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CHRISTCHURCH airport is one of the primary bases where planes fly down to Antarctica. Near the airport are large research facilities and bases where equipment is prepared for the journey south. Within this precint is the International Antarctic Centre.
With plans to head down to Antarctica in a future trip over the next couple of years, I spent my final morning in New Zealand exploring the museum. I thought three hours would be enough time to explore it, but the variety and interactivity of the centre was such that I could have stayed a couple of extra hours.
This included a ride around the centre in a rickety Hagglund, going over ridiculous bone shaking obstacles to demonstrate the vehicle's capabilities. There were displays galore and a penguin enclosure housing injured little blue penguins on their recovery. Here I am pictured inside the Antarctic snow storm room, cooled to -8 degrees with huge fans simulating a blizzard.
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