Canterbury Museum
Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Canterbury Museum has two tractors from the 1955-1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition led by Dr Vivian Fuchs. This expedition was the first overland crossing of Antarctica.
Edmund Hillary was in charge of the New Zealand component, laying out food and fuel depots for Fuchs’ team to use during their crossing from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. While laying the depots, against instructions, he made a dash for the South Pole. Arriving there on 4 January 1958, he became the first person to reach there since Scott did in 1912.
A model 743 Tucker Sno-Cat used by Fuchs’ team for the trans-Antarctic crossing.
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Smaller Model TE20 Ferguson tractors were used by the New Zealand component to lay they food and fuew depots.
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The Paua Shell House
Fred and Myrtle Flutey collecting paua shells and decorated their house with them. With over 1000 shells, their house became a famous national icon.
The house was in Bluff, at the southern tip of the south island of New Zealand, but it was dismantled and rebuilt in the Canterbury Museum.
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Bird Hall
The bird hall has many displays of birds, including a large painting of a Yellow-eyed penguin on the ceiling.
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