PRESS CLIPPINGS AND MEDIA COVERAGE

Ashburton link to Arctic adventure

by Maureen Bishop

Ashburton Guardian [24 November 1998]

The links between Ashburton and the Arctic may be strengthened through a year-long expedition which includes a former Ashburton man.

The expedition will mark the centenary of a scientific expedition on the ship the Fram, under the captaincy of Norwegian Otto Sverdrup.

Norwegian meteorologist Lars Hole, right, shows children from Hampstead School (New Zealand) where the expeditIon will go. From left Ashleigh Waddell, 10, Ben Stephenson, 11, Tim Kelleher, 10 and Amy Hawkes, 10, trace the proposed journey.
PHOTO: PETER HIGHT CN10344-6.

The expedition spent four years carrying out research and discovery, mapping land in the Arctic Ocean. This time, the boat heading to the frozen north will be the yacht Northanger, owned by Greg Landreth and his wife, Keri Pashuk. Mr Landreth grew up in Ashburton and his parents, Maureen and David, still live here.

Last week, by chance, another member of the expedition was in Ashburton to meet the Landreths and to visit schools.

Dr Lars Hole is a meteorologist who will be part of the six-person expedition.

He was in Christchurch to attend a conference when he found the Landreths lived nearby.

The Northanger will leave Norway in June 1999, sailing on to Canada and up to the Arctic.

It will be nearly 15 months before it will return to Norway in the summer of 2000.

The yacht will travel along the east coast of Ellesmere Island to Fram Haven, the site of Sverdrup's first harbour of 1898-99.

The party which will winter over, will be closer to the north pole than any civilian community in the world.

They will be frozen into the Arctic and it will be late summer of 2000 before the yacht will be able to sail out.

Preparations are being made for the winter -- a dark perod of about four months.

Excursions will be made to nearby historical sites and in early spring the party will set out on an eight to 12 week sledging journey through Flagler Fiord, Sverdrup Pass and on to Axel Heiberg Island.

One of the goals of the expedition is to carry out an educational programme with schools in Norway and Canada and now New Zealand.

Dr Hole visited the Ashburton Intermediate and Hampstead Schools -- both schools attended by Greg Landreth, and interest has been expressed by both schools in maintaining links with the expedition.

Communication will be by Internet and it is hoped to link schools in the different countries.

Greg Landreth was on board the Northanger when, under the captaincy of her previous owner, Rick Thomas, it made history and became the first British vessel to complete the notorious Northwest Passage in northern Canada.

Greg and Keri bought the ketch in 1989 and sailed to Antarctica in 1995-96.

Again history was made when four of the crew, including Greg, became the first people to stand on the summit of Mount Foster on Smith Island.

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