Accession No. PA.2006.0001: Bruce Young, 2006 January
[identification of item], "Dr. Louis Hauiti Potaka of New Zealand: A Biographical Essay" Manuscript by Bruce Young, SPEC.PA.56.5044, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
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Processsed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 December; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 December
Dr. Louis Hauiti Potaka (1901-1936) was a New Zealand doctor who served on Admiral Richard E. Byrd's Byrd Antarctic Expedition II from February 1934 to February 1935. Potaka completed his medical studies at Otago Medical School in 1929, then did his internship as a surgeon at Nelson Public Hospital. When he finished his studies in 1930, he was the fifth Māori medical graduate in New Zealand.
In early February 1934, Byrd learned that the original doctor assigned to his expedition would not be able to winter over in the Antarctic due to health concerns. A replacement was quickly sought in New Zealand, and Potaka was chosen to join the expedition. After arriving in Antarctica on February 26, 1934, Potaka performed monthly medical exams for the wintering over team and treated problems as varied as frostbite, tooth extraction, and an arm fracture; he also performed an appendectomy on cameraman Joseph Pelter, most likely saving his life.
Following his return to New Zealand, Potaka continued to work as a doctor until his death on October 2, 1936. Potaka Inlet on Thurston Island, which is off the coast of Antarctica, is named after him.
Bruce Stratton Young (1930-2020) was a professor in the Wilfried Laurier University Department of Geography and Environmental Studies in Canada; he spent much of his teaching career traveling the globe. Young was the nephew of Henry Richard "Bob" Young, who also served on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II.
"Dr. Louis Hauiti Potaka of New Zealand: A Biographical Essay" Manuscript by Bruce Young dates from December 2005, and consists of a typed manuscript. It is a brief biographical essay written by Young that describes what he learned about Potaka's life and participation in the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II through secondary source research. The first version of this essay was published on December 31, 1999; the version in this collection is the revised December 2005 edition.