U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Antarctica Friday, ahead of an international climate-change conference in Marrakesh next week.
After an early-morning departure from Christchurch, New Zealand, Kerry flew to McMurdo Station, the base of U.S. operations in Antarctica. Kerry is traveling from McMurdo to a small U.S. research station near the South Pole, where he will speak with experts there before returning to McMurdo for the night.
Kerry's aides say the trip is an opportunity for him to learn about Antarctic climate change.
Kerry has made no public statements while in Antarctica, but on Thursday in Christchurch he congratulated U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for winning what Kerry called a "momentous election" earlier this week.
Kerry returns to New Zealand on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister John Key.
From there, he travels to the middle east for talks and then on to Marrakesh, Morocco, where he is slated to deliver a major speech.
