Geoffrey Lee Martin was a senior reporter on the New Zealand Herald, as well as a Summer Party member of the Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition, 1956-57, reporting for the NZPA. The following summer, 1957-58, he was in the Antarctic exclusively for the Herald and The Daily Telegraph, London, and accompanied Sir Edmund to the South Pole, January 20, 1958, for the historic meeting with Dr (later Sir) Vivian Fuchs, leader of the British party.
By January 8, Ed Hillary knew that Butter Pt, the site first chosen for Scott Base on the western shore of McMurdo Sound, had to be abandoned and was casting his mind over the two or three alternative sites that had been previously marked out.
Then Squadron Leader
John Claydon, RNZAF, our chief pilot, who had sailed across the sound in Endeavour along with myself and some others, called up by radio from the Operation Deepfreeze base to urge Ed to examine a site recommended by the Americans at Pram Pt on the south shore of Ross Island, hard up against the Ross Ice Shelf.
Ed and Bob immediately set off for a reconnaissance and found the way across the sea ice was rough but easily navigated.
Better still, there was gentle access to the terraces on Pram Pt, which turned out to be a low, rounded promontory to the southeast of Cape Armitage. The Ross Ice Shelf - a very deep, flat and safe surface - was only a few hundred yards from the point and led directly south toward the Pole. Pram Pt itself was an ice-free, firm shingle surface about 15m above sea level.
John Claydon was confident that he could establish a good airstrip a short distance away and, just as important, there was a large seal rookery, ensuring a steady supply of food for the huskies.
As a bonus, Scott Base inhabitants would have a magnificent view westward of the Royal Society Range with its row of peaks up to 3900m and also directly south to Black and White islands and Mt Discovery. Beyond was Minna Bluff and the route to the South Pole.
Behind, gently rising up from Cape Armitage was the awesome view of Mt Erebus, all 13,359ft (4010m), with its eternal stream of smoke billowing from the crater and further west Mt Terror, 10,755ft (3226m), both named in 1840 for the ships in the Ross expedition.
"Really quite salubrious," said Ed, using one of his favourite words at the time.
Pram Pt was an historic spot, within a few miles of the areas where the British expeditions at the beginning of the 20th century lived and worked. Scott discovered and named Pram Pt in 1902. That year all the sea ice had cleared out from McMurdo and it was necessary to use a praam - a type of Norwegian dinghy - to cross the open water to get to the Ross Ice Shelf.
Elated, Ed and Bob returned to Endeavour and arranged for the ship to sail back to Butter Pt to recall the field parties. All of us were immediately set to work, to make up for lost time. Within a few hours, the construction party began surveying and levelling the terraces and a small tent camp, complete with a primitive cookhouse was established.
Next evening, January 10, the tractor trains began rolling. We worked two shifts, each supposed to be of about 12 hours, around the clock. All of us snatched sleep where we could: usually on Endeavour but often in a tent at Pram Pt. Ed was everywhere, seemingly going without sleep for long periods.
For the next three weeks, in addition to my job to write daily stories for consumption by the media back home, driving a tractor was my second, if constant, chore. There were occasional but welcome breaks, to spend time with, and report on, the field parties, now heading south and west to find a safe route up to the Polar Plateau.
By January 14, the kitchen, dining and radio huts were up at Scott Base, although, of necessity, only sketchily fitted out, thanks to the way the prefabricated panels had been stored.
The main radio mast was also up, with two other masts to follow. In all, there were six basic huts: four living and sleeping huts, one housing the generator that was also for sledge and tractor repairs and one scientific laboratory. In addition there were three smaller huts for seismology, geomagnetic and other scientific work.
Sergeant Wally Tarr, and Corporal Peter Tate, RNZAF, whose constant hard work earned the respect of all of us for being virtually indispensable, had the Beaver aircraft assembled and flying one day later. Two days on our cook, Sel Bucknell, was turning out hot, sustaining meals from his kitchen.
* This is an edited extract from Hellbent for the Pole by Geoffrey Lee Martin to be published by Random House in September 2007 at $44.99.
