The big travel day

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

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!

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)