NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

A journey to Antarctica: Life on the frozen planet

By Damian Christie
NZ Herald·
13 Jan, 2017 04:00 PM9 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

When a longed-for journey to the Antarctic became a reality, Damian Christie was not prepared for the immensity of what awaited him.
When a longed-for journey to the Antarctic became a reality, Damian Christie was not prepared for the immensity of what awaited him.

I look out the window of the Hägglund - a vehicle resembling a little train on bulldozer tracks - and begin to cry. Towering above me, out the window, is a turquoise cliff some 50 metres high. It's the Barne Glacier. Finally it had sunk in - I'm in Antarctica.

There had of course been a few clues before this. The months of planning. The trip to Christchurch; being issued with a multitude of jackets. Not to mention the flight in a US C-17, a great, grey aircraft, five hours south inside its pregnant belly, before emerging blinking into the bright white glare of the expansive sea ice.

I'm not really one for bucket lists. But of all the places in the world, the only one I've had a long-held longing to experience is Antarctica. After years of attempts, finally this year I came up with a hare-brained scheme just crazy enough to work.

I would take world-famous Havelock North YouTube star Jamie Curry (of Jamie's World) to the ice. We would frolic with penguins, fight with balls of snow, and learn about the work of New Zealand scientists as it relates to climate change. See how I snuck that last one in there?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That was the plan anyway, to raise awareness among Jamie's millions of followers, who as a group (predominately young women aged 13+) aren't well reached by traditional media.

Before we leave there are forms to be filled, tests to be taken, and a rigorous medical including polio vaccinations and a chest X-ray to ensure we're not riddled with Consumption. Because apparently in 2016 we still fear the same illnesses Scott and Shackleton did a hundred years ago.

At the Antarctica New Zealand base in Christchurch, we meet Woody, an avuncular chap who smiles quietly at our excitement, issuing our gear like he has for thousands before us. Like a pastry commercial, we try layer upon layer, are given more pairs of gloves than I've lost in my entire life, and are told we'll figure out a combination that worked for us.

Dressing for -30C on a spring day in Canterbury it seems hard to imagine we'll ever need that much clothing at one time. All things going according to plan, by 2pm the following day we'll find out.

Damian Christie arrives in Antarctica. Photo / Damian Christie
Damian Christie arrives in Antarctica. Photo / Damian Christie

At 2pm the next day, I'm staring at a pen of baby alpaca while Jamie politely agrees to requests for selfies with young girls. When you're expecting Antarctica, the Canterbury A&P show is a surreal experience. Our flight is delayed due to bad visibility at the Ice.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's the morning after the presidential elections, and with John Kerry on our flight, I wonder if the real reason is an inconsolable Secretary of State refusing to come out of his hotel bathroom.

Twelve hours later, in the middle of the night, we are red-eyed ourselves, as we head to the airport for our pre-flight briefing and a 6am departure.

On our plane is the Secretary and his entourage, as well as a couple of dozen US scientists and support staff. The C-17 is a utilitarian aircraft - we sit sideways down each side of the plane, pallets of cargo strapped in down the middle.

Penguin at Barne Glacier. Photo / Damian Christie
Penguin at Barne Glacier. Photo / Damian Christie

There's plenty of leg-room, but only half a dozen portholes in the cabin. After a few hours in the air we begin flying over the broken sea ice, and queue for a peek out the rear porthole, marvelling at the fractured ocean below.

Discover more

New Zealand

NZ scientist alarmed at sea ice loss

03 Jan 01:16 AM
New Zealand

Shackleton's Antarctica memorabilia for sale

04 Jan 01:21 AM
World

Massive iceberg poised to break

06 Jan 08:27 PM
World

Antarctica's ice crack - what happens next?

10 Jan 09:25 PM

With no windows, the landing approach takes forever. We know at any time the pilot could decide it's too hard, and return to Christchurch. He's landing a 128 tonne plane on 2 metres of frozen water for heaven's sake, turning back seems like the only sane thing to do.

We sit there, measuring how blocked our ears are, listening for clues, until eventually we touch down. Wrapped in our warmest of jackets and thickest of boots and gloves we shuffle out, into Antarctica.

Iceberg in Sea Ice in Antarctica. Photo / Damian Christie
Iceberg in Sea Ice in Antarctica. Photo / Damian Christie

Despite being covered in and surrounded by frozen water, Antarctica is the driest place on the planet. Moisture doesn't exist that far below zero - it freezes. This makes the cold somewhat surreal, like stepping into a meat freezer, and it is hard to register how significantly cold it is. Until you experience the wind (Antarctica is also the windiest place on the planet), then it's hard to register anything but.

All you want to do is cover every single square millimetre of your exposed skin, with gloves, with hats, with masks, with necks warmers and ear warmers, to get rid of that bitter chill.

Scott Base is a series of interconnected buildings, all painted a jaunty light green (Chelsea Cucumber, if you are looking for a test pot). By November, the snow has gone from much of the surrounding earth, ice and dirt combine, vehicles are coming and going. Jamie has only seen snow once in her life before - roadside, mixed with dirt - so this is all familiar.

Inside, and I'm quickly acquainted with the one thing that will taunt me throughout my stay in Antarctica - static electricity.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Weddells at Scott Base. Photo / Damian Christie
Weddells at Scott Base. Photo / Damian Christie

Some combination of the extreme dryness, woollen thermals, and a building that apparently isn't well earthed (it's raised above ground) provides a decent kick - enough to short telephone lines and damage computers. To mitigate this, Scott Base residents are constantly hitting metal joinery and pillars as they walk down the halls. The harder you whack, the less you notice the shock. I seem to be more prone than some, and I feel like I'm in some perverse psychological experiment.

Antarctic Field Training is an important part of the trip. Antarctica is still fundamentally the same harsh place that killed those intrepid early explorers, and has claimed the lives of dozens of scientists since, the most recent in October, when renowned US climate scientist Gordon Hamilton drove a snowmobile into a crevasse. But going through the hours of briefings and theory, I feel like a kid in a classroom gazing out the window on a hot summer's day. Outside it's Antarctica, and I'm looking at a whiteboard.

Soon it's time for our first decent look around. The pressure ridges out front of Scott Base are where the sea ice has pushed up against the land, buckling like giant frozen waves splintering on the shore. Ice like this absorbs the red part of the light spectrum, meaning these alien-like structures have a beautiful blue hue.

The ridges change daily; one day's safe flagged path can be hazardous the next, and our marked entrance point now resembles a turquoise slushy, with a thick layer of white Christmas cake icing curled over it. As far as inconveniences go, this one is a picturesque stunner.

'Kiwi bach' at Antarctica. Photo / Damian Christie
'Kiwi bach' at Antarctica. Photo / Damian Christie

We cross the ridges by another path, onto the sea ice, where dotted around are calving seals and their young. It's my first encounter with Antarctic wildlife, and the Weddell seals look like giant slugs. They move like giant slugs. But their babies are postcard material.

As day turns into what-would-be-night if only the sun ever set, I'm strangely energised. I've always been a night owl, now the sun is giving me permission to indulge that inclination.

The scientists I speak to say over-working can be a real issue - with only a limited time on the ice and the sun saying 'keep going', many do just that until overcome by exhaustion.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Me, I'm just catching up on late night tales in the dining hall, as a group gathers around the only source of food outside of meal times - the toaster.

It's easy to lose track of days, especially with no night, but Sunday is a day of rest for staff at the base. Day trips provide an opportunity for scientists and general staff alike to see areas they might otherwise not. It's the classic Kiwi Sunday drive, and today our tiki tour takes us to Cape Evans and Cape Royds, the sites of huts belonging to the great explorers Scott and Shackleton and an Adelie penguin colony.

Robert Falcon Scott's hut at Cape Evans is a time capsule. Photo / Damian Christie
Robert Falcon Scott's hut at Cape Evans is a time capsule. Photo / Damian Christie

The huts are incredible. Preserved, both by the cold dry climate as well as in a heritage sense, they're a time capsule. Rations, equipment, clothing, newspapers, scientific instruments, all on display. Staged, certainly, but only with items found in the huts, and the smell still heaving from the strips of seal blubber piled in the corner tell you this is no artificial museum exhibit.

In the pitch black storage room of Scott's hut I find a stack of Emperor penguin carcasses, ready for dissection, and a dog skeleton, collar still around its neck. Eerie doesn't begin to describe it, even with full sunlight outside, only a dull glow comes through the few small windows.

I'd been told there'd probably be no chance to see penguins this trip, which was a bit like being told there's no Christmas this December.

The cross at Cape Evans, a memorial to his ill-fated 1910-1913 expedition. Photo / Damian Christie
The cross at Cape Evans, a memorial to his ill-fated 1910-1913 expedition. Photo / Damian Christie

From my vantage point on top of a hill at Cape Royds, I'm looking down at 20,000 reasons why you shouldn't believe everything you're told, especially when it comes to seeing penguins. Closing my eyes, I can still tell there are 20,000 penguins nearby - an Adelie colony gives century-old seal blubber a good run in the whiffy stakes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There are no babies yet, but judging by some of the activity going on down below, they won't be far off. Yes, I went to Antarctica and watched penguins doing it. If it's okay for nature documentaries, then it's okay for the rest of us.

For lunch our guide decides to take us 'somewhere scenic'. This seems like an odd thing to say in a place like Antarctica, a place littered with icebergs several kilometres long, glistening, trapped in the sea ice until late summer. With Mt Erebus puffing smoke on one side, and islands dotted across the McMurdo Sound on the other. Where everywhere you look you feel like setting your phone to panorama mode. Perhaps he meant "somewhere that doesn't smell like old seal blubber".

We pile out of the Hägglund, and there it is, the sight that had brought tears to my eyes earlier that day - the Barne Glacier. I wander away from the rest of the group, in need of some alone time. Perhaps with the same thing in mind, a lone Adelie toboggans past on its belly. It stops, stands up and looks at me.

I take a bite of my ham sandwich and look back. It poops on the snow and glides off. David Attenborough, eat your heart out.

• Damian Christie and Jamie Curry travelled to Antarctica courtesy of Antarctica NZ.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

Cricket

IPL suspended amid India-Pakistan tensions

09 May 09:49 AM
World

Watch: AI video of road rage victim used in court, killer gets max sentence

09 May 07:23 AM
World

'Very negative': Son of alleged mushroom poisoner shares claims about parents in court

09 May 06:50 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

IPL suspended amid India-Pakistan tensions

IPL suspended amid India-Pakistan tensions

09 May 09:49 AM

New schedule details will follow after assessing the situation.

Watch: AI video of road rage victim used in court, killer gets max sentence

Watch: AI video of road rage victim used in court, killer gets max sentence

09 May 07:23 AM
'Very negative': Son of alleged mushroom poisoner shares claims about parents in court

'Very negative': Son of alleged mushroom poisoner shares claims about parents in court

09 May 06:50 AM
Australian police arrest dozens over LGBTQ dating app-linked assaults

Australian police arrest dozens over LGBTQ dating app-linked assaults

09 May 04:02 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP