Aged 26, Adam Campbell is telecommunications engineer at Scott Base, and responsible for keeping New Zealand's research station in the Antarctic in touch with the outside world.
Speaking from the station yesterday, during an Antarctic summer day of 24 hours' daylight, he said the crew celebrated Christmas Day on Monday with a brunch followed by a festive feast of fresh food flown in from New Zealand.
''The chefs down here did an absolutely fantastic job.''
An electrician by trade, Mr Campbell is about three months into a 13-month stint at the bottom of the world, having lived in Dunedin for the past four years. And he is loving it.
He is responsible for maintaining all telecommunications equipment at the base, including the radio equipment used by scientists in the field and the satellite link carrying all internet and phone lines back to New Zealand.
''Which makes it extremely interesting being down here.
''It is a reasonable amount of responsibility ... If the satellite equipment broke, I would be pretty busy for a while.''
Originally from Balclutha and an alumnus of St Peter's College in Gore, he trained at Otago Polytechnic before doing an apprenticeship back home in Balclutha. He is working for Downer at present, but contracted to Spark while at Scott Base.
He managed to organise Christmas gifts for his mother and younger brother in Balclutha, and they had some flown down to the station for him.
He was enjoying life on the base.
''We have quite a lot of fun - it's like a big family down here.''
Asked what they did to kill time, he said the crew were spoilt for choice.
''Basically, we've got a pub, and we spend a fair bit of time in there.
''We watch a lot of movies.
''And they've just opened a skifield.''
He paid tribute to the work of the scientists he was there to support.
''I think that people don't grasp how important some of the science down here is.
''That climate change stuff, when you see it with your own eyes ... It's extremely important that work continues.''
