Christchurch, New Zealand

Spring is in full bloom in Christchurch New Zealand.  After twenty-nine hours of travel, the first task at Christchurch was to get a hot shower at the hotel.  The second might have been to get a nap, but not without exploring the town square first.  In that long, long night of flying, I had crossed both the equator and the date line.  So I traded fall for spring, and Friday melted into Sunday—a Sunday with the most perfect weather anyone could describe or imagine.  It seemed that everyone was at the cathedral square, basking in the sun and enjoying a food fare, art museums and a seemingly endless botanical garden.  I can see why people say this is a stark contrast to the ice of Antarctica.  The “Kiwis” (New Zealanders) have been very nice and are very proud of their role in supporting the scientific exploration of the Antarctic Circle.  They speak English, of course, but it’s just different enough that at times is seems like another language altogether.

Tomorrow I’ll get outfitted with ECW—Extreme Cold Weather gear.  Then very soon, I’ll be climbing aboard a big C17 to make the long transit down to ‘the Ice.’ In the mean time, I intend to get a good meal and a long night’s sleep.  I’ll leave you with just a few of the pictures I took while in downtown Christchurch today.

Christ Church Cathedral where the Erebus Chalace is kept during the winter on the ice. 
During the summer, the chalace resides at the Chapel of the Snows, at McMurdo Station

November in Christchurch

A sign at the Christchurch airport