Following in Sir Ed's tractor tracks

A thrilling ride to the South Pole with Ed Hillary and a visit to Marlborough’s Awatere Valley

- Christopher Moore

It seemed to be the perfect partnership. The young conqueror of Everest and the seasoned British polar traveller in partnership for the 1957-58 British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition – the first British overland journey to the South Pole since Captain Scott.

The project was intended to evoke the spirits of Scott and Shackleton and revive the glories of the Heroic Age of British exploration. At the helm was the forceful, somewhat autocratic Vivian “Bunny” Fuchs.

The subsequent events form the focus of Nigel Watson’s new book Hillary’s Antarctica: Adventure, Exploration and Establishing Scott Base (Allen & Unwin, $49.99).