Whangārei carver Poutama Hetaraka off to Scott Base in Antarctica

Whangārei carver Poutama Hetaraka is heading to Antarctica next week. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Poutama Hetaraka has carved in sweltering heat before - but never in icy temperatures.

So while the opportunity to bring the art of carving to Antarctica means a lot to him, he admits he was "freaking out" about the temperature.

For the past few months the Whangārei carver has been working on a piece for Scott Base, and next week he will leave to Antarctica to complete and install it.

"It means a lot to me. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to go there," he said.

"I was really worried about how cold it was going to get. I've worked in really hot climates before, but not the opposite."

The project is part of a five year programme led by Niwa, and offers a mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) perspective to the scientific monitoring research being conducted in the recently established Ross Sea Marine Protected Area.

As part of it Hetaraka has been working on the carving - which will come to life as a door lintel - with Colac Bay carver James York.

Hetaraka has been working on the side frames of the doorway - called whakawae - while the piece that crosses the top of the doorway - a pare - is being carved by York.

"We wanted to base a lot of it around matauranga Māori and what, not just Māori, but all the indigenous peoples of the world can have, or do have, as a knowledge base to benefit and help protect and restore what we have.

"As we know our environment is in dire straits with global warming and climate change and the scientists down in Antarctica are doing a huge job down there, and if anything they've got their finger on the pulse of the world."

Hetaraka said the wood used for the carving is robinia.

"It needed to be a hard wood, something that would hopefully not crack. Antarctica is the driest place in the world and once exposed to its elements the moisture draws straight out of it and it cracks. So the harder the wood hopefully the better."

Meanwhile, before even making it to Scott Base, Hetaraka had to pass a medical check and when at Antarctica New Zealand in Christchurch - where he will leave from - he has to attend a camp to ensure he can handle Antarctica.

He said it is constantly daylight in Antarctica at the moment and when the Advocate checked the temperature yesterdayit was around -5.3C while the apparent temperature was -11.8C.

"They manage your fatigue, because there's no night time there's no knowing when you need to go to bed so they make sure you're up and asleep for a certain amount of time."

Hetaraka will fly out to Antarctica next Wednesday and will be there for 16 days.