World Scene: New Zealand

Women skiing to South Pole

Eight women set out yesterday from their base camp on Antarctica to ski to the South Pole in a trek to mark the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth grouping of 53 former British colonies.

Skiing six to 10 hours a day, they expect to travel 800 km across the frozen southern continent to the pole in about 40 days. "They will experience 24-hour daylight, endless vistas, and intense solitude. They will not see any plant or animal life; only snow, ice, rock and sky," the Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition's website said.