The nearly three-week expedition, organised by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, took Columba College English teacher Savannah de Vos and a crew of 22 aspiring explorers to the subantarctic island of South Georgia.
Mrs de Vos said she never thought in her teaching career she would be the one doing the learning, especially not in a remote location in the sub-antarctic.
"I think that as teachers, we often don’t know that there are these opportunities out there for us," she said.
"It was a great way for me to learn that I can continue on my own learning journey in this way as well."
The purpose of the trip was to commemorate the centenary of Ernest Shackleton’s final voyage, the expedition aboard Quest in 1922, by visiting key sites related to the explorer.
With a background in history and a passion for the environment, Mrs de Vos said retracing Shackleton’s footsteps in a remote part of the world was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and a chance to tick an item off her bucket list.
She planned to tell pupils at the school about her adventure, and Shackleton’s.
"I want to be able to share my stories with my students so they know it’s not just your younger years when you’re developing, where you take risks.
"I hope they would also take risks moving forward, not just at school."
One particularly challenging aspect of the trip for her had been jumping off the ship into arctic waters, when she had a fear of the open sea.
But Mrs de Vos said she took the plunge and was left with a defining moment to share.
"That’s going to stick with me for a really long time."
