A Day in Antarctica

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Slumbering until 0900 hours, momentarily I think we've had an amazing sleep in, until rational thoughts sneak in and I think it's still 0400 Perth time. There will soon be a time when being consciously aware of two different time zones will wear off. I'm glad I didn't organise anything today except to get our hire car, do some food shopping and go to Antarctica.

I jumped into the shower and ready to take on the day I simply couldn't wait to pick up the hire car. The kids and hubby were still slumbering when I left. The hire car place has a dial up service for the shuttle bus to their depot. If it wasn't raining I would've walked back to the terminal, but it was so I got the hotel's shuttle bus back to the terminal. I called the A2B Car Rentals from the Visitor's Centre and they told me where to wait. Of course I got all disorientated the minute I walked outside. Novertheless I found the multi story car park where the drop off points were. I saw the company bus drive into the car park from the opposite end but it was no where to be seen from where I was standing (where everyone else was being picked up and dropped off. Luckily I had the forsight to write down the local number of the depot and not the free number that some one in Auckland picks up, otherwise I'd still be there. The fact was the bus was parked right behind this massive concrete pylon so I couldn't see it.

At the depot Sam was pretty casual about hiring out the Station Wagon to me. He commented on what a great bargain I got, especially at peak season, when I paid the bill of $NZ580 for 15 days. A quick look over it to mark out any damage and instructions to bring it back with a quarter of a tank and that was all there was to it. He didn't even tell us what to do in case of a break down or give us a map. I just happened to see a free AA map in the brochure holder and AA instructions on the back of the damage sheet was noticed. I was disappointed that there was no cargo barrier as listed on the website. Sam said the windows were tinted and it was pretty hard to see what was inside. That wasn't the point, but as it turns out I didn't have much to worry about. I got the impression that most Kiwis were a pretty honest bunch. Apart from the missing cargo barrier and the annoying manual key entry the car looks clean and more importantly, plenty of room for our gargantuan suitcase, a backpack for the kids clothes, a few groceries and other miscellaneous purchases along the way.

I only got lost once going back to the hotel but managed to find my way back OK. Of course everyone was still stitting around in their pyjamas when I got back, and all I wanted to do was to get going on the next adventure...The International Antarctic Centre. A visit to Antractica without really going there. Eventually I rounded up the troops and walked next door. Yes it is literally right next door to the airport and our hotel, so I can really recommend the Sudima Hotel for convenience. The kids and I were so excited, lasting for the best part of the day that we were there. I wrote a travel article for our state newspaper on what is a pretty accurate description of our experience there. Lucky for me I am mentally tough enough to withstand the rejection from the editor. It was a very nice rejection, something along the lines of 'thanks but we have just employed another staff member and are soliciting very few articles'. Just as well, I say because I'd say the Antarctic Centre would be split in two like an iceburg after that horrendous earthquake by the time my amazing article would've been published anyway! Here is is....

"The wind bites as the blizzard cuts into my face. ‘Quick!’ I yell out to my family. ‘Put your hoods on and button up!’ It’s pointless as the whistling roar of the gale is deafening and they can’t hear. Standing in the pristine snow I fear for my exposed fingers and put my hands into my pockets as the wind chill factor reaches -18°C. The gusts finally show us some mercy and we are free to wonder in awe at our surroundings. It’s not the kind of scenario you’d expect in the middle of summer in Christchurch, but at the world renown International Antarctic Centre it happens every 30 minutes in the Antarctic Storm room. For most of us who may never get to visit this mainly unexplored continent, the Centre is a fantastic exhilarating opportunity to experience Antarctica.

It doesn’t take long for the kids to recover and they are quick to luge down the ice slide and then ‘ride’ on the snow mobile. Meanwhile, I’m convinced frostbite has penetrated every digit and make a hasty exit to the warming pole kindly installed for West Aussie wimps. It isn’t long before the family persuade me to go on the Hagglund ride. Holden Commodore wagons aren’t really cut out for Antarctica’s icy landscape, so the Hagglund, an all terrain amphibious tracked vehicle, is used for transport. Although reluctant, my inner voice tells me I will never have the chance to ride in one of these again. Be warned, this ride is not for the faint-hearted, pregnant or the very young. Falling into the first category, I think I’m meeting my watery death as we plunge through some incredibly deep water. As if the hill of terror isn’t enough to have me lurching for the exit door, crossing the metre wide crevasse had me believe we were going to fall into the abyss, never to return.

Battered and bruised I retreat to the 4D EXTREME Theatre for a bit of rest and relaxation. “Ice Voyage’ screens in high definition every 30 minutes. Donned with 3D glasses, it isn’t long before my curiosity over the 4D concept is realised. Standing on the deck of a cruise ship negotiating a 3 metre swell, all of a sudden my chair rocks back and a smattering of ‘sea spray’ squirts into my face. Thankfully we only get to experience the flying seagull excrement in 3D. Finally we reach the world’s most driest continent and peacefully sail through magnificent iceberg fields and watch the wildlife which has been filmed by an Emmy Award winning cinemaphotographer.

Of course, no visit to Antarctica is complete without getting up close and personal with the wildlife, so the Centre has its own colony of Little Blue Penguins. This species are found on New Zealand’s South Island as well as Antarctica and these lucky cuties have been rescued and are unable to live in the wild on their own. Feeding time is daily at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. They can be viewed from the top or downstairs in the pool auditorium where you can see them diving for fish, while getting a commentary on the lives of these critters.

After feeding time, the children enjoy rotating the earth around the sun to learn why the sun never sets in summer before running to the next display. The pages of Captain Scott’s diary come to life as they look at the vintage meager rations packed his sled and then peer into his pathetic canvas tent. For a more modern version there are webcasts to find out what is happening at the base at any given moment.

Christchurch is the launch place for 70%!o(MISSING)f Antarctic missions so its airbase, which is shared with the U.S., is across the road from the Centre and provides a reality rarely experienced by the average person. It will delight and entertain both children and adults alike and is a perfect way to kick start or end a holiday in New Zealand.

The Centre is a 5 minute walk from Christchurch’s airport or there are free shuttle buses to and from the terminal arranged by the ‘Next Stop Antarctica’ shop in the domestic terminal. A free Penguin Express bus also departs hourly to and from Cathedral Square in central Christchurch, unmistakable with the giant penguins on the roof."

After spending quite a bit of time in the shop buying souvenirs, we left the Centre at about 1400 to go and find a grocery shop. The lady in the gift shop directed us to one one of the maps they had for disorientated tourists. Off to Fendalton Countdown we went (the equivalent to Woolworths in WA - same logo). Of course grocery shopping in a foreign country is always an adventurous experience in itself. There's all the different brands to marvel at, then there's all the different flavours in their yoghurts. The apricots are the size of watermelons and the cherries are the size of apples and they are all half the price of what we'd pay at home and we haven't even done the conversion yet. I'm gonna love this country. It didn't take me long to identify that the local generic brand is called Pam's. It didn't take hubby long to discover all the different flavours (of the expensive brands) as he was busy loading up the trolley (trundler) with supplies that Scott of the Antarctic would be very envious of.

We decided to rush back to the Centre to catch the 1530 feeding time at the Penguin enclosure.

After that we parked the car at Hagley Park where the Botanical Gardens are in central Christchurch. I can't really begin to describe how beautiful this place is. Coming from drought ravaged Western Australia where we haven't seen a blade of grass since 2008, neither a drop of rain for that matter, it was like the Garden of Eden. I wondered around with my dropped jaw marvelling at the huge girth of the trees and over everything growing like triffids. The kids had a great time in the playground and then running around the park. We even took time out to smell the roses near the conservatorium.

After that we went for a bit of a drive through Christchurch to find some petrol and maybe to find the Gondola and go for a drive in the surrounding mountains to get a good view. It didn't quite go to plan. Did I mention how I get disorientated? Well I was navigating. At least we found a petrol station at the base of the mountain. While Brendan was filling up a nice man saw me struggling with the unfolded map and asked where we wanted to go. "Up that mountain," I pointed. "That's not a mountain, that's a hull (kiwi for 'hill'😉. You obviously just got here," he retorted in jest.

He gave me directions but I still managed to bark out directions so that hubby takes a left turn too early and we end up at Brighton Beach, no where near the "mountain". There was a massive ugly concrete jetty there, and with the strong cold gusty winds, the overcast drizzly weather and the black sand, I found it to be a most unattractive place. The feeling must've been at omen as a month later this area was demolished by an awful earthquake. By then we all started to feel a bit tired and decided to go back to the hotel where we ate turkey and salad wraps for dinner. It was still light outside due to daylight savings, but because our body clocks were still on Perth time, we couldn't hold out until it got totally dark at 2200 hours so we simply went to bed.

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Photos

Antarctic Fun
On a snow mobile in the storm room. © Adrianne Yzerman

Kids at Antarctic Centre
The kids at the entrance to the centre.
© Adrianne Yzerman

Little Blue Penguin
Little Blue Penguin catches dinner.
© Adrianne Yzerman

Christchurch Botanical Gardens
Kids at huge girth of tree at Christchurch's Botanical Gardens. © Adrianne Yzerman

Smell the Roses
Taking time out to smell the roses at Christchurch's Botanical Gardens. © Adrianne Yzerman

Comments

[M Carrigan]

Love your little blue pic
Hey, I'm looking to make some 3D fridge magnets of NZ birds. Can I open a dialogue with you regarding using this image?