In New Zealand - Auckland and Christchurch

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We continued to fly onward toward Auckland. The flight was rather uneventful, but quite uncomfortable. I tried to occupy myself with the movies available, but found the lack of comfort distracting.

Finally, at 5:30am we arrived in Aukland. We had to move through customs. First, it’s the passport check. Agents review our arrival pass and passport then they give us the official stamp of entry. We then collect our bags. With our bags on trolleys, we proceed through agriculture declaration, then the final bag x-ray for those like myself, whom have nothing to declare.

After clearing customs, the group had to push our bags to the domestic terminal. The terminals were 1 kilometer apart and we had well over an hour before boarding. Thus, the walk was leisurely. We took our time taking photos of the airport and the New Zealand flag.

Our flight to the South Island, and Christchurch, was quite picturesque. We flew along the west coast of the North Island. We then crossed the body of water between the islands and then coasted above the Southern Alps. We finally landed in Christchurch where sheep dotted the landscape.

Our Raytheon rep met us at the gate and instructed us to move downstairs to a counter, where we turn over our ticket receipts in exchange for our lodging our information. When it is time to leave, they will use our ticket receipt to rebook our departing flights. This gives them the needed flexibility required when scheduling flights to and from Antarctica.

We are lodging at the Grand Chancellor Hotel located next door to the Antarctic center. The lodging is more than adequate.

Joel, Jerome, Jennifer, and I set out to explore Christchurch after a much needed freshening up in our rooms. We took a cab into the Cathedral Square. Much of the early afternoon was spent with taking photos of the local architecture, watching street performers, and shopping at local gift shops. Prices are a might unpredictable. For instance, one funny t-shirt at the Visitors Center was priced at $40 NZD, over $30 USD.

After shopping, we hoped a bus to the Christchurch Gondola. This took a bit of work since we did not know our way around and the flyers were quite confusing. We finally determined that round trip to the gondola and then back to our hotel was only $5. The gondola itself was $18. I am choosing tourist activities that let me experience New Zealand’s greatness through large single activities rather than small simple activities.

This outing qualifies as a high “bang for your buck” kind of site to see. We ride the gondola to the top of a mountain some 5000 ft up. We then have a beautiful view of Christchurch, the Pacific Ocean, and the Canterbury planes. We all took a lot of photos. By the time we came back down on the gondola, our return bus was pulling up. We rode back and with one transfer made it to our hotel.

Our small band of tourists/explorers was quite tired after this fun filled day after agonizing hours on an airplane. We will all try to turn in early, but not too early, as we need to acclimate to the 5-hour time difference (not counting day shift).

We are due to pick up our gear tomorrow at 1pm.

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Photos

In Auckland
Once arriving in Auckland, we had to claim our bags and proceed through customs.

Between Terminals
We walked from the international terminal to the domestic terminal in Auckland.

Greeted by Raytheon
Megan from Raytheon greets us as we arrive at the gate.

Cathedral Square
Our group poses in front of a sculpture located in Christchurch's Cathedral Square

On Top
At the top of the gondola ride. The harbour is in the background.