Christchurch and Antarctica

Wednesday 11th April is our first wet day since we have been in New Zealand (we don't count the day we arrived) and we're in Christchurch which is the largest city on the South Island.  It has changed a lot since we were last here in 2004, mainly due to the devastating earthquake in February 2011.  Many of the buildings which made up the skyline have been demolished.  The place is a hive of activity with construction works and roadworks everywhere.  The roads are difficult to drive on as they are uneven with many unplanned speed humps due to the earthquake.  As it's raining today, we're also finding pools of water on the low-lying parts of the road.  In the morning we have some family time and meet our newest relative - 4 week old great-niece Emily.

Then it's off to the City Centre.  Much of the main shopping centre is in the "Red Zone" and is being reconstructed.  The Cashel Mall has been "restarted" using brightly painted shipping containers.

After lunch we head towards the airport to visit the Antarctic Centre.  This is a fantastic attraction where we can spend a few hours in Antarctica.  Christchurch is one of the main departure points for Antarctica and Italy and the United States both have Antarctic Divisions based in Christchurch.  We donned overshoes and warm jackets to walk on packed snow and experience the icy blast of -20C.  We also had a ride in an Antarctic all terrain amphibious vehicle, climbing steep hills and floating in water.  We watched penguins being fed and experienced a 4D adventure.  We also learned a lot about the Antarctic from the excellent static and interactive displays.  Being a wet day in the school holidays it was very busy, but certainly well worth the 3 hours we spent there.