NZ (and especially the NZDF) is so often overlooked for how much they do despite being such a tiny country. When fucking half of Australia was on fire in 2019/2020 they deployed to help out. Didn't need to be asked, it was just "yeah we're already on our way".
Also have their Air Force has the coolest story ever for their roundel. It's a kiwi, a flightless bird, so you'd think it's an odd choice (awkwardly looks at the kangaroo on RAAF planes..). Well the story goes something like this. The god of the forest saw that all the birds were getting sick and eaten by bugs, so he asked for one of the birds to come down and live on the forest floor instead of in the trees. One by one all the birds declined, making some excuse. Eventually he got to the Kiwi, and the Kiwi accepted, knowing it would never fly again. It made a huge sacrifice to help others.
And the Tui declined, so Maui took his balls and put them on his neck so he will always be known as a coward, and that's why Tui have those white balls on their neck.
Edit: it was Tanemahuta, god of the forest, not maui
It's such a perfect embodiment of a sibling relationship. Make fun of one another all day, but if anyone else mocks them, there's going to be some stabbing. They can have a go at us about Engadine Maccas all they want, we know they're still going to have a go with their sheep when they get home.
I'm a Kiwi living in Aus. I talked mad shit about Aus in a team meeting at work today. One of the Assies immediately threw it back at me and we all laughed. The Wallabies are dogshit at rugby though.
Fucking ouch. Who the shit invites the scaffolder to the team meeting? You should stay out in the yard counting standards and stillages. Say it with me, one, many, lots.
I've said this before about defense arrangements with Australia.
We don't need a defense part or treaty. If one of us was attacked, the others government wouldn't last more than a day or two if they refused full and unconditional aid.
If China invaded Australia there would be nothing military that NZ could do. But damn if we wouldn't dive in head first regardless.
And it's not just Australia, and not just defence. 100 troops (that's what, half of Auckland?) deployed to Europe for training and logistics in aid of Ukraine. I am still ashamed of how Australia treated Kiwis at the start of COVID. Lock down the borders and refuse to give support to anyone who wasn't a citizen, even if they been living here for years. Meanwhile Jacinda just going "yeah any Aussies living in NZ get the same support as everyone". I'm still so fucking salty about that. Absolutely disgraceful (on our end, you guys did the right thing). Fuck I love Jacinda Arden.
That's typically how it works, and it's weird to be there, feeling isolated and alone, and then a plane just... appears. it feels like the plane just jumped dimensions to get there, and sometimes, they bring fruit and mail in. 😊
Oh, and there's typically a medevac flight every winter, this is nothing new EXCEPT it's not usually the kiwis who do the flight, it's their American next-door neighbors. Yay, kiwis! Our stations are good friends and we appreciate the help.
Source: I work at Murdo Station, and have overwintered six times. I am not there right now.
I was thinking that this (that is, employment in the Antarctic) has to be the closest you can get to the astronaut experience without actually leaving Earth.
Like you said, you're UTTERLY isolated besides the occasional supply run. Going outside without serious protective equipment will kill you, fast. The delay probably isn't as bad as it is on the ISS, but I'd still imagine that consistent Internet and cellular service are difficult to maintain.
I know you can't exactly hop a commercial flight and just show up on base, but I'd really like to figure out a way to visit at some point.
People don't typically get to visit - they either pay for a cruise or get a seasonal job there. I work at the largest station (it's American) and started as a janitor, worked in food service, processed trash one season, and now work for the supply department. If you can pass an in-depth background check and physical examinations, you could probably get a job there. If you ever seriously want to try for a job, you can visit the r/Antarctica, which has an employment FAQ.
Edit: I forgot to add that during the summer months there are flights constantly, moving staff and supplies. During the winter, there are usually one or two. I'm deploying again in about a week, and the sun will almost be up. Its a cold and stormy time of year - wish me luck!
Lots of jobs in construction/maintenance and emergency response (fire and medical) from what I remember looking a few years ago. Though many emergency response jobs are just maintenance folks who are cross trained in fire, since it doesn’t make much sense for firefighters to just be sitting around waiting for emergencies given the environment.
"We're the best equipped and trained crew available for this job. Don't bother with your seat belts or tray tables. And feel free to walk around whenever. If we crash, with luck you'll die on impact. It's nothing but frozen hellscape for thousands of k's in any direction. There will be no rescue in time for us, because no-one else can do what we're about to do."
In 1961 a Soviet surgeon on an Antarctic expedition had to cut out his own appendix after developing appendicitis. Thank god we’ve got the Kiwi’s now to come save someone in trouble!
And in 1988, a US doctor in Antarctica had to operate on her own breast (without the sophisticated imaging normally used for a biopsy) to locate a breast lump to diagnose herself with cancer. The weather didn't permit air landing for months, so US AF flying out of NZ airdropped chemotherapy drugs and equipment for a more specialized biopsy. She gave herself chemo and didn't get rescued for her surgery for months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerri_Nielsen
The Canadian Ken Borek Air did something similar years ago. Real cowboy pilots, love em. Any pilot who will fly to the frozen ends of the earth in the middle of endless nights to medically evacuate people are heroes.
I work at McMurdo, and those KBA pilots are generally regarded as crazy badasses, we love having them, and we love knowing they have our backs!
This flight being done in August means there's some light in the sky to work with and it's definitely cold. But it's not winter 2016 at Pole cold - that's where KBA came in.
I appreciate what the kiwis just did, but there's at least one medevac a winter there. It's usually the Americans who handle it. Go kiwis!
Actually the KBA medevac in 2016 was significantly more involved. They flew two twin otters from Canada down through South America and staged one at Rothra. Then one plane flew to Pole, not McMurdo and the other stayed behind to provide a possible rescue should the first plane go down.
Okay, I apologize for offering a ribald Kiwi joke, but where else could I tell this.
Back in the Soviet era, the Kiwis military got a telex from the Soviet Antiartic base. "We've been granted a weekend of Shore Leave for 10 of us in Aukland for next week. We are requesting 25 dozen condoms size 12" long by 8" girth." The Kiwis replied. "No problem. We have lots of medium-sized condoms in stock."
I worked for an FBO at the Iqaluit Airport in Nunavut, Canada for a year and know first hand how insane this is. Great work to all involved! These conditions are not for the faint of heart and can be life threatening for anyone involved.
I had the pleasure of handling the C-17 myself alongside the RCAF and we had some difficulties servicing it, not to the fault of the aircraft or highly professional crew. All of these problems were caused by environmental factors and equipment availability.
Conditions in winter in Iqaluit are usually around -30 - -45°C as well as a healthy dose of wind. Frostbite sets in within minutes to any part of the body that’s exposed. And things break down all the time, including the planes I handled.
Polar operations are fascinating but extremely challenging! Cheers to the Kiwis! Hopefully the patient onboard is able to make a speedy recovery!
That sounds really interesting! I’ve always wanted to visit Canada. I’ve done a heap of outback travel and in many ways it sounds like Canada in reverse. +50°C instead of -50°C and just as remote when you get into the proper ‘never never’.
I had a pre-med student who was in the National Guard who got stationed at McMurdo for a couple of months. While there a Japanese research vessel had a helicopter crash on the deck. Injuries included severe burns. The student helped stabilize them at the site, transferred them to McMurdo, then accompanied them on a flight to NZ.
I always thought that if I wake up on an emergency gurney and see that student's (now a doctor) face, I'll be in fine hands.
Welp at least they know for a fact they're not going to hit another air craft where there headed. They're literally the only thing in the air for thousands of miles in any direction. Just set the cruise control for 600 mph and take a nap at 40,000 feet.
NZ (and especially the NZDF) is so often overlooked for how much they do despite being such a tiny country. When fucking half of Australia was on fire in 2019/2020 they deployed to help out. Didn't need to be asked, it was just "yeah we're already on our way".
Also have their Air Force has the coolest story ever for their roundel. It's a kiwi, a flightless bird, so you'd think it's an odd choice (awkwardly looks at the kangaroo on RAAF planes..). Well the story goes something like this. The god of the forest saw that all the birds were getting sick and eaten by bugs, so he asked for one of the birds to come down and live on the forest floor instead of in the trees. One by one all the birds declined, making some excuse. Eventually he got to the Kiwi, and the Kiwi accepted, knowing it would never fly again. It made a huge sacrifice to help others.
The RNZAF gave the Kiwi back its wings.
I learned that on a trip to NZ. This story is a true reflection of their national character.
And the Tui declined, so Maui took his balls and put them on his neck so he will always be known as a coward, and that's why Tui have those white balls on their neck.
Edit: it was Tanemahuta, god of the forest, not maui
lol is this real lore or did you make that up
That's genuinely part of the story. For once an Aussie and a Kiwi aren't actually fucking with you.
All true, except it was Tanemahuta, god of the forest, not maui
We Aussies do love our Kiwi family 😄
It's such a perfect embodiment of a sibling relationship. Make fun of one another all day, but if anyone else mocks them, there's going to be some stabbing. They can have a go at us about Engadine Maccas all they want, we know they're still going to have a go with their sheep when they get home.
I'm a Kiwi living in Aus. I talked mad shit about Aus in a team meeting at work today. One of the Assies immediately threw it back at me and we all laughed. The Wallabies are dogshit at rugby though.
Yeah but if you want to see proper football, the Matildas are the queens.
Also I'm fucking terrified of the All Blacks please don't tell them I said that
Fucking ouch. Who the shit invites the scaffolder to the team meeting? You should stay out in the yard counting standards and stillages. Say it with me, one, many, lots.
Yeah the success of the All Blacks almost makes you feel like you did something useful, but its still not enough to keep you living there.
I've said this before about defense arrangements with Australia.
We don't need a defense part or treaty. If one of us was attacked, the others government wouldn't last more than a day or two if they refused full and unconditional aid.
If China invaded Australia there would be nothing military that NZ could do. But damn if we wouldn't dive in head first regardless.
If we go down, we go down together.
And it's not just Australia, and not just defence. 100 troops (that's what, half of Auckland?) deployed to Europe for training and logistics in aid of Ukraine. I am still ashamed of how Australia treated Kiwis at the start of COVID. Lock down the borders and refuse to give support to anyone who wasn't a citizen, even if they been living here for years. Meanwhile Jacinda just going "yeah any Aussies living in NZ get the same support as everyone". I'm still so fucking salty about that. Absolutely disgraceful (on our end, you guys did the right thing). Fuck I love Jacinda Arden.
Those in Canberra at that time did not represent Australia.
Jacinda Ardern certainly showed us all how it's done.
We love ya' cunts, too :)
I did not expect this comment to have me tearing up by the end. What a beautiful story for the kiwi!
Super cool
I genuinely teared up at the last line. This is such a great story.
Chur bro.
The kiwi just wants to fly!
Oh! Thats beautiful.
That's fuckin' badass. I'm hoping they took off during daylight and just flew south into darkness.
"Alright crew, bearing set to 180, Heaters on full, lights on max. Hope we live to see daylight. "
That's typically how it works, and it's weird to be there, feeling isolated and alone, and then a plane just... appears. it feels like the plane just jumped dimensions to get there, and sometimes, they bring fruit and mail in. 😊
Oh, and there's typically a medevac flight every winter, this is nothing new EXCEPT it's not usually the kiwis who do the flight, it's their American next-door neighbors. Yay, kiwis! Our stations are good friends and we appreciate the help.
Source: I work at Murdo Station, and have overwintered six times. I am not there right now.
There was one last year:
Hercules completes rare midwinter flight to Antarctica to retrieve US patient. RNZ. 27 June 2024.
I was thinking that this (that is, employment in the Antarctic) has to be the closest you can get to the astronaut experience without actually leaving Earth.
Like you said, you're UTTERLY isolated besides the occasional supply run. Going outside without serious protective equipment will kill you, fast. The delay probably isn't as bad as it is on the ISS, but I'd still imagine that consistent Internet and cellular service are difficult to maintain.
I know you can't exactly hop a commercial flight and just show up on base, but I'd really like to figure out a way to visit at some point.
People don't typically get to visit - they either pay for a cruise or get a seasonal job there. I work at the largest station (it's American) and started as a janitor, worked in food service, processed trash one season, and now work for the supply department. If you can pass an in-depth background check and physical examinations, you could probably get a job there. If you ever seriously want to try for a job, you can visit the r/Antarctica, which has an employment FAQ.
Edit: I forgot to add that during the summer months there are flights constantly, moving staff and supplies. During the winter, there are usually one or two. I'm deploying again in about a week, and the sun will almost be up. Its a cold and stormy time of year - wish me luck!
I had no idea that you can just get a (sorta) regular ass job there without being a PhD scientist or something. Thank you so much for sharing this
Lots of jobs in construction/maintenance and emergency response (fire and medical) from what I remember looking a few years ago. Though many emergency response jobs are just maintenance folks who are cross trained in fire, since it doesn’t make much sense for firefighters to just be sitting around waiting for emergencies given the environment.
Maybe that's true at other stations, but where I work, the FD is only the FD.
Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea that non-research personnel lived there. That's very cool.
"We're the best equipped and trained crew available for this job. Don't bother with your seat belts or tray tables. And feel free to walk around whenever. If we crash, with luck you'll die on impact. It's nothing but frozen hellscape for thousands of k's in any direction. There will be no rescue in time for us, because no-one else can do what we're about to do."
Chills.
There is a point of no return, where there is no turning back and nowhere to divert too, regardless of what the weather at the landing site is.
Once on the ground the engines have to be kept running even while refueling.
Badass.
In 1961 a Soviet surgeon on an Antarctic expedition had to cut out his own appendix after developing appendicitis. Thank god we’ve got the Kiwi’s now to come save someone in trouble!
And in 1988, a US doctor in Antarctica had to operate on her own breast (without the sophisticated imaging normally used for a biopsy) to locate a breast lump to diagnose herself with cancer. The weather didn't permit air landing for months, so US AF flying out of NZ airdropped chemotherapy drugs and equipment for a more specialized biopsy. She gave herself chemo and didn't get rescued for her surgery for months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerri_Nielsen
Jesus wept. What a badass.
Yea, both these docs were.
Someone has to do it! Bravo brave ones!!
The Canadian Ken Borek Air did something similar years ago. Real cowboy pilots, love em. Any pilot who will fly to the frozen ends of the earth in the middle of endless nights to medically evacuate people are heroes.
I work at McMurdo, and those KBA pilots are generally regarded as crazy badasses, we love having them, and we love knowing they have our backs!
This flight being done in August means there's some light in the sky to work with and it's definitely cold. But it's not winter 2016 at Pole cold - that's where KBA came in.
I appreciate what the kiwis just did, but there's at least one medevac a winter there. It's usually the Americans who handle it. Go kiwis!
Actually the KBA medevac in 2016 was significantly more involved. They flew two twin otters from Canada down through South America and staged one at Rothra. Then one plane flew to Pole, not McMurdo and the other stayed behind to provide a possible rescue should the first plane go down.
Okay, I apologize for offering a ribald Kiwi joke, but where else could I tell this.
Back in the Soviet era, the Kiwis military got a telex from the Soviet Antiartic base. "We've been granted a weekend of Shore Leave for 10 of us in Aukland for next week. We are requesting 25 dozen condoms size 12" long by 8" girth." The Kiwis replied. "No problem. We have lots of medium-sized condoms in stock."
I hope the Kiwis get all the recognition they deserve for bailing out Americans. Yay NZ!
We got hit with 15% tariffs
You got a discount
Yeah, it ain’t us paying it. Enjoy!
We're like an abusive dad who decides to hold back on you.
It's how we show our love!
We got a visit from Kash Patel and a brand new spying building.
At least it's not the guy who visted the Pope that died.
Can you send him to meet our useless PM
We love you Aussies!
/s
That last picture. The pilots headgear. My Brain is telling me its a sideways iPhone with some huge screen in front. Explain, thanks.
The monocular is an NVD, night vision device.
I have my second interview to work at the McMurdo station soon! So fucking weird to see this on my feed lmfaooo
You should talk to u/A_the_Buttercup they have been commenting on here about working there and it sounds like an incredible experience!
Good luck with the interview.
That sounds awesome.
You get gut feeling of hoping you won’t regret it
Good luck on your dream!
RNZAF carries out mid-winter medical evacuation from Antarctica or nzdf.mil.nz/medical-evacuation . NZDF /RNZAF. 06 August, 2025.
Balls of (frozen) steel!
Golly, sure is nice to have allies!
Enjoy 'em while you can! If the US govt. start talking to NZ the way they've been talking to Canadians, the relationship is doomed.
Why is it called "Royal"? Who is the king of NZ? Charles?
Yes, he is King of the UK and 14 other realms.
Yes, same King as Great Britain, Australia, Canada etc.
I really, really want to run into the pilot at a bar in New Zealand someday and listen to him tell this story
Nailed it, you should watch an interview on one news NZ , reporters so smitten
I worked for an FBO at the Iqaluit Airport in Nunavut, Canada for a year and know first hand how insane this is. Great work to all involved! These conditions are not for the faint of heart and can be life threatening for anyone involved.
I had the pleasure of handling the C-17 myself alongside the RCAF and we had some difficulties servicing it, not to the fault of the aircraft or highly professional crew. All of these problems were caused by environmental factors and equipment availability.
Conditions in winter in Iqaluit are usually around -30 - -45°C as well as a healthy dose of wind. Frostbite sets in within minutes to any part of the body that’s exposed. And things break down all the time, including the planes I handled.
Polar operations are fascinating but extremely challenging! Cheers to the Kiwis! Hopefully the patient onboard is able to make a speedy recovery!
That sounds really interesting! I’ve always wanted to visit Canada. I’ve done a heap of outback travel and in many ways it sounds like Canada in reverse. +50°C instead of -50°C and just as remote when you get into the proper ‘never never’.
This is how air evac works in the outback:
https://youtu.be/eETG7G4rRRI?si=FA-ncvw7LrspUKIp
Or at night:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-12/rfds-use-flaming-toilet-rolls-to-light-up-remote-airstrip/7722858?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link
It’s humbling how quickly is humans die of exposure in the sorts of cold/hot that we are talking about without the right equipment/water/shelter.
So cool
I had a pre-med student who was in the National Guard who got stationed at McMurdo for a couple of months. While there a Japanese research vessel had a helicopter crash on the deck. Injuries included severe burns. The student helped stabilize them at the site, transferred them to McMurdo, then accompanied them on a flight to NZ.
I always thought that if I wake up on an emergency gurney and see that student's (now a doctor) face, I'll be in fine hands.
Hell yeah
Talk about hard core.
Back in the day people wouldn't call life flight they'd just do surgery on themselves
C 130 ??
Yup C130J, not sure this would have been doable with the old H model.
Bad ass.
Royal New Zealand Air Force rocking that Fallout 3 HUD I see!
Absolute rock stars! They left out the quit when they made these folks!
Look at that, having allies helped us. Gee whiz.
Can someone please tell the President?
And good on every last mf who was on board, Godspeed to all
Welp at least they know for a fact they're not going to hit another air craft where there headed. They're literally the only thing in the air for thousands of miles in any direction. Just set the cruise control for 600 mph and take a nap at 40,000 feet.
Except for the weather....
JD Vance: "But did they say Thank You?"
Weren't there sick researchers? Why were the researchers sick?
Remember to send the bill to the american gov. Nothing is free anymore!
US person thanking my brothers and sisters in NZAF.
Night vision
I need a movie about this now
Not quite this story, but fascinating nonetheless:
https://youtu.be/yP36X0BsMQ0?si=4al_Lbv4_WsfTIt4
Thank you, NZ!
From a U.S. person
I love New Zealand
I feel this happens monthly
Now do one to gaza
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