Antarctica’s heritage under the Trust’s care for current and future generations globally
The world’s greatest polar exploration stories
Young people to explore the physical world to educate and inspire them
Sustain and grow the Trust’s programmes, while caring for people and the planet
This edition of The Explorer newsletter, we highlight two sets of special guests on the Ice this season, including The Trust’s Patron-in-Chief and Governor-General of New Zealand, Her Excellency The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, His Excellency Dr Richard Davies, and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Hon Paul Goldsmith. We were delighted to showcase our work to conserve Antarctica’s remarkable heritage.
The Trust is excited to announce the team for the 2026 Inspiring Explorers Expedition™, set to sail to one of the most remote places on Earth, the Antarctic Peninsula, early next year!
Over the weekend, eight young Kiwis met for the first time in Christchurch NZ for four days of team building and gaining hands on sailing experience to prepare for the expedition.
Built in 1911, the ‘Bark EUROPA’ gives the team a unique connection to the legacy of Antarctica’s early explorers Scott and Shackleton, offering a rare opportunity to step into the world of heroic-era exploration.
They’ll take the helm, handle sails, stand watch, and navigate across the Drake Passage, all while being mentored by world-record-breaking solo sailor Lisa Blair.
We’re excited to announce our new Scott’s Discovery Hut Minecraft World, giving students worldwide the chance to explore Ross Island, Antarctica through Minecraft Education from mid-November.
Students at Te Oraka Shirley Intermediate School in Christchurch were the first to try it, receiving a special preview in recognition of their work helping to build the first version of the hut inside Minecraft.
Developed in partnership with WDekkers Digital and twelve Shirley Intermediate students through the Greater Christchurch Schools Network Kāhui Ako Digital Project, the experience begins aboard Scott’s ship, the RRS Discovery, before students explore Discovery hut, meet early explorers, and complete tasks like building kennels for huskies and designing their own Antarctic hut.
Part of the Inspiring Explorers Education™ programme, this Minecraft World will be delivered free to year 7 and 8 classrooms across Aotearoa New Zealand, alongside the Scott’s Discovery Hut Virtual Reality Experience.
A new partnership between Antarctic Heritage Trust and Spirit of Adventure Trust will see South Auckland students embark on a journey of discovery, combining virtual Antarctic exploration with real-world adventure aboard a three-masted tall ship.
The Spirit of Antarctica programme will give 150 students from 10 schools a chance to explore the icy continent through cutting-edge VR technology, before 15 students join a ten-day voyage with Spirit of Adventure Trust.
Schools participating in the programme are part of the AIMHI network (Achievement in Multi-Cultural High Schools). Antarctic Heritage Trust has developed a broad long-term partnership with the network over the last seven years, collaborating to deliver New Zealand-based education and expedition programmes for a range of age groups.
World-record-breaking solo sailor and environmental advocate Lisa Blair will join the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s next Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ as a mentor when the team sails to the Antarctic Peninsula in 2026 aboard the historic tall ship Bark EUROPA.
The holder of eight world records, including being the fastest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around Antarctica, Lisa will share her powerful story of resilience, exploration, and science-at-sea with the next generation of explorers to challenge and motivate the team to step out of their comfort zone and begin to develop their own ‘Explorer Mindset’.
During April and May, charities New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust (NZAHT) and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) joined forces to tour England and Scotland for the first time with two exciting immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences that use cutting-edge digital technologies to transform how the British public can learn about Antarctica’s rich history of science and exploration.
British expeditions played a significant role in shaping the course of Antarctic history from the heroic age through to the more recent scientific age on the continent.
Participants were able to take a unique step back in time by donning a VR headset and controllers, which will instantly transport them to Antarctica. They also had the chance to step inside and explore historic huts, come face to face with penguins, ride in a hydrogen balloon, feed huskies, meet early explorers and scientists and hear incredible tales of resilience, teamwork and innovation on the ice.
We were proud to host our first-ever Ōtautahi Christchurch Explorer Conference on Wednesday 18 June at Te Pae, welcoming 85 Year 12 students from 10 schools across the region.
The day was packed with energy as students heard from an inspiring line-up of speakers including keynote speaker and world record sailor Lisa Blair, inspirational speaker William Pike, and best-selling author Jake Bailey. The message was clear throughout the day: step outside your comfort zone.
Our Inspiring Explorers™ alumni led hands-on workshops exploring the ‘Explorer Mindset’ of resilience, leadership, curiosity, teamwork, and innovation. Students also had the chance to delve into Christchurch’s unique Antarctic heritage through visits to key historic sites.
Watch the new short film about the Trust’s ninth Inspiring Explorers Expedition™ which journeyed to South Georgia Island.
Across the Atlantic, directed by Inspiring Explorer Te Aroha Devon, follows climber Sam West as he prepares for a guided attempt to climb Mount Worsley with a small team of Inspiring Explorers™, and data scientist Jenny Sahng, part of the science outreach team tasked with capturing weather and ocean data and observations using both historic-era methods and MetSevice’s world-leading technology.
Donors and supporters across the world answered our call to enable an important conservation project which is now getting underway in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The Ross Sea Party tent, an invaluable artefact from Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-17, is under scrutiny as three specialist conservators develop the most appropriate processes to conserve it.
In September 2024, metal conservator Emily Fryer and textile conservators Kate Blair and Sarah Clayton met to carefully look over this evocative piece of history. They are considering its current state, what conservation processes it needs and can withstand, and have taken samples for analysis to inform what happens next.
Antarctic Heritage Trust
7 Ron Guthrey Road, Christchurch 8053, New Zealand
Private Bag 4745, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Antarctic Heritage Trust
7 Ron Guthrey Road, Christchurch 8053, New Zealand
Private Bag 4745, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
