Innocents in the Dry Valleys: An Account of the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition, 1958-59

In 1958-59, a physicist. a biologist, and two undergraduate geology students from Victoria University of Wellington spent a summer discovering parts of the Dry Valleys of Victoria Land, Antarctica. This expedition began what has become an annual and very fruitful Antarctic research programme from the university, spanning the past fifty years – so far. These days the expeditions are organized by the internationally respected Antarctic Research Centre. They may cost tens of thousands of dollars and often involve highly specialized equipment.. Colin Bull and his companions, Dick Barwick, Barrie McKelvey, and Peter Webb, using food, equipment, and transport that was mostly begged, borrowed, or even salvaged from the Scott Base rubbish dump, carried out research for two months for under $1000. With droll humour, Bull recounts the adventures of these four hardy and resourceful scientists, who seemed to revel in the adverse conditions, lack of funding, and battles with bureaucray.