Friday, November 12, 2010

Scott Base

Every Thursday night, there are shuttles that run from McMurdo station over to the New Zealand station, Scott Base.  The New Zealanders, or “Kiwis” as they are called around these parts, have a much smaller base than McMurdo, and from what I understand, they only keep a maximum of 85 workers stationed there at one time.  Last night I went over to check out Scott Base for the first time. 

The base is located maybe 2-3 miles from McMurdo, so it only takes a few minutes to get there by shuttle.  There are basically only two reasons to go to the Kiwi base, either to go to the bar, or to buy souvenirs from their station store.  The rest of the base is off limits to us Americans, unless you have special permission.  So, I figured I would head over to check it out for something to do.  Their base is located right on the edge of these “Pressure Ridges” on the ice, which is basically where two slabs of ice collide together to form these huge ice formations.  McMurdo does a tour of the ridges that allows you to get up close and check them out, but it fills up quickly and apparently they only allow a limited amount of people out there each season, so I will be trying to sign up for that one soon! 


As far as size goes, it is definitely smaller than McMurdo, and all of the buildings are painted in a bright green color.  I went in and checked out the small store, and they did have a few cool little souvenirs, but things are pretty pricey.  They do accept American money though, which was nice, so I was able to pick up a couple of small things. 


I spent a little bit of time walking around the outside of the base and checking out the sights for a while before heading back to McMurdo.  For the most part, the Kiwi base is pretty cool, and is a lot less hectic than McMurdo, which has a lot of people passing through on their way to other camps.  I will probably try to head over there from time to time just to check things out and to talk to some of the New Zealanders.


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