Antarctica

Commemorating the first Trans-Antarctic crossing 1957-8

This first-day envelope shows Edmund Hillary and Vivian Fuchs shaking hands in a snowy landscape.

Photograph of Scott Base, Antarctica.

Iceberg and ship

Three paintings of Antarctic icebergs.

Images of the Chinstrap Penguin.

Images of the Antarctic Petrel.

Animal life in Antarctica

Newspaper article about penguins, killer whales and seals in Antarctica.

Large jellyfish

Photograph of a large jellyfish at Cape Armitage, Antarctica.

The hero of Antarctica

Newspaper article about Shackleton’s arrival in London, after his Antarctic expedition.

The Marine Minister

The Minister of Marine (Mr McAlpine) wearing padded clothing for a visit to Antarctica.

British Antarctic territory stamp

Ice just right for emperor penguins

A painting of Hallet Bay, Antarctica.

All Black and White (Ponting)

A painting by Nigel Brown.

Dr Wilson and Antarctic

Food rations in Antarctica

One man's daily sledging food ration in Antarctica.

One hundred and forty days under the world.

This striking Academy Award-nominated NFU documentary chronicles the 6-month polar summer of 1963/64.

This film tells the story of Antarctica’s Emperor Penguin.

Mending sleeping bags

Thomas Crean and Petty Officer Evans mending sleeping bags in Antarctica.

This film from 1958 documents New Zealanders in Antarctica including Edmund Hillary's famous dash to the South Pole.

Ice Lake, Antarctica

Martin Siegert, a glaciologist discusses the exploration of Antarctica's hidden lakes and rivers below the ice cap.

Dinosaurs in Antarctica

Discovery of dinosaurs in Antarctica tells of warmer times in the frozen continent.

The voice of an iceberg

Artist Joseph Michael and a team of eight film-makers head to Antarctica on the yacht Australis, to discover and record the sights and sounds of icebergs.

Roald Amundsen

This head and shoulders portrait is of the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Amundsen commanded the first successful expedition to reach the South Pole. He set out in October 1911 and reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911. Amundsen was an experienced and skilled polar explorer and his journey to the South Pole there and back took 99 days.

Captain Robert Scott

This photograph shows Captain Robert Falcon Scott writing at a table in his den at Cape Evans Antarctica during the British Antarctic ('Terra Nova') Expedition of 1910-1913. Scott is surrounded by books, clothes and photographs of family. Herbert George Ponting took the photograph in October 1911.

Camp near Erebus

Members of the British Antarctic ("Terra Nova") Expedition unpacking provisions and getting their camp in order, in January 1911. In the foreground, you can clearly see one of the sledges the exploration teams used to haul supplies. In the background are many stacked boxes of provisions to enable the expedition to safely winter-over.

The ship Fram

This ship Fram, (Forward) was part of Roald Amundsen's Norwegian expedition to Antarctica in 1910 -1912. It was also used to extensively explore the Arctic region.

Site of Robert Falcon Scott's tent

Frank Debenham's party erected this memorial cairn on the site of Robert Falcon Scott's tent. Scott and 2 others died in the tent on their way back from reaching the South Pole during the British Antarctic Expedition

Crown Studios Ltd of Wellington took this photograph of the First Byrd Expedition team. The 3 American expeditions lead by Rear Admiral Richard E Byrd made extensive use of technology in their exploration and scientific studies. On 28 November 1929, one of the expedition’s planes (the Floyd Bennett) made the first flight over the South Pole. Among the other technical innovations adopted were: aerial photography, a base generator plant, electric tools, a radio and photographic laboratory, and a magnetic observatory. One of the most interesting inventions was the Antarctic Snow Cruiser built for the third exhibition. This specially constructed monster truck held 5 crew and could travel up to 5000 miles across the frozen continent. Inside there was enough food for a year. A plane was mounted on top and the Snow Cruiser's front and rear wheels could be retracted to allow it to cross crevasses.

Captain Scott

This portrait of Captain Scott during the British Antarctic ("Terra Nova") Expedition (1910-1913) shows him standing by a sledge in snow, and wearing cold weather clothing. The photograph was taken in April 1911 by the expedition photographer, Herbert Ponting.

Ponies pulling sledges

This photo shows ponies pulling sledges in the Antarctic, led by members of the British Antarctic ("Terra Nova") Expedition. The photograph was taken by their leader, Captain Robert Falcon Scott in 1911. Like the motorised sledges Scott also brought, the ponies were not a success and the final expedition team ended up pulling the sledges themselves.

‘Some day, son’ cartoon

In this cartoon by Michael Moreu, a group of penguins are standing on an ice shelf in Antarctica. One of them is toppling into the sea as a lump of ice breaks off. The father penguin says to his son that one day, 'none of this will be yours'. This refers to rapid climate change in a fast-warming region of Antarctica, (the western side of the Antarctic peninsula) as the cause of an initial collapse of the Wilkins Ice Shelf.

Admiral Dufek, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Vivian Fuchs

This publicity photo shows Admiral Dufek, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Vivian Fuchs greeting each other at the South Pole. The photograph was taken 20 January 1958. These men were all part of the 1955 - 58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Some of its successes included setting up Scott Base and Sir Edmund Hillary being the first to reach the South Pole using vehicles (converted tractors) on 3 January 1958.

Trans-Antarctic Expedition Share certificate

This public share certificate displays a map of Antarctica in the centre, penguins at the left, men with a ski sledge at the right, and a photographic portrait (and signature) of Sir Edmund Hillary below. It is one of the share certificates sold to raise funds for the 1956-58 Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which Sir Edmund Hillary successfully took part in.

South Polar journey begins

This page from the Weekly News shows photographs that include scenes from the Trans-Antarctic Expedition to Antarctica, with Dr Ron Balham, and Sir Edmund Hillary. Adapted for Antarctic conditions, the tractor trains hauled sledges carrying equipment, fuel, food and other supplies.

Antarctic film poster

This poster shows members of the British Antarctic Expedition (1910-1913) inside a tent, eating or drinking hot liquid from mugs, and seated around a central camp stove. Captain Robert Falcon Scott is identified at the right. “The main objective of this expedition," Captain Scott said, “is to reach the South Pole, and to secure for The British Empire the honour of this achievement."

The Astrolabe in pack-ice

Shows the ship Astrolabe, caught bow first in pack ice with the sea behind the ship. Sailors are hauling on ropes to help the ship to penetrate the ice and one man is attacking the ice with a pickaxe. The Astrolabe was commanded by Frenchman Jules Dumont d'Urville who explored the South Pacific (including Antarctica) between 1837 and 1840. On this trip, D’Urville named part of the continent of Antarctica (and a species of penguin) after his wife, Adélie Pepin. In 2005, Adélie Land served as the location for the popular French documentary, ‘March of the Penguins’.

Types of penguins

This painting shows 3 types of penguins, King penguins, Royal penguins, and Crested penguins. These are 3 of 6 penguin species living only in the Antarctic region. All 17 species of penguin are only found naturally in the Southern Hemisphere.

Flora studies

This drawing is of Celmisia vernicosa with descriptive notes and Forstera clavigerum showing details of leaf and stigmata. Both plants are sub-Antarctic. Celmisia vernicosa (now Damnamenia vernicosa) is a sub-Antarctic daisy confined to the Auckland and Campbell islands. Forsteria clavigerum (now Phyllachne clavigera) is an alpine and sub-Antarctic cushion plant from New Zealand's South Island and the New Zealand sub -Antarctic region.

This is a studio portrait of Ernest Henry Shackleton, one of last century's greatest Antarctic explorers. Initially, he accompanied Captain Scott on his first Antarctic expedition (1901-04) but today Shackleton is famous for the survival of his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. When the expedition’s ship (Endurance) was destroyed by pack ice, Shackleton's leadership skills ensured all the party survived an incredibly dangerous ordeal.