Christchurch has had a close association with Antarctica ever since Robert Scott sailed from Lyttelton Harbor en route to his fateful rendezvous with the South Pole. (There was actually some political machination behind the choice; originally he was to sail from Melbourne, Australia. But Christchurch is closer to the pole, and Scott had a family connection there, so the switch was made.) Today it serves as the supply point for the entire U.S. Antarctic research program. Their facilities are located right next to the civilian airport, and right next door to that is the Antarctic Experience, a quirky exhibit aiming to familiarize people with life in the coldest continent.

The Antarctic Experience has a number of unusual experiences on offer, including a simulation room chilled to the balmy summertime temperature of -8 degrees C, that featured real snow on the ground and periodic “storms” where the lights would dim and fans would generate a 25 mph breeze. Guests were required to wear insulated parkas and shoe covers before entering. They also run a penguin rehabilitation center, and had a room that featured several live sled dogs. (The latter are included as a historical note since they are no longer used on any of the bases today.) A number of informative exhibits taught about quotidian aspects of the program, such as the food crates (always red), holding enough sustenance to keep one individual alive for 20 days. Following the inside portion of the exhibit, guests like Nick had the chance to ride in a tracked articulated Hägglund cargo carrier as it navigated a prepared obstacle course featuring ravine/crevasse traversals, water crossings, and inclines of up to 45 degrees. These capable machines were originally built for the Swedish Army and have become the vehicle of choice for expeditions across rugged inland terrain.

While Nick explored the Antarctic, Susannah attended the last day of her conference, and then spent the afternoon shadowing her former student Helena at Riley Consultants and meeting some of Helena’s work colleagues. By the evening, Nick and Susannah reconnected and took some time walking the city together. We returned to some of the sights that Nick had visited before so that Susannah could see them too, and we took turns on various playground equipment that seemed plenty large for adults. Dinner was at a historic church building that had been badly damaged in the earthquakes but ultimately rescued and turned into a brewpub, appropriately called the Church Brewpub. With live music daily, a pizza oven, and a good beer selection, it is very popular. After dinner we continued exploring, catching a glimpse of the Cardboard Cathedral, which was erected as a transitional building after the earthquake, and wandering the CDB shopping district. We’re well into December and many stores are decorated for Christmas – with the temperatures so warm, we still can’t wrap our heads around the upcoming holiday. One store in particular had several windows decorated with different holiday scenes, each of which was created by a local school, with the best entry set to receive a prize donation from the store.