A Moeraki man has been chosen from almost 200 applicants to join an international centenary expedition honouring the legacy of three early Antarctic explorers.
Tom MacTavish (28) is one of three people chosen from around the world to join the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust's Inspiring Explorers Expedition to South Georgia Island to recreate the crossing undertaken a century ago by Sir Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean and New Zealander Frank Worsley.
Mr MacTavish, Sinead Hunt, of Ireland, and James Blake from the UK and New Zealand, are each in their own way connected to the story, identities or nationalities of Shackleton, Worsley and Crean who undertook the original crossing a century ago.
Like Worsley (who grew up in Akaroa), Mr MacTavish is from a small town. He said initially, he had a sense of disbelief at being chosen, but that quickly turned to excitement.
The team has assembled in New Zealand and will depart on Friday via ship.
They will disembark at King Haakon Bay and cross South Georgia on skis, retracing the original route in a multi-day traverse of the island before re-joining the ship at Stromness.
The original expedition undertaken by Shackleton, Crean and Worsley was the final 36-hour act of desperation and bravado to raise the alarm to rescue the crew of Shackleton's Endurance expedition who were marooned on Elephant Island.
''I think I'm probably most interested in ... getting some idea of what it was like for Shackleton and Worsley and Crean to do that crossing, with 28 lives depending on their success or failure 100 years ago,'' Mr MacTavish said.
The former Waitaki Boys' High School pupil grew up in Moeraki, which offered him an ''adventurous'' upbringing, he said.
''All my early work was on the fishing boats here and that was probably the seed for a fairly adventurous life, from there."
After graduating from the University of Otago with a masters in marine science, a ''fascination for cold places'' and a passion for climbing and skiing led him to the Arctic.
He also spent about two years working and travelling in Norway and Europe, before returning to New Zealand last year.
Wanting a career change, he began looking for opportunities to suit his ''adventurous spirit'' and stumbled across an advertisement for the Inspiring Explorers Expedition 2015.
In the application he was asked how he would inspire others from the journey, if he was chosen. Mr MacTavish said his plan was to involve small-town, rural New Zealand children in sharing his experiences.
''The logical choice for me was the three schools that I went to - Hampden School, East Otago High School and Waitaki Boys' High School."
Mr McTavbish has already visited each school and spoken to the pupils about the original crossing 100 years ago, as well as the expedition he will be embarking on.
''It was a real buzz, actually, to be able to share some of the things that you're passionate about with the next generation.
''That was particularly ... important for me because I actually remember exposure to adventure and adventurous people, when I was at school, as being quite formative and quite important.''
When he returns, he will visit each school again to share his experiences.
Throughout the expedition pupils can follow updates which will be posted on the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust's social sites.
Where, in the past, Mr MacTavish's adventures have largely been for his own benefit, this was different.
''The emphasis is more on communicating the adventure with others, and that's new for me - I find that quite exciting.''
