South to Antarctica Church Service

I greet you all in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning and the sun has risen (Sign)

May I specifically greet you: The Very Reverend Peter Beck, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral; Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central Tim Barnett, Former Minister of the Crown Rt Hon Paul East; Your Excellency, William McCormick, Ambassador of the United States; Air Vice Marshal David Bamfield, Head of the NZ Air Force; Lt Gen Loyd Utterback, of the United States Air Force; Lady June Hillary; Norm McPherson, President of the New Zealand Antarctic Society; Paul Hargreaves and Lou Sanson, Chairman and Chief Executive respectively of Antarctica New Zealand; Your Worship Garry Moore, Mayor of Christchurch, Distinguished Guests otherwise, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting me to address this service at Christchurch Cathedral at the start of Antarctic summer season.

Last night, I spoke at a special Antarctic Society Dinner in which I examined the history of international collaboration on the ice and New Zealand's role in that fascinating work.

As this service serves to ask God's blessing on those who will go South for the new season, I will take different approach, examining the attraction of Antarctica, the sacrifices of those who have gone before and the qualities needed by those who seek to work on the frozen continent.

I suspect that there are few other places on this planet which are as alluring and intriguing as Antarctica.  It is a land of extremes—the coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth and, some would attest, the most beautiful. 

But that beauty has also tested the limits of human endurance.  Many who have ventured into those most inhospitable conditions—both in the distant past and also more recently—have never returned.  Even today, with all the technological marvels of this age, no-one visits Antarctica without being aware of the risks to life and limb.  It is fitting then to note that on the outside of this Cathedral's tower, facing the Square, is a plaque in memory of those who have lost their lives in Antarctica.

American explorer Admiral Richard Byrd described this combination of wondrous scenery in a most hostile and forbidding of environments when he wrote: 

At the bottom of this planet is an enchanted continent in the sky, pale like a sleeping princess.  Sinister and beautiful, she lies in frozen slumber.

This theme was well put in the first reading from the Book of Sirach, which Ambassador McCormick has just read.  In describing the magnificence of the Lord's creation, I cannot think of better words to describe the beauty of Antarctica than as, and as he read: "glittering array in the heights of the Lord." 

But then it goes on to note that despite our advances, that there is much about this creation that we simply cannot fathom, and I quote:  "Many things greater than these lie hidden for I have seen but few of his works."

Again, these words speak volumes of human understanding of Antarctica.  Despite a half-century of intensive research into the past and present geological, climatic and environmental conditions of the continent, scientists would readily agree that Antarctica has revealed but a fraction of its secrets. 

For New Zealanders the southern continent is always at the back of our minds.  In the middle of winter, when a southerly storm brings snow, hail, rain and a bitingly cold wind that seems to cut right through your bones, we all know where such weather comes from.  It is at these times that we recognise that Antarctica has its way of making its presence felt in our lives.

As it remains today, New Zealand was the last staging post for many of the first explorers of Antarctica.  The stories of their expeditions have become the stuff of legend.  They are stories that speak of adventure, of heroism, of courage and self-sacrifice, of the triumph of the human spirit and, on some occasions, of tragic consequences. On that point, I also note this Cathedral also carries a plaque from the United States Navy to the people of New Zealand that commemorates all those explorers who have headed South. 

As was the case a century ago, the desire for adventure continues to be a driving force in why we continue to visit Antarctica.  There would be some who would argue that scientific inquiry alone should be the main motivator.  But I would counter that some of the greatest scientific discoveries have come those who have forsaken musing in a lounge chair to pit their mental and physical abilities against the elements.  In doing so, they will not only explore places few have seen before but also better understand themselves and the human psyche.

For those who are travelling to Antarctica for the first time, it is right that you may be excited.  It is also right that you may be apprehensive.  Antarctica is an unforgiving place.  Quite appropriately, Sir Edmund Hillary named the book of his transcontinental trip across Antarctica as: No Latitude For Error. 

To those who are apprehensive and to those who are excited, may I offer the advice to look to the wiser hands who have been there before.  Listen carefully to their counsel for even in the so-called Antarctic summer, the conditions you will face are unlikely to be like anything you have experienced before. 

For those who winter over, the darkness, the isolation and claustrophobia will test not only your physical well-being but also your mental strength. 

In such confined conditions, you will need to show considerable strength of character.  Be willing to draw on the support of those around you and to offer it in return.  But also be tolerant and understanding of others and the different ways they react to such conditions.

To you all, I urge you to keep the goals and objectives that brought you to Antarctica clearly before you.  It is by remaining focused on your research, or the support that your work gives to the research of others, that you will find the resilience to meet all that Antarctica can throw at you.  Make sure that what you do, you do to the best of your abilities.

To that end, the words of the second reading from Romans seem particularly pertinent.  Saint Paul reminds us, and I quote, "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us."

The qualities I have just referred to—listening to others, respecting those with knowledge, remaining focused, doing your job to the best of your abilities, showing tolerance and offering support—through these will you earn the respect and trust of your colleagues.  Those qualities are at the heart of true leadership.  By looking beyond adversity, you will find "the glory which shall be revealed in us."

In going south, remember not only those who have gone before, and those who you will work with, but also those who wait for your safe return.  The Erebus Chalice, which will soon be handed over to the chaplain who will accompany you on your journey south, symbolises the bond between us all.

I cannot think of words that better make this point, and those of Sir Edmund Hillary, who knows well the joys and dangers of exploring extreme locations. In his 1975 book, Nothing Venture, Nothing Win, he wrote: "I discovered that even the mediocre can have adventures and even the fearful can achieve.  I had the world beneath my clumsy boots and saw the red sun slip over the horizon after the dark Antarctic winter.  But for me the most rewarding moments have not always been the great moments, for what can surpass a tear on your departure, joy on your return, and a trusting hand in yours?"

Finally, I wish to touch on the significance of the work you will be undertaking in Antarctica.  At one level, it reflects an ongoing commitment by 46 nations to place international co-operation and collaboration ahead of international competition.  At another level, the research being undertaken in Antarctica is revealing secrets about the distant past of our planet.  In doing so, it may help us understand the coming years ahead.

In conclusion, despite its forbidding nature, Antarctica has the ability to reveal the very best qualities in humanity—as individuals, as communities and as nation states.  As you head South for the summer—the fiftieth since the International Geophysical Year in 1957—may we all hold those values dear. 

On that note I will close in Maori by issuing greetings and wishing those who head South, good health and fortitude in their endeavours.

No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.