Antarctica

Ōtautahi Christchurch is one of only ﬁve Antarctic Gateway cities in the world. Explore the local connections with Antarctica and polar exploration.

Days of Ice - 2 to 8 October 2023

Ōtautahi Christchurch is one of only ﬁve Antarctic Gateway cities in the world. Days of Ice is a celebration of the opening of the Antarctic Summer science season and Christchurch’s unique connections with Antarctica with a week of events and activities, exhibitions, guest speakers and ﬁlms, as well as kids’ activities and competitions. There were events at Tūranga.

Events

Antarctic resources

Antarctic heritage

Two letters from Robert Falcon Scott to the Town Clerk of Christchurch
Antarctic and Antarctica in Canterbury Stories
Antarctic and Antarctica on the Discovery Wall

Inside an ice cave. 2005. Entry by Michael Nottage in the 2021 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. CCL-PH21-112

Explore our Antarctic connections

ChristchurchNZ has a page on our Antarctic connections including a document listing places with links to the South Pole.

The Canterbury Museum has an extensive collection of Antarctic historical resources. The International Antarctic Centre has exhibitions showing past and present life on the ice.

Canterbury Stories

Gateway to Antarctica set on Canterbury Stories

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Bust of Roald Amundsen, Canterbury Museum. Flickr CCL-2012-Amundsen

Captain Robert Falcon Scott Statue

Scott memorial, corner of Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace, Christchurch : the Clarendon Hotel can be seen on the left next to the Public Trust Office[194-?] — Scott memorial, corner of Worcester Street and Oxford Terrace, Christchurch : the Clarendon Hotel can be seen on the left next to the Public Trust Office [194-?] CCL PhotoCD 16, IMG0069

A statue of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO, RN, is on the river bank at the intersection of Oxford Terrace and Worcester Street. There is information on the statue on the Christchurch City Council website. There is also more about the statue in Public art in Christchurch, a study by the Robert McDougall Art Gallery.

It was sculpted by Scott’s widow, Lady Kathleen Scott, and purchased from her by the Christchurch City Council. It was to be made in bronze, but when work started in 1915 World War I was underway and all available metal was being used for armaments.

It serves as a memorial to those who died with Scott on his return journey from the South Pole in 1912, and bears his last message:

I do not regret this journey, which shows that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past.

Antarctic history resources

Antarctic gateway audio trail
Early days in Antarctica A Digital NZ set of images from the first Polar explorations.
Papers Past Explore historical news stories related to the South Pole and Antarctica.
Historic Antarctic images From the Antarctica NZ Digital Asset Manager (ADAM)
Antarctica and New Zealand – Voyages of discovery Nigel Roberts. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 24 July 2012.
Antarctica and New Zealand New Zealand History Online (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 3 February 2012.