Inspiring Explorers Expedition a Success

The Antarctic Heritage Trust New Zealand’s Inspiring Explorers Expedition, an international centenary expedition to honour the legacy of the early Antarctic explorers, successfully crossed South Georgia Island.

The expedition,which took place 16-30 October 2015, was a new initiative for the Antarctic Heritage Trust New Zealand with the aim of inspiring explorers. The expedition followed in the footsteps of Ernest Shackleton (UK/ IRE), Tom Crean (IRE) and Frank Worsley (NZ).

The Antarctic Heritage Trust New Zealand chose three young explorers, Tom MacTavish (NZ), Sinéad Hunt (IRE) and James Blake (UK/NZ) to nominally represent the original expedition members’ nationalities.

The Antarctic Heritage Trust New Zealand’s Executive Director, Nigel Watson led the expedition accompanied by two professional guides from One Ocean Expeditions. Sharing the expedition is a key part of the experience for the three young explorers. The expedition was tracked via YB tracker https://my.yb.tl/aht2015 and posted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Antarctic.Heritage.Trust.

All three young explorers plan to share their experiences further. The expedition team disembarked ship at King Haakon Bay and crossed South Georgia on skis retracing the original route in a multi-day traverse of the Island before re-joining the ship at Stromness.

The original expedition undertaken by Shackleton, Crean and New Zealander Frank Worsley was the final 36 hour act of desperation and bravado to raise the alarm to rescue the crew of Shackleton’s Endurance expedition marooned on Elephant Island.