Christchurch
Trip Start
Apr 24, 2007
1
19
68
Trip End
Jul 17, 2007
Late yesterday afternoon we arrived in Christchurch. We had enough time to wander into the town centre, have a brief look around and get some dinner. First impressions are that Christchurch is bordering on the quaint. It feels quite small, quite English and, after Oz, quite cold. The latter fact resulted in some spending at the outdoor clothing shop.
The first hour was spent in the tourist information office sorting out the next few days.
We then headed off to the Antarctic centre (http://www.iceberg.co.nz/). This included a ride in a Hagglund (the tracked vehicle they use to get around Antarctica). This was bumpy fun. We then went into the Antarctic simulator - it is a constant -8 degrees with Antarctic storms every 1/2 hour (if you've ever been to Whitby in Yorkshire you'll know what that's like).
The afternoon was spent at the Gondola with views over Christchurch and the surrounding countryside. It was a tad windy up there.
The first hour was spent in the tourist information office sorting out the next few days.
We then headed off to the Antarctic centre (http://www.iceberg.co.nz/). This included a ride in a Hagglund (the tracked vehicle they use to get around Antarctica). This was bumpy fun. We then went into the Antarctic simulator - it is a constant -8 degrees with Antarctic storms every 1/2 hour (if you've ever been to Whitby in Yorkshire you'll know what that's like).
The afternoon was spent at the Gondola with views over Christchurch and the surrounding countryside. It was a tad windy up there.

