Antarctic Heritage Trust

Antarctic Heritage Trust The Trust's mission is to conserve, share and encourage the spirit of exploration.

in 1928, Roald Amundsen disappeared after leaving Tromsø, Norway, while flying a rescue mission in the Arctic in searc...
17/06/2026

in 1928, Roald Amundsen disappeared after leaving Tromsø, Norway, while flying a rescue mission in the Arctic in search of Umberto Nobile and his crew.

Nobile's airship 'Italia' had crashed on the ice north-northeast of Spitsbergen in May 1928. When word reached Amundsen, he joined the rescue effort and boarded a French Latham 47 prototype seaplane to search for Nobile around North East Land.

While searching for the crew of 'Italia', Amundsen and his crew went missing themselves and it is believed that their aircraft crashed in the Barents Sea. One of the seaplane’s floats and other debris were later recovered; however, Amundsen’s remains, and those of his crewmen, were not. Nobile and seven companions were rescued weeks later, but eight of his crew were also lost.

Amundsen is remembered for leading the first expedition to reach the South Pole in 1911, accompanied by Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting.

📸 Roald Amundsen, Public Domain

in 1910, Scott's second Antarctic expedition ship, the 'Terra Nova', set sail from Cardiff, Wales. The ships first por...
14/06/2026

in 1910, Scott's second Antarctic expedition ship, the 'Terra Nova', set sail from Cardiff, Wales. The ships first port of call was South Africa, followed by Melbourne and Christchurch, New Zealand. In late December 1910 'Terra Nova' finally arrived in Antarctica!

📸 'Terra Nova' at port, Canterbury Museum.

in 1916, Perce Blackborow, Welsh sailor and famed polar stowaway aboard Shackleton's expedition ship 'Endurance', unde...
14/06/2026

in 1916, Perce Blackborow, Welsh sailor and famed polar stowaway aboard Shackleton's expedition ship 'Endurance', underwent surgery on Elephant Island to amputate his frostbitten and gangrenous toes.

In 1914 Blackborow and his friend William Blakewell, found themselves in Buenos Aires without a ship. When 'Endurance' arrived in port and two of the crew were sacked, the pair thought their problems were solved. Shackleton interviewed them both and whilst Blakewell was accepted, Blackborow was not, due to his age and lack of experience. With Blakewell's help he was smuggled on board and was eventually discovered three days into the journey.

Despite being unhappy to find the stowaway, Shackleton had no option other than to keep him on board and offered him a steward position. Nicknamed 'Blackie', Blackborow proved to be clever, conscientious and popular with the crew.

On the lifeboat journey from where the 'Endurance' sank to Elephant Island, Blackborow made the mistake of wearing leather rather than the cold weather felt boots that the other men wore, and he developed frostbite in his toes which turned gangrenous. When they arrived at the island, he had to crawl through the surf to reach land and shortly afterwards underwent the surgery which removed all the toes of his left foot.

In the accompanying image, Blackborow is photographed with the cat of Henry McNish the ship's carpenter. Named Mrs Chippy, after the traditional nickname for a carpenter, the cat quickly became the ships mascot.

📸 Perce Blackborow with Mrs Chippy. Frank Hurley, SPRI.

Earlier this week we went beyond the classrooms and museums and took Scott's 'Discovery' hut VR to the Court Theatre in ...
12/06/2026

Earlier this week we went beyond the classrooms and museums and took Scott's 'Discovery' hut VR to the Court Theatre in Christchurch, NZ.

This visit was a lovely opportunity for the Trust to thank the Court Theatre for their contribution towards the development of Scott's 'Discovery' hut VR, as they provided actors whose voices helped bring the virtual reality experience to life.

It was fantastic to share the finished experience with members of the Court Theatre team, demonstrating how technology, storytelling, and performance can work together to make Antarctic heritage more accessible and engaging.

📸 Staff from the Court Theatre Christchurch, NZ, participating in VR. © AHT/Maya Irving

in 1940, William Lashly, leading stoker of Scott's British National Antarctic 'Discovery' 1901-1904 and British Antarc...
11/06/2026

in 1940, William Lashly, leading stoker of Scott's British National Antarctic 'Discovery' 1901-1904 and British Antarctic 'Terra Nova' 1910-1913 Expeditions, died in the Royal Hospital, Portsmouth.

Lashly was born in Hambledon, a village in Hampshire, England in 1867. He joined the Royal Navy in 1899, at age 21.

During the 'Terra Nova' Expedition, Lashly took part in a number of sledging journeys and was part of a group of three, along with Tom Crean and Edward Evans, that turned back 160 miles from the Pole after Scott didn't select them for the final push. On their return to base, Evans's health deteriorated to such a point that Lashly and Crean had to pull him on a sledge. They decided that Lashly would stay with Evans who was close to death, while Crean fetched help. Lashly and Crean were awarded the Albert Medal for their roles in saving the life of Evans.

Lashly was also a member of the party which discovered the bodies of Scott, Bowers and Wilson in the tent along with the diary of Scott which recorded the details of what had happened.

📸 William Lashly November 1911, Photographer: Herbert Ponting. Reference Number: PA1-f-067-086-4, Alexander Turnbull Library.

Before leaving for Antarctica, all 21-year-old Inspiring Explorer, Meleki Schuster could think about was how he was goin...
09/06/2026

Before leaving for Antarctica, all 21-year-old Inspiring Explorer, Meleki Schuster could think about was how he was going to be “horribly seasick”.

“I was watching too many videos of the Drake Passage, freaking myself out watching waves crash over ships. My friends were saying goodbye to me like they’d never see me again after the trip, which definitely didn’t help the nerves. I had zero experience on boats. I’d never slept on one, never sailed, and never spent more than a few hours out at sea. I’d even been seasick on the Wellington Inter-islander ferry before, so in my head I had already decided the Drake Passage would destroy me.”

What the Victoria University Wellington student with proud Samoan heritage discovered during the five-day crossing to the Antarctic Peninsula on tall ship, ‘Bark EUROPA’, was that he had resilience way beyond his expectations.

“I remember steering the helm during a night watch, freezing cold, exhausted, surrounded by darkness and huge swells. The ship would climb up a wave and suddenly drop again, and while clipped onto the boat I had to keep my eyes locked on the horizon to stop myself from feeling sick. I remember thinking, This world is my oyster.”

“At some point during the crossing, I stopped trying to fight the chaos and accepted it for what it was. That’s when the old Samoan navigational proverb “Ua logo i tino matagi lelei” really started making sense to me. You can’t control the ocean or currents, the winds, stars or the elements around you. You can only control how you respond to them.”

To read more about Meleki’s experiences and reflections, visit his full blog post here: https://nzaht.org/expedition-blog-meleki-schuster-antarctic-peninsula-2026/

Thank you to our generous Inspiring Explorers™ Fund donors, expedition partner Spirit of Adventure Trust, sponsor Burnsco, and supporter Europa.

Meleki Schuster onboard ‘Bark EUROPA’. © AHT/Lisa Blair
Meleki Schuster at Neko Harbour. © AHT/Josiah Tualamali’i

in 1900 Captain Robert Falcon Scott was officially appointed leader of the upcoming British Antarctic Expedition by Br...
08/06/2026

in 1900 Captain Robert Falcon Scott was officially appointed leader of the upcoming British Antarctic Expedition by British Geographer and President of the Royal Geographical Society, Sir Clements Robert Markham, K.C.B., F.R.S., F.R.G.S. Scott met Markham while he was on Naval duty in the West Indies.

Markham was impressed by Scott's intelligence, enthusiasm and charm and later wrote, "My final conclusion was that Scott was the destined man to command the Antarctic Expedition".

📸 Sir Clements R. Markham, photograph by Messrs, Thomsen. Public Domain.

in 1961, Olav Olavsen Bjaaland died. Bjaaland was a champion skier, explorer and most notably, one of the first five m...
07/06/2026

in 1961, Olav Olavsen Bjaaland died. Bjaaland was a champion skier, explorer and most notably, one of the first five men to reach the South Pole during Amundsen's South Pole 'Fram' Expedition of 1910-12.

Born 5 March 1873 in the inland county of Telemark, Norway, Bjaaland became one of the best skiers in Norway. In 1909, on his way to participate in a Club Alpin Français skiing competition in Chamonix, France, he had a chance meeting with Roald Amundsen in the railway restaurant at Lübeck. During this encounter Bjaaland impressed Amundsen so much with his home-made ski equipment and obvious skiing talent, that he was invited on Amundsen’s expedition to the North Pole, which then turned into the race against Captain Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole.

During his time in Antarctica, Bjaaland and Jorgen Stubberud built the explorer hut 'Framheim' and over the winter worked on sledges and skis. He was a dog driver on the expedition to the South Pole.

Amundsen gave a mountain in Antarctica his name: Mount Bjaaland.

Bjaaland was the last surviving member of the Norwegian South Pole team which included Amundsen, Hilmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting. He even lived to witness the advances made during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58, including the construction of the permanent South Pole base named Amundsen–Scott in honor of his expedition leader.

📸 Olav Olavsen Bjaaland, Fram Museum

in 1868, Robert Falcon Scott was born in Devon, England. At the age of 13 he began his naval career and by 1897 had be...
05/06/2026

in 1868, Robert Falcon Scott was born in Devon, England. At the age of 13 he began his naval career and by 1897 had become a first lieutenant.

A chance meeting with Sir Clements Markham in 1899 led to him being offered the command of the National Antarctic 'Discovery' Expedition 1901-04. Despite having no polar experience, the expedition was deemed a great success in exploration and scientific research, and he proved to be a competent leader and was promoted to Captain.

Scott's second expedition, the British Antarctic 'Terra Nova' Expedition of 1910-13 set off with the aims of studying the Ross Sea area and to reach the South Pole. At the time Scott's party weren't to realise that it would turn into a race against Roald Amundsen and upon reaching the Pole, were bitterly disappointed to find that they had come second to the Norwegian party. Tragically, Scott and his Polar Party perished on their return from the Pole, but despite this Scott was regarded as a national hero for his courage and patriotism.

Scott's legacy lives on today with many famous landmarks and stories kept alive by those inspired by Scott's scientific endeavors and explorative nature. Antarctic Heritage Trust is proud to care for both of Scott's Antarctic bases, which are located at Hut Point and Cape Evans. The huts have been conserved over many years - including the thousands of items left behind by the men.

📸Captain Robert Falcon Scott in full regalia. Public Domain.
Captain Scott on skis during the British Antarctic Expedition 10-10-1913. Canterbury Museum.

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