An Antarctic Expedition Ends in New Zealand

The sights couldn’t be more familiar. Grass. Trees. Roads. Dirt. After two months in Antarctica, the rolling hills and rocky bluffs of New Zealand’s South Island may as well have been on another planet. The passengers of the icebreaker Araon woke up on Thursday to the welcoming sight of civilization on the port side and with it the knowledge that the expedition was coming to an end.

Gear will be boxed up, goodbyes will be said and plans for future Antarctic research will be hatched. No Antarctic expedition occurs in a vacuum; each one builds on journeys past and lays the launchpad for those to come. Even though the most ambitious research project on this trip was foiled at its final step, scientists have already begun sketching out their next campaigns to crack the secrets of the Thwaites Glacier.

Polar field work is not for the less than determined. I hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage of the voyage.

New Zealand, South Island

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