Northlander Paul Bonetti off to Antartica

Antarctica has been in Paul Bonetti's sights since he was captivated by a presentation at Forum North in Whangarei by yachtsman Peter Blake, later Sir Peter.

The late mariner was talking about his journey through the Southern Ocean as skipper of Ceramco in the 1981-82 Whitbread Race; Bonetti was a 10-year-old sea scout who went on to complete degrees in resource management and become environment manager at Golden Bay Cement, not to mention enjoying any activity involving being on, or in, the sea.

It's been a long wait but 29 years later Bonetti is finally on his way to the frozen continent thanks to being selected with 51 others for a month-long study tour organised by economist/philanthropist/adventurer Gareth Morgan, the Our Far South Expedition.

"I've wanted to go ever since I saw heard Sir Peter speak and saw his footage of those Southern Ocean swells when I was 10.

"Later I followed his daily blog when he actually went down to Antarctica on the Seamaster," says Bonetti. (Blake was murdered on the Seamaster by pirates in 2001).

Expedition participants have been chosen for their ability to communicate as well as their professional interests because the trip is about doing exactly what Blake did so powerfully all those years ago - connecting people to the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic and raising awareness of how important the region is to New Zealand.

The voyage is aboard a chartered Russian research vessel and Gareth Morgan hopes every school in New Zealand will join the ride through www.ourfarsouth.

Students and teachers will be able to follow and interact with the expedition "real time" connection and organisers are supplying curriculum-relevant material, scientific support and teaching ideas.

Classes will be able to ask crew members or Shackleton The Bear questions; read crew blogs and leave comments; follow the onboard seminar series; track the boat on a map; participate in a schools' competition; have a crew member or scientist visit.

The expedition will explore issues around climate change, biodiversity, territorial rights, fishing, tourism, and mineral resources. The group includes scientists, experts from the Department of Conservation, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Te Papa, the universities and fishing company Sanford; doctors, an education outreach specialist, a teacher and even television performer and proponent of sustainable living, Te Radar.

All participants had to commit to talking to schools and organisations before and after the expedition; take part in on-board debates and seminars, and present seminars. Bonetti's 6-year-old son Theo knows what he wants from the OFS expedition, a photo of Happy Feet (the penguin treated for sand ingestion and released last year with a tracking device, gaining world-wide attention).