Air NZ Blog #7 - Ash

Everything is now squared away with the ANDRILL project and once the workday is over, I’m out the door. I’ve being making the most of this last week to get out and about to explore places I will probably never get the opportunity to visit again. 24 hours of daylight gives me plenty of time for long walks with my trusty camera – I have found that without the darkness I lose track of time and can end up getting back to base at 1am. However, I got some great shots which were well worth the effort at that time of night.

I had a rude awakening on the new fat tyre mountain bikes that arrived last week. I joined ex-Coast to Coast fourth-placer Rob Nesbitt on a 16km circuit around Castle Rock and was soon puffing away trying to keep up with him. It was my first ride in two months and I came away with jelly legs and a new appreciation of how to ride a bike in deep snow. It was good to get that under my belt as it was great preparation for the ride we are planning for the upcoming weekend.

 A group of four of us have talked, schemed and dreamt about the possibility of riding out to Cape Evans on the fat tyre mountain bikes. We put together a comprehensive proposal document called a Safe Work and Recreation form (SWAR) and submitted it to the Base Manager. This plan identifies and develops a plan to control hazards. It is a long, totally isolated 35km ride to Cape Evans. Conditions can change quickly and so to ensure our safety, we consolidated our plan with another group travelling by Hagglund. They were travelling to Cape Evans to visit Scott’s Terra Nova hut and would also act as our support crew. The SWAR was approved the day before we left, but we still needed the weather to co-operate as well.

Saturday arrived and the weather wasn’t looking like it was going to co-operate. There was 10cm of fresh snow, and it was -20 degrees with gusty winds. It was a rollercoaster day at work, dominated by discussions about what was happening outside and if we should go or not. Work finished at 3pm and we were out the door by 4pm. The call was made that we would make the decision over the hill at McMurdo. It was the right call, as conditions were much better there and we were able to cycle away. The next 3.5 hours were a never-ending search for a better riding surface. It always looked better elsewhere and we often struggled in the soft wind drifts we encountered. Who would have thought that riding on sheet ice soon became the preferable surface!

The route was easy to follow with marker flags every 30m and it was with much relief that we arrived at Cape Evans to find our tents already made up. Overnight the weather deteriorated and the next day we faced the familiar dilemma about whether to leave or not. At 1pm we made the call to leave and again, once we left, we were all comfortable with the decision and the balmy -6 degree conditions made it almost pleasant. It was a great to finish up my time down here with a nice physically challenging mission. I won’t be rushing away to ride a bike for the next few days, but I’m pretty happy with our 70km ice road biking expedition.

We attended our final full base meeting on Saturday. Darryn and I were both presented with Scott Base “Good Bugger” awards. It was nice to be recognised for our contributions – Antarctica New Zealand fully appreciate us being here and assisting with their programme. They are a great crew and I’ve met some fantastic people and made loads of new friends during the past seven weeks. I will be sad to leave as this incredible place really does get under your skin. As I write this the realization dawns on me that I’ll be home on a plane in another two days. It has been the trip of a lifetime made possible by many special people. Generous endorsements of my ability from my Team Leader Lance Flannery and Production Leader Graeme Howden and their belief in me has enabled me to have this incredible opportunity. It has fully challenged me both physically and mentally. I will return to Air New Zealand with pride knowing that I have contributed to the successful return to New Zealand of the ANDRILL project. Special mention must also go to Shannon Hanrahan, Mark Hobson, Viv de Beus and my fellow team members back at Christchurch. They have all supported me to get down here and I am extremely grateful. My wife, Jane was instrumental in helping me get here and without her encouragement and ultimate approval I wouldn’t be here.

Finally a very sincere thanks to you all for taking the time to read my ramblings.