The twenty particpants of the first Young Inspiring Explorers' Summit at the Canterbury Museum.
Photo / The Antarctic Heritage Trust
A simple school assignment about a penguin may have opened the door for Levin schoolgirl Meleane Nelson-Latu to learn more about Antarctica.
That budding enthusiasm was given a huge boost recently when she was one of only 20 young New Zealanders spending a weekend in Christchurch with Kiwi explorer William Pike at the first Young Inspiring Explorers' Summit at the Antarctic Heritage Centre.
The Year 8 student at Ōtaki College is still glowing as she talks about meeting William Pike, visiting the Canterbury Museum and the Antarctic Heritage Centre, experiencing travelling in a Hagglunds vehicle and a sitting in a storm simulator, experiencing an Antarctic storm.
"Eight of us fitted into the Hagglunds and we travelled over hills, logs, tyres and through water. This vehicle does not sink should it go through the ice, which is why they use it a lot in Antarctica," she said.
During the summit they got to sleep outside overnight, were taught some orienteering skills and learnt a lot more about life in Antarctica.
"At the Husky Rescue Centre we met huskies and we allowed to play with them and at the Canterbury Museum we saw a 108-year-old fruit cake [from Antarctica]."
A special treat was a 4D movie about the Drake Passage Crossing and so was a virtual reality experience of Sir Edmund Hilary's hut that is not available to the public yet. While she is passionate about Antarctica, something that attracted the attention of the selectors, she was initially reluctant to apply.
"More than 200 applied and I did not think I would have a chance," she said. But her passion for the icy continent and her knowledge of it acquired so far got her a place at the summit.
"It was great to get a behind the scenes look at was is needed to go to Antarctica. A lot has changed since the early 1900s."
Her passion has been ignited even more and she's now hoping to make it on to the Students on Ice programme next year, when a select few will be able to go to either Antarctica or the Arctic. They will make that trip on a boat.
She said in Year 4 or 5 at school she had to do a presentation on an animal and picked a penguin. She soon discovered during her research that Antarctica has lots of penguins and that intrigued her.
She is now working on a presentation about her experience to share at her school's assembly. Though she lives in Levin, she attends Ōtaki College as her mum is a teacher there.
The Antarctic Heritage Trust's Executive Director Nigel Watson said the Trust wants to grow and empower the Shackletons and Hillarys of the future — young people who will draw on inspiration from the great Antarctic explorers of the past to drive positive change and instigate new perspectives to meet the challenges of our changing world.
"Underpinning our Inspiring Explorers programme is a commitment from participants to being open-minded and curious about the world we live in, being prepared to step out of their comfort zones, encouraging positive risk taking, and sharing their often life-changing experiences."
William Pike is excited about the amazing opportunities for Kiwi kids to learn more about the history of Antarctica, its wildlife, science and importance to the world today.
He said all young people deserve a future where they succeed in life, no matter what unexpected challenges and obstacles come their way.
"To be prepared for what life throws at us, we need a bank of experiences under our belt, and that's what the Summit is all about," Pike said.
All participants in the summit are now members of the Antarctic Heritage Trust's Alumni Programme, which includes Inspiring Explorers like William Pike, Brando Yelavich and many others.