Ryan McRitchie-Kin from Halfmoon Bay School was among 20 pupils selected to attend the Young Inspiring Explorers Summit in Christchurch last weekend.
The event, hosted by the Antarctic Heritage Trust in partnership with William Pike Challenge, offers a range of immersive experiences which included a ride in a Hagglund, an encounter with huskies and a backstage visit with the penguins at the International Antarctic Centre.
Pupils also camped overnight, phoned in to the South Pole, heard from representatives from the US Embassy and learned how explorers of the heroic age dressed for freezing temperatures.
Ryan’s mum Letitia said her son loved to explore and get outdoors, so the event was a natural fit for him.
"It’s part of the psyche down here."
She said Ryan now hoped to follow in her footsteps and travel to the sub-Antarctic islands.
Since the event, Ryan had been asking if he was old enough to join the next Inspiring Explorers Expedition, she said.
The expedition will see three young people traverse close to 1000km from the Ronne Ice Shelf to the South Pole, a route inspired by Reinhold Messner and Arved Fuchs’ Antarctic crossing. The duo crossed the frozen continent without snowmobiles or dog sleds.
