Michael Archer has joined an elite group of explorers after his trek to the South Pole. A New Zealand man is among a few people in history to make a round trip to the South Pole on foot.
Aucklander Michael Archer, a builder, has successfully completed an expedition to the Pole with a world-renowned leader in polar expeditions, Richard Weber.
The men were among a group of five explorers who set off on the epic trek last November. They began skiing from a spot about 900km from the Pole, the Ronne Ice Shelf.
Within about a week, two of the group were evacuated - one with a broken wrist and the other because of illness.
After a month, the three others arrived at the Pole. The third explorer then opted to fly back to the starting point.
On Wednesday, Mr Archer and Mr Weber finished their big journey.
The Weber Arctic website said: "We have just received a telephone call from Richard. They are finished! 2000 km across the Antarctic continent and they have successfully skied to the South Pole and kited back.
"They sounded absolutely exhausted on the phone. [On] their last day they kited 159km, and 200km the day before."
Ivan Trofimoff, a friend of the men and a fellow explorer who was meant to go on the adventure but couldn't get sponsorship, said he was incredibly happy for them.
"I felt really excited when I went online and saw that they had made it.
"[Michael's] a hard man. He's in good shape and he's a very determined person. I feel the joy of the success."