2007 Ross Dependency - 50th Anniversary Trans-Antarctic Expedition

       The 1955–58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South Pole overland for 46 years, preceded only by Amundsen's and Scott's respective parties in 1911 and 1912.
        In keeping with the tradition of polar expeditions of the "heroic age" the CTAE was a private venture, though it was supported by the governments of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Australia and South Africa, as well as many corporate and individual donations, under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth II. It was headed by British explorer Dr Vivian Fuchs, with New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary leading the New Zealand Ross Sea Support team. The New Zealand party included scientists participating in International Geophysical Year (IGY) research while the UK IGY team were separately based at Halley Bay.


50c - Air Transport / Beaver Aircraft.
The first stamp highlight air transport showing the single-engine Mk. VII Auster and Beaver. Mr James Bates is pictured before the Auster.

$1.00 - Harry Ayres / Sledge.
The traditional Antarctic transport is the sledge, either pulled by dogs or humans. For this expedition, the sledges were pulled by tractors.

$1.50 - Sledge Dog Team.
Both parties also took dog teams which were used for field work trips and backup in case of failure of the mechanical transportation – though the dogs were not taken all the way to the Pole.

$2.00 - Ferguson tractor.
Massey Ferguson TE20 Tractor, the first mechanised transport used by the New Zealand Team for caching supplies and ultimately reaching the Pole on 4 January 1958. The tractors were modified for running on snow and ice using tracks between the front and back wheels.

$2.50 - HMNZS Endeavour.
The HMNZS Endeavour which carried the Ross Sea support party and equipment.

Captain Harry Kirkwood had commanded her as the John Biscoe and, when asked to recommend a ship for the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition to take the New Zealand party to the Ross Dependency, he recommended this ship to the Ross Sea Committee. She was sold to the Royal New Zealand Navy in August 1956 for £20,000 and commissioned as HMNZS Endeavour. She was named after Captain Cook's Bark Endeavour and was the first of three ships in the Royal New Zealand Navy to carry that name, although if earlier continuity with the Royal Navy is considered, she was the tenth. It appears that no pendant number was assigned to her. She made five voyages to the Antarctic under the New Zealand flag.

 First Day Cover - 7 November 2007.

Miniature Sheet with 2 higher values.

Technical Information.
NZ Post has removed some Ross Dependency issues from their website so for the years 2007 through 2010 there will be no technical information and details concerning the scenes shown on each stamp, will be gained from other sources.


Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and Online Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information for this post came from.