Author Archive for: comms@nzaht.org

From Hollie: I’m walking across Greenland. Pretty sure it’ll be mostly flat. Wrong. So wrong. Day 2 will be known as a constant burn to the thighs, but in a landscape of breathtaking beauty. Starting off at 9.20am (a little later than expected) with snow falling lightly, the first hour whizzed by. Taking our first scheduled rest we downed our high sugar and fat snacks before heading off. With Bengt leading the charge, we snaked our way up and around the icey-blue frozen mounds. It became a challenge to see if we could stay ahead of our pulka as we […]

Before Nansen and his men could even get up on to the ice cap to begin the first crossing of Greenland, they had to reach the shore on the east coast. The sealing ship Jason had transported the expedition team from Iceland and once they were 20kms offshore they launched small boats to reach the coast, the ‘point of no return’, as Nansen called it.   The condition of the sea meant they were unable to land and eventually drifted some 380kms south of where planned starting point …for the crossing! They fought their way north through the coastal ice […]

Newshub came to pay Brando and Hollie a visit while they were getting in some last minute training in Christchurch, NZ last week, check out the action here! Hollie also took some time out from last minute packing to talk all about the expedition with Karyn Hay for RNZ’s Lately show.

Antarctic Heritage TrustThe team have been training hard ahead of their departure for Greenland, but with snow not readily available in Australia and New Zealand, they have had to get a bit creative. Old tyres rigged together and dragged across sandy beaches and dirt roads are a good stand-in for 60kg sledges pulled behind skis!

The 2018 Inspiring Explorers’ Expedition to Greenland will kick off on May 4. The attempt to cross the Greenland Ice Cap will honour the legacy of Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer, humanitarian, scientist, inventor and diplomat who first completed the crossing 130-years-ago. We will be posting regular updates from the team (conditions permitting!), so be sure to check back here as we update on the progress of the expedition.