In a rare move, a world leader visits Antarctica

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, second right, with her partner Clarke Gayford, right, set foot on Antarctica this week, a rare visit by a world leader to the frigid region. (Mike Scott/NZ Herald/Pool via AP)

Her trip was long and challenging and included a flight in a military cargo plane. An Associated Press report said that the PM's plane was turned around after about two hours due to poor weather, making her part of what's informally known as the “boomerang club.” (In this photos, Jacinda Ardern and her partner Clarke Gayford look around Scott's Terra Nova hut at Cape Evans in Antarctica, Oct. 27, 2022. Credit: Mike Scott/NZ Herald/Pool Photo via AP)

The purpose of Jacinda Ardern's visit was to see firsthand the research taking place on global warming. (New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern examines the cross in place above Sir Robert Falcon's hut at Cape Evans in Antarctica, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Credit: Mike Scott/NZ Herald via AP, Pool)

Visiting the Antarctic hut of explorer Ernest Shackleton, Jacinda Ardern said: "I think when you’re a kid and you read stories about Shackleton, you’d never imagine you’d have the opportunity to come. So, I feel pretty lucky." (Mike Scott/NZ Herald via AP, Pool)

Delegations from 26 nations and the European Union are scheduled to meet in Australia this week to decide the future of Antarctica’s waters, and in this context, Ardern's visit gains importance. (Credit: Mike Scott/NZ Herald/Pool Photo via AP)

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner, Clarke Gayford, walk toward the front of a glacier in the Taylor Valley, one of Antarctica's iconic dry valleys, Oct. 27, 2022. (Mike Scott/NZ Herald via AP, Pool)