A Bay of Plenty student had a taste of Antarctica last weekend at the first Young Inspiring Explorers' Summit in Christchurch.

The Antarctic Heritage Trust, in partnership with the William Pike Challenge, hosted the summit from September 21-22.

Kahlen Bellas, 12, left the summit buzzing and a little colder than normal.

Twenty students got to experience a blizzard in the storm room at the Antarctic Centre.

The indoor polar room is chilled to minus eight degrees Celsius and buffeted by a minus 18 degrees Celsius wind chill machine.

'It was freezing in there, we had to put puffer jackets on. Some of the leaders who have been to Antarctica weren't even cold, they were just wandering around,” says Kahlen.

"The leaders were inspiring because most of them had been to Antarctica before. It was really cool hearing their stories and made me want to travel there one day."

Young explorers from around the country stepped outside their comfort zone, camping out overnight, meeting huskies and penguins and learning about the inspiring stories of the great Antarctic explorers.

William Pike says it was incredible to give Kiwi kids an opportunity to learn more about the history of Antarctica, its wildlife, science and importance to the world today.

He says all young people deserve a future where they succeed in life, no matter what unexpected challenges and obstacles come their way.

'To be prepared for what life throws at us, we need a bank of experiences under our belt, and that's what the summit is all about," says William.

A real highlight for Kahlen was hanging out with the huskies.

"We got to learn how the important role they have in Antarctica, plus they are so cute and fluffy.

'We had to wear really big bands when we were walking around with them, so they didn't pull us over. Some of them can pull 1400kgs.”

Having completed the summit, the students will become members of the Antarctic Heritage Trust's Alumni Programme, which includes Inspiring Explorers like William Pike, Brando Yelavich and many others.