Kerikeri soldier spends summer in Antarctica at -30C with 24/7 sunlight
Laurie's days on the ice vary. Since the emergency crews rotate locations, he could be out on an ice shelf airfield, exploring with a day off, or at the station responding to fires, medical events or hazmat incidents.
'When I'm based out at Williams Airfield, our main role is aviation rescue fire fighting coverage for the United States Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft, which move people, cargo, and conduct scientific missions around the continent.'
The biggest challenges are the 24-hour sunlight cycle and, unsurprisingly, the cold – especially during a -30C wind chill.
What he found surprising were the conditions when the snow and ice melts.
'At the peak of summer, the melt left the whole area dusty and brown from the volcanic soil and rock which covers the region. Watching the speed of the sea ice breaking up around the station, bringing out the ocean, was also a cool experience. It's amazing watching the area change so rapidly,' he said.
There's plenty on offer during downtime at McMurdo Station, meeting others and exploring.
'There are multiple hiking paths around the Station and Ross Island, which provide incredible views of the area. McMurdo Station also has recreation staff who plan events, ranging from science tours, to live entertainment by local talent, day trips, sports leagues, and more.'
Laurie joined the New Zealand Army in 2023, aged 29, having always thought of a career in the military since being in the New Zealand Cadet Forces when he was younger.
'After finishing at Kerikeri High School I began travelling around the world and working a variety of jobs, including firefighting, which I am very passionate about. When I learnt about the emergency responder trade within the Army, I thought it sounded challenging, and an exciting experience to work as both a soldier and an emergency responder.''
His advice to anyone lucky enough to work on the continent is enjoy every moment.
'Work hard and go with an open mind. Learn about the environment, history and [Antarctic] treaty to prepare yourself. It is an amazing continent, rugged, unforgiving and different to anywhere on earth.'
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Scoop
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"To create something as realistic and true to real world form as Scott's Discovery Hut VR, the team at StaplesVR spent over 1000 hours modelling each artefact and piece of timber to be painstakingly accurate. It was incredibly important to ensure we accurately captured the heritage and significance of the building along with the items inside," says StaplesVR Technical Manager Krystal Paraone. Christchurch man Clarence Hare was on the 1901-1904 expedition with Captain Robert Falcon Scott's. Some of his descendants living in the UK will be taking the opportunity to virtually visit a place that is important to their family history. A significant amount of the funds for the initial conservation of Scott's explorer bases was raised in the UK. NZAHT is delighted to now be able to share their work to save Scott's Discovery Hut - including conserving over 500 artefacts inside - with those who supported them. 'The conservation work our teams undertake is world-leading and sharing it through VR helps us to educate people around the importance of saving this cultural heritage for future generations,' Eathorne says. NZAHT and UKAHT have a long history of successful partnership, helping each other with cold-climate heritage conservation work in one of the world's most extreme environments. The joint tour marks an exciting step forward in their collaboration, combining their expertise in digital technologies and storytelling to make the remote cultural heritage sites that they care for more accessible to all. There will be two virtual reality experiences on offer during the tour. The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust's A Frozen Night is a 30-minute-long VR experience which transports participants to a fully immersive reconstruction of a historic scientific base where they will step into the shoes of over-wintering Antarctic scientists. UKAHT's Chief Executive Camilla Nichol says those taking part will be among the first in the UK to engage with Antarctic heritage sites in this new and unique way. 'A Frozen Night is UKAHT's first virtual reality experience based on a true story from the archives and narrated by those who lived and worked in our southernmost base, Stonington Island. One of the earliest British sites, established in 1948 and a key dog sledging base, Stonington Island enabled teams to travel far inland into the Antarctic Peninsula. 'Now, for the first time, A Frozen Night allows people to virtually travel into Stonington's past to experience the wonders and risks of Antarctic field work.' The virtual reality tour, generously funded by The Charles Hayward Foundation and donors to NZAHT's Inspiring Explorers™ Fund, will also visit the Scott Polar Research Institute and Discovery Point Museum, home to Scott's Discovery ship About New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust Antarctic Heritage Trust is a New Zealand-based not-for-profit with a vision of Inspiring Explorers. A world leader in cold-climate heritage conservation, the Trust cares for the expedition bases and more than 20,000 artefacts left behind by Antarctic explorers, including Carsten Borchgrevink, Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Sir Edmund Hillary. To date the Trust has restored and conserved Scott's huts at Cape Evans and Hut Point, Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds and Hillary's hut at Scott Base. This has led to a number of significant discoveries including 114-year-old whisky under Ernest Shackleton's hut, a notebook from surgeon and photographer George Murray Levick at Scott's Cape Evans hut as well as lost Ross Sea Party photographs. In 2017, conservators discovered a century-old fruitcake and a 118-year-old watercolour amongst artefacts from Antarctica's first buildings at Cape Adare. The Trust shares the legacy of exploration through outreach programmes and encourages the spirit of exploration through expeditions to engage and inspire a new generation. You can read more at About UK Antarctic Heritage Trust The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) is a UK-based charity dedicated to conserving Britain's fascinating history and legacy in Antarctica. UKAHT was born out of a small group's passion to champion the legacy of all those who went before us in the Antarctic. Since 1993, the organisation has worked to protect this, from conserving the huts left by those first pioneers and managing the historic site of Base A, Port Lockroy, to collaborating with other groups to ensure that science and tourism on the Antarctic Peninsula are sustainable. Following a conservation survey in 1994, British Base A, Port Lockroy, was recognised for its historic importance and designated as a Historic Site and Monument 61 under the Antarctic Treaty. The huts were renovated in 1996 by a team from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and have since been open to visitors during the Antarctic summer. UKAHT took over the running of Port Lockroy in 2006. The charity also runs the world's southernmost post office at Base A, Port Lockroy, on behalf of the Government of the British Antarctic Territory, which in turn donates a portion of the Post Office revenue to UKAHT. Anyone wishing to help protect and share the wonder of Antarctica and its heritage can support the charities and New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust by becoming a member or making a donation. © Scoop Media
