

Please reload your page to see the latest images - the Webcams update every 15 minutes.

Antarctic Weather Station

ANTARCTICA…….. HERE I COME!!!

2007-11-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

The Antarctica New Zealand Clothing store at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. Photo: Jay Piggott

Today I spent a number of hours with Chris Gilbert, Logistics Officer for Antarctica NZ, being kitted out in my Antarctic clothing. As one might have imagined this entails being fitted into an elaborate collection of extreme weather gear. However, while you might look like Kenny off ‘South Park’
, you don’t want your Antarctic attire to be upstaged by some Emperor Penguin wearing a tux. I have compiled a slideshow illustrating the multi-layered clothing system that I am required to not only take down to Antarctica, but also to wear on the airplane during the 5hour flight there!

(CLICK HERE FOR FULL SCREEN)

Tomorrow, if the weather in Antarctica co-operates, Dr Neil Gilbert (Environmental Manager for Antarctica NZ) and I will depart by C-17 aircraft for Scott Base in Antarctica.

Jay Piggott (Antarctic Youth Ambassador) and Dr Neil Gilbert (Environmental Manager for Antarctica NZ) outside the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. Photo: Rebecca Elliot

The purpose of our visit, which will be for the duration of 10days, will be to conduct a review of the management plan of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA). The Dry Valleys are a unique environment, both in Antarctica and globally. The 15,000 km2 area located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys contains the largest expanse of ice-free ground in Antarctica. This cold desert environment encompasses soils millions of years old, communities of unusual plants and micro-organisms, and special geological features. The Dry Valleys are also renowned for their spectacular scenery.

During our time at Scott Base we will also assist with the Aliens in Antarctica project. This project will assess the extent to which people unintentionally carry propagules (seeds, spores, eggs) of alien (non-native) species into the Antarctic region during the 2007-08 summer.

Watch this space for daily updates from The Ice.

Antarctic Quote of the Day:

"The continent has become a symbol of our time. The test of man's willingness to pull back from the destruction of the Antarctic wilderness is the test also of his willingness to avert destruction globally. If he cannot succeed in Antarctica he has little chance of success elsewhere." - Edwin Mickleburgh

Why is Antarctica important?

2007-11-18T02:01:00.000-08:00

Antarctica: A Flying Tour of the Frozen Continent

The Antarctic continent is one of the harshest and most inhospitable places on earth, yet despite this a myriad of species manage to survive in the desolate landscape. By contrast, the surrounding ocean abounds with life, as nutrient rich water wells up from the depths.

The ice cap in the center of the continent holds over half of the worlds freshwater. From it’s edges mighty glaciers pour across the landscape forming rivers of ice. It is from within these icy depths that scientists hope to un-ravel the secrets of the long-term fluctuations in the earth’s climate.

As nations wage war across the planet, Antarctica stands nation-less under the International Antarctic Treaty, to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes in the interests of all mankind. With freedom of scientific investigation Antarctica has become the world’s largest laboratory.

Climate change is now recognized as a global phenomenon. In the last 50 years the Antarctic Peninsula has increased about 2.5°C, this is 2 or 3 times faster than averages anywhere else. In the last 5 years numerous large ice shelves, once thought to be stable, have disintegrated into the ocean in a matter of weeks. This observed trend does not bode well for the future.

A hundred years ago the Antarctic challenge was a race to reach the South Pole. Today the challenge is one of science and stewardship. For it is through scientific exploration that we will come to understand, appreciate and ultimately protect this harsh, yet fragile environment.

Antarctica Time lapse: A Year on Ice

Extreme Antarctica opens in Auckland

2007-11-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

Wednesday the 19th of September at Kelly Tarltons: Community Tube was there to record the opening of Extreme Antarctica and the announcement of Jeremy "Jay" Piggott as the inaugural Antarctic Youth Ambassador. Great fun for the kids plus loads of history for the mums and dads. Exhibition runs till the 12th of December 2007.

Inaugural Antarctic Youth Ambassador Announced

2007-11-17T12:21:00.000-08:00

The inaugural winner of the Antarctic Youth Ambassador award is Jeremy Piggott from Dunedin.

The award, developed by Antarctica New Zealand in partnership with the Sir Peter Blake Trust, was launched by the Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Peter Blake's son, James Blake, as part the 50th anniversary celebrations at Scott Base in January 2007. The award aims to provide an opportunity for a young New Zealander to contribute to environmental work in Antarctica. Jeremy ("Jay") Piggott was selected from a large number of high quality applicants.

"We were just blown away by the calibre of people we had applying for this award. It was inspiring to learn about these young New Zealanders who are so passionate about the environment and who are already contributing so much" said Laura Fayerman, Environmental Programme Manager from the Sir Peter Blake Trust and one of the award selection panel members.

Jay Piggott (25 years old) is currently the team manager of the Stream Ecology Research Group in the Department of Zoology at The University of Otago. He has extensive experience in the outdoors as a mountaineer, climber, scuba diver and sailor. His writing and photographs have been widely published and he has been an internationally recognised youth leader for the environment. He was selected by the United Nations Environment Programme as a youth facilitator and had an important role in the UNEP Youth Envoys Programme. He was also selected as a crewmember on the Japanese "Ship for World Youth" and has represented New Zealand as a youth ambassador for a number of important environmental conferences and networks.

While he is widely travelled and incredibly experienced for a young man, he has never been to Antarctica. "I am so honoured to be chosen for this award, it's been a life-long dream of mine to visit Antarctica but to have the opportunity to get involved in environmental work as well is just amazing" Jay said.

Environment and Outreach Manager for Antarctica New Zealand, Dr Neil Gilbert says he is delighted with Jay's selection and with the Youth Ambassador programme. "Jay is an outstanding first recipient for this award. 2007 is the International Polar Year and so it is appropriate time to launch this programme which invests in the future of the Antarctic environment by building capability and understanding in younger New Zealanders" he said.

The Antarctic Youth Ambassador Scheme

2007-11-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

Background

By international agreement, Antarctica is designated as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science. New Zealand has a long history of involvement dating back to early last century, and an important ongoing role in the region. New Zealand's responsibilities in Antarctica extend across thousands of square kilometres of the Antarctic continent, Ice-shelf, the Southern Ocean and sub-Antarctic Islands. These responsibilities are undertaken by Antarctica New Zealand.

Antarctica New Zealand's head office is at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, which also houses the United States and Italian Antarctic programmes. New Zealand's centre for operations in Antarctica is Scott Base, which was established in 1957.

Under the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty and its Environmental Protocol, Antarctica (10 percent of the planet's land surface area) is the most heavily protected continent on earth. Antarctica New Zealand has an important role in managing and protecting the Antarctic environment. All scientific and other activities are carefully managed to minimise impacts and allow Antarctica to continue to be used for peaceful and scientific purposes, now and by future generations.

Environmental Programmes of Antarctica New Zealand

Environmental protection work is an important component of Antarctica New Zealand's responsibilities. Key environmental initiatives include: effective waste management systems and the clean-up of sites of past activity; high-quality environmental assessments of all activities including monitoring and reporting of environmental impacts; co-operative work with United States and Italian colleagues on protected area management; energy efficiency; and co-operation with the Antarctic Heritage Trust on the conservation of the Historic Huts.

The Antarctic Youth Ambassador Scheme

In association with the 50th anniversary of Scott Base in January 2007, Antarctica New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust have launched a programme that will select a young New Zealander to participate in and contribute to the environmental work in Antarctica. In doing so, this programme invests in the future of the Antarctic environment by building capability and understanding in young New Zealanders.

The principal aim of this programme is to engage young New Zealanders in Antarctic environmental issues (for example: environmental monitoring and reporting, protected areas, protected species, climate change, environmental impact assessments) through the New Zealand Antarctic Programme. The individual selected each year will be expected to contribute to Antarctica New Zealand's environmental programme and to act as an ambassador helping to educate others through their experiences.

The Antarctic Youth Ambassador will be placed with Antarctica New Zealand during the summer months and will work as part of the environmental team. This may include work based at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, at Scott Base in Antarctica or in other Antarctic locations for which Antarctica New Zealand has responsibility.

Sir Peter Blake and Antarctica

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Sir Peter Blake developed a love for the Southern Ocean and the Polar Regions during his six circumnavigations of the globe under sail. The wildlife enthralled him and the quality of the natural environment became his passion. During 2001, Sir Peter led an expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula where he eventually traveled further south than any sailing vessel before him.

Sir Peter recognised the significance of the Antarctic natural environment for all life, and became a strong advocate for its continued protection. He was appointed as a United Nations Environment Programme special envoy and took on a role as an ambassador for the Antarctic environment. Sir Peter said that he found Antarctica "an extraordinary place and one where, if you are fortunate enough to be here even for a brief time, it suddenly hits home how important this extraordinary continent is to the well-being of the rest of the world. You realize that you are part of something far greater, more magnificent and intricate - and more fragile - than you had ever imagined."

Sir Peter also strongly identified and admired the early Antarctic explorers such as Scott and Shackleton and had great respect for Sir Edmund Hillary, who pioneered New Zealand's permanent presence in Antarctica at Scott Base.

The Sir Peter Blake Trust is a registered charitable organisation dedicated to environmental education and leadership development. It partners Antarctica New Zealand in administering the Antarctic Youth Ambassador scheme.

What the programme covers

The Antarctic Youth Ambassador will, for the duration of their award, have all expenses met relating to:

Travel to and from Christchurch;
Travel to and from Scott Base (if the award includes an "on ice" component);
Accommodation in Christchurch;
Accommodation, food and clothing at Scott Base (if the award includes an "on ice" component);
All training.
The Antarctic Youth Ambassador must meet his/her own expenses for:

Medical clearances and examinations;
Insurance;
Personal equipment such as cameras and lap-tops;
Food whilst in Christchurch.
For further information on the Antarctic Youth Ambassador programme contact either:

Dr Neil Gilbert
Manager Environment and Outreach
Antarctica New Zealand
Private Bag 4745
Christchurch
n.gilbert@antarcticanz.govt.nz
Tel: +64(3) 358 0219

Or

Laura Fayerman
Sir Peter Blake Trust
PO Box 106-955
Customs Street
Auckland 1143
lauraf@sirpeterblaketrust.org
Tel: +64(9) 307 8875