Departure of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition from Lyttelton, 1908

This silent footage shows explorer Ernest Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition, or Nimrod expedition, leaving from Lyttelton, the expedition's New Zealand base, on 1 January 1908. Includes footage of ponies and dogs which stayed on Quail Island prior to the expedition.

The Nimrod expedition was to penetrate the farther south than any previous trips to the Antarctic, getting within 160 km of the Pole. The expedition received significant support from the New Zealand government and the public. A number of New Zealanders were also involved.

See reports of the send-off for the Nimrod, described as 'the greatest yet accorded to any vessel leaving a New Zealand port' in the Star and Evening Post (PapersPast).