SLEEPING ON THE ICE RUNWAY

The good ol' kiwi c-130 airforce plane broke their number one engine yesterday, so 3 of us keen firefighters slept out at station two last night to man the runway/plane. What a blast! Actually i witnessed the engine blow, as i was filming there take off, fortunately i was when they were reving up full power before takeoff.

So our fate had fallen and LT Brag, heiff and I were there for the night. Anytime there is a plane on the apron there must be a crew out on the runway. The camera came out, and i shot some nice pictures around midnight - the ice runway looks back on McMurdo.

Tonight is American night at Scott Base, actually I was just this second talking to Harley (who's the kiwi barman) he's here at mctown to get supplies. I told him t gear up!

OUT TO EXPLORE

Weather: -22.c, wind chill -36.c

I woke up this morning at the firehouse to a pearler of a day. Blue Sky, bright white snow, no clouds and no wind. Time to head out for a play!

Chippy, my kiwi partner in crime (dave palmer - the other kiwi nz firefighter) and i hit the tracks over to Scott Base, the New Zealand station down here on the ice. It's only about 3km away from McMurdo base. What a blast! It was awesome meeting up with some other kiwi folk, and they gave us a cool tour of the base. It was funny hearing the kiwi accent after being surrounded by all americans, i pondered in my head "wow do i really sound that bad!"

Actually here's something funny..... I was in the gift shop at Scott Base talking to someone i'd just met when someone else in there heard me talking and came over; "oh hi, are you the kiwi working at McMurdo?" "yeah i am" i cheerfully replied, "oh you're Vanessa's sister"

How small a world is that! He worked with my sis Vanessa as an ambulance officer for Wellington Free, and he's over here working at Scott base as the medic.

We left Scott Base and walked back to McMurdo, with my newly purchased cadbury creame egg from carefully resting in my jacket pocket. We took photos of our eyelashes which had snow/ice droplet stuck to them.

Around 5.30pm this evening, a friend Heiff and I, a firefighter from Colorado, hiked up Observation hill. It had the most amazing view i have ever seen, and the summit bears a cross in rememberance to Scott, which was errected in 1913. Can you believe that was 94 years ago and it's still standing strong and proud.

I'm making tons of new friends here, they're calling me crazy kiwi, cause i'm always laughing and joking around.

I attended an outdoor lecture tonight to enable me to use some of the skiing/hiking routes available. I learnt that if you're wet, cold and tired.... "changing your socks, changes your attitude"

I like it.

I'M HERE!

Weather: -15.c, wind chill -26.c

WOW WOW and more WOW's! I'll never EVER forget stepping off the USA airforce c-17 plane onto the ice. I felt like i had died and gone to heaven, I had this massive over-whelming rush of just, well, WOW.

The scenery is just out of this planet. Pure and Pristine.

This is going to be an absolute experience of a lifetime!