It is 15 degrees and the wind is howling as it whips across my face. My checks feel tingly and I bury my hands deeper into my pockets. Flags above the igloo snap in the wind. We are in a cold chamber walking on a blanket of snow and in direct line of huge fans that create the gale affect. What a great way to get a bit of a feel of what it is like to be out in the weather in the Antarctic.
Little blue and white-flipper penguins glide through the water snatching up tasty morsels. We are here for feeding time for a dozen or so Ambassador Penguins. They are rescues that have been injured beyond return to the wild so they remain here to entertain and educate visitors. What amazing swimmers.
A 4D movie! In this case the 4th dimension is seal sneezes, snowflakes, wave spray, gull poop, and the thud of iceberg impacting ship hull. We take a short expedition among the icebergs and Antarctic wildlife. Pretty cool.
Theses boys don’t work too hard. A Husky rescue works out of this same space. We meet three adorable members of 59 who hang out here. They hope to train teams; but, as in nearly all rescues they are looking for volunteers to get that program rolling. They are beautiful just chilling. I love the clear blue eyes.
Why an Antarctic Center here in Christchurch New Zealand? Supply and support convoys for all manner of Antarctic scientific expeditions set off from here. South American is actually closer but politics and dollars being what they are, multi-country collaborations have been set up through here. Huge C130s outfitted with skies sit out on the tarmac just waiting for their next mission. The center preserves artifacts from early exploration and has an interesting display on the geology and life on the continent. Some displays could use an update but it is well worth the stop. Even if you just disembarked from a red eye!

First, need to get a cell phone working. No problem, service providers and SIM card sellers are everywhere in the airport. Done. We have successfully made an in-country call (three tries I must admit) and still some work to be sure international texting is working. Night one is to crash at Jucy Snooze, a simple bed and bath stop here close to the airport before we pick up our campervan tomorrow. Clean, comfortable, and convenient.

We enter the country through Auckland where arriving visitors include lots of hiking and outdoor types coming to tramp around their magnificent back country. Entry into the country is easy, just scan my own passport at an electronic kiosk and answer the couple questions that flash on the screen, smile for a facial ID then off we go. The serious business starts with questions about camping and sporting gear and any risk for biological contaminants. Very pleasant folks but determined. They washed my boots! Thankfully they didn’t just take them. Ok, next, a flight to Christchurch.
Rats, it is overcast. Cloud tops are beautiful in the brilliant morning sun but I am hoping for a preview of our home for the next few weeks. On cue, the clouds break to a view of magnificent rugged shorelines, soaring mountain ranges, and broad green valleys cut through by winding braided rivers. Fantastic.

It only takes three tries to get all the bags within New Zealand Air carryon and checked bag rules while keeping in mind that we have to get all that stuff in our little campervan too. Ultimately its (2) checked bags and one small carry-on plus backpacks. Manageable. Thanks, Brian for chauffeuring us to the airport then we begin the hurry up and wait that is air travel. Easy bag check-in and smooth through security. Since people don’t listen and announcements are garbled boarding is about as messed up as with US carriers. It is all good though, here we are in row 50 of 61 on a B777 300W. Quite a few kids on board but it’s a big plane! No virus-scare face masks, that’s a good start. Seats are surprisingly roomy and there are lots of entertainment choices to help the time pass. Kent and I both doze off and on occasionally awakened by a bout of turbulence. That seems unusual to me at over 30000 ft but the crew says no, happens regularly on this route. Jet stream maybe? Meals break up the time; dinner, including a sampling of New Zealand wine then breakfast. I catch the entire Chernobyl Mini Series, a bit heavy but very engaging. The ride is long but not miserable as we touch down in Auckland in the dark of early morning, 5:30 AM.
While we slept, we crossed the Equator and the International Date Line.