在世界上所有地方，没有一个对南极洲着迷和敬畏。南极不仅是最高，最冷和最孤立的大陆，而且面积如此之大，影响了世界的气候和洋流。如许多气候模型目前所预测的，如果冰盖融化，那么海面将比当前水平高出70米。南极及其周围的南大洋拥有独特而复杂的生命系统，可以在极端环境中生存。但是，南极洲并不总是今天的寒冷，孤立，极地。在过去，它经历了更温暖的气候，并与其他大洲相连，尤其是作为冈瓦纳的一部分。正如我们今天所知，那片超大陆的碎片塑造了南部大陆。新西兰和南半球许多独特的动植物起源于冈瓦纳。
Of all places in the world, none holds the fascination and awe of Antarctica. Not only is Antarctica the highest, coldest, and most isolated continent, but it is so vast it affects the world's climate and ocean currents. If the ice sheets were to melt, as is currently predicted in many climate models, the sea would rise up to 70 metres above current levels. The Antarctic and surrounding Southern Ocean support a unique and complex system of life that survives in an environment at the extremes.<br><br>However, Antarctica has not always been the cold, isolated, polar continent it is today. In the past, it has experienced warmer climates and was linked to other continents, most notably as part of Gondwana. The fragmentation of that supercontinent shaped the southern continents as we know them today. Many of Aotearoa New Zealand's and the Southern Hemisphere's unique plants and animals had their origins in Gondwana.