Description

Beautifully illustrated with Jane Ussher’s photographs of the restoration of Hillary’s hut in Antarctica, plus historic images and never-before-seen ephemera and diary entries, this is a treasure. Sir Edmund Hillary and New Zealand were supposed to be a support act to the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1955–58) crossing party. By heading on to the South Pole and reaching it before the crossing party, Hillary exceeded the brief. His actions created tensions, unleashed a media storm, and denied the British a historic first overland to the South Pole since Captain Scott. Hillary even had the audacity to achieve the feat with three farm tractors. Nevertheless, in doing so, Sir Edmund Hillary added another fascinating chapter to the exploration annals of Antarctica and he, and his expedition team, laid the foundations for New Zealand’s continuous, and increasingly important, presence in Antarctica.