CHRISTCHURCH PHOTOGRAPHER CELEBRATES 30th SEASON IN ANTARCTICA WITH RELEASE OF TWO BOOKS.

Christchurch-based polar and mountain photographer Colin Monteath leaves shortly for another expedition to Antarctica, his 30th summer season on the continent since first going there in 1973. In mid November Monteath will join the Sydney-based adventure company Aurora Expeditions' ship Polar Pioneer in Ushuaia, Argentina, embarking on two voyages to attempt to climb a number of peaks on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Monteath is also celebrating his long-term involvement with Antarctica with the recent release of two books of his photographs and writing - "Antarctica - land of silence", published by Auckland company David Ling and "The Wilderness of Antarctica", a large format book published in five languages by the Italian company White Star.

"It has been an enormous privilege to visit Antarctica for each of my 30 seasons. I have been extremely lucky to experience a variety of environments across the continent from the summits of 4000 metre peaks in the Transantarctic mountains and Vinson massif, Antarctica's highest peak, to crossings of South Georgia on the route used by Sir Ernest Shackleton in 1916. I can but hope that through my lectures, books and photographs I have helped to educate others of the on-going need to look after the polar regions."

Monteath has authored eight other books, mainly about Antarctica or his expeditions to mountain ranges across the globe. His most recent books include "New Zealand's Mountains", "New Zealand's Coasts" and, after a year-long photographic assignment with National Geographic, a guide book "New Zealand". A mountain travel book, "Under a Sheltering Sky-journeys to mountain heartlands", documenting 12 of Monteath's expeditions from 1993-2003, was shortlisted at the International Mountain book festival in Banff, Canada.