Sir Ernest Shackleton's Polar Medal, one of the world's most significant treasures from the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, has been gifted to Canterbury Museum.
Given its historic significance it had to be offered to UK institutions before the private sale, to the Adson Trust, could proceed.
The medal has only been exhibited twice in the past, both times in London, and is now home in Christchurch.
Antarctic Heritage Trust executive director Francesca Eathorne told 1News it's "an incredible talisman of exploration and to have it here in Ōtautahi Christchurch is just incredible".
The news of the medal hit headlines in the UK, as the government called for a British buyer, which was not to be.
Canterbury Museum chairman David Ayers said he doesn't see it as controversial, but "maybe some people in Britain would".
The medal was eventually purchased in a private sale, thanks to part of a sizeable bequest left to the museum. But what was paid for it remains a secret.
Public Trust Office chief executive officer Glenys Talivai said the UK has reported a market value as part of their process, which was £1.76 million, or NZ$3.7 million.
"We can't disclose how much we actually paid for it."
The medal was awarded to Shackleton by Edward VII in 1905 for his role in Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition which ran from 1901 to 1904.
All set sail from Lyttelton, cementing Christchurch's connection with the icy continent more than a century ago.
The city's links with Shackleton were instrumental in the success of his Antarctic expeditions.
An estimated 50,000 people turned out to watch the Nimrod sail south from Lyttelton port on New Year's Day in 1908.
"It's about being inspired by the spirit of exploration from these polar explorers," Talivai added.
As the museum undergoes a $200 million dollar redevelopment, the medal will be housed in an enlarged Antarctic gallery when it reopens in 2028, alongside other expedition artefacts.
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