Game, 'Polaroute'

item details

NameGame, 'Polaroute'

ProductionBP (New Zealand) Ltd.; manufacturer(s); 1950s; New Zealand

Classificationboard games

Materialspaper, ink

DimensionsOverall: 457mm (width), 457mm (height)

Registration NumberGH025912

Credit linePurchased 2020

Overview

This folded paper game sheet, a BP (New Zealand) giveaway, has Antarctica in the centre and shows various polar routes from Australia, South America, South Africa and New Zealand. Players use a dice and counters (not included) to move forward towards Antarctic, encountering obstacles such as blizzards and injuries along the way.

The game sheets were probably given out in the late 1950s, at the time of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The British crossing party was the first to complete an overland crossing of Antarctica, arriving at Scott Base on 2 March 1958.

Although supported by a number of governments, including New Zealand’s, the expedition was a private venture and received a number of corporate and personal donations. British explorer Sir Vivian Fuchs headed the expedition, and British Petroleum (BP) was his major sponsor.

Sir Edmund Hillary, by now a prominent public figure, lobbied the New Zealand government to support the expedition and was eventually invited to lead the New Zealand party. His team set up Scott Base and laid food and fuel depots for the crossing party. Against instructions Hillary also led a ‘dash to the Pole,’ reaching the South Pole on 4 January 1958. He faced some criticism for the decision, but in New Zealand it served to cement has status as a national hero.

References

Henderson, Warwick. 2018. The Fascinating History of Toys and Games Around the World. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.
Hicks, Stephen Walter. 2015. The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1955-1958: How the Crossing of Antarctica Moved New Zealand to Recognise its Antarctic Heritage and Take an Equal Place Among Antarctic Nations. PhD thesis, University of Canterbury.
Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 2014. Arrival at the Pole by tractor. New Zealand History wedsite. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/dash-pole-tractors
Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 2014. Edmund Hillary in Antarctica. New Zealand History website.https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/edmund-hillary-antarctica