Wellington: Two blocks of butter have been
found intact after nearly a century in an Antarctic hut used
by British explorer Robert Falcon Scott on his doomed 1910-12
expedition, a report said.
Television New Zealand reported that conservators found
the two blocks of New Zealand butter in bags in stables
attached to the expedition Hut at Cape Evans in Antarctica.
The extreme cold of the polar region has preserved the
hut and expedition equipment inside, but recent signs of
deterioration had prompted the Antarctic Heritage Trust to
launch a preservation project.
The trust's Lizzie Meek said the butter was a "treasure
find".
"It's quite amazing how strong the smell is after nearly
100 years," Meek said at the hut. "I'm not sure I'd want it on
my toast."
Scott used the Cape Evans hut as a base for his
expedition to the South Pole, which he and four others reached
on 17 January, 1912. But they found that Norwegian Roald
Amundsen had beaten them by five weeks to reach the South Pole
for the first time.
Scott and his four companions all died on the return
journey to Cape Evans.
The latest find follows news last month of the discovery
of two crates of Scotch whisky under a hut used by another
British explorer, Ernest Shackleton, during his 1907-09
expedition to Antarctica.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 09:10