NARRATIVE OF ACTIVITIES

Dr. Rich and Mr. Smith left New Zealand on 10th November, a week before the rest of the party, and were present on a reconnaissance flight which found a ski landing site on the western side of Brown Hills. (Helicopter support could not be used as on previous expeditions as the area was outside helicopter range.) The party was flown in to this landing strip in two ski equipped Dakota flights on November 22nd. It was decided to sledge the gear around Bastion Hill and establish a base camp in a large valley N.E. of Bastion Hill. This was accomplished on the 23rd and 24th. From this base camp the parties radiated out doing their respective work.

After a careful look from Bastion Hill at the routes from Brown Hills to Darwin Mountains and Tentacle Ridge, it was decided that the crossing of the glaciers was definitely out for a Victoria University expedition. Ait support to take the geologists to Darwin Mountains was asked for and granted. The geologists having finished work in the Brown Hills returned to the landing site on Dec. 10th to cross to Darwin Mountains. However, bad weather delayed the flight for ten days during which time the glaciological team also finished their work in Brown Hills, and this allowed the expedition as a whole to be flown by Dakota to Darwin Mountains on December 20th, where they worked until December 28th when they were flown back to Brown Hills.

A few days were spent celebrating a belated Christmas, packing up base camp and sledging the gear back to the landing site to be taken back to Scott Base. The expedition arrived at Scott Base on 1st January.

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On the 2nd January Messrs. Haskell and Prebble with Dr. Colin Bull (Leader VUWAE 2, Deputy Leader VUWAE 4 - now at Ohio State University) left by helicopter for Taylor Valley and established a camp at the western end of Lake Bonney. This also served as a reconnaissance flight to determine sites for food dumps. Messrs. Kennett and Smith flew in on the 3rd and Dr. Rich and Mr. Willis on the 5th.

Four food dumps were established with helicopter support at approximately 10 mile intervals along the valley between Solitary Rocks to the eastern end of Lake Fryxell. The expedition worked from west to east along the valley, retracing their steps as little as possible.

Dr. Bull spent five days with the expedition doing gravity and glaciological work. This reunion with Dr. Bull was most unexpected and was enjoyed by all.

The expedition was lifted by helicopter from Lake Fryxell to Marble Point on 16th January and the next four days were spent doing geology, glaciology and collecting marine organisms in this region.

The expedition returned to Scott Base on 20th January.

Dr. Rich and Mr. Haskell flew back to New Zealand while the remainder returned on January 28th.