The Antarctic and The City

Monday, The 10th day of our holiday was overcast but still warm and we have another sunny day forecast to reach around 30. We are blessed. After a hearty breakfast at The George, Dave has the coach ready and waiting to take us to the International Antarctic Centre near the airport. We have been advised to wear long strides and have a warm jacket so we have guessed something chilly might be awaiting us. Intelligent weren’t we? Not sure that we will qualify for Mensa though.

We were welcomed by a guide who gave us a rundown on the Scott Antarctic Base about 5,000 kms south of New Zealand. Then we have the opportunity to enter the indoor polar room. The temperature in there is minus 5 till they crank it up to replicate a blizzard and the temperature drops to minus 16 with a wind chill factor of minus 30. I took the opportunity to go in and I prepared by bringing my Magpie Windcheater (Christmas present courtesy of Kelly and all the

Robbo’s - thank you, it did the job) and my Magpie Beanie. The place supplied coats for everyone who went in and over 10 of the 20 on the tour did so. Now I don’t know if my temperature figures quoted above are absolutely accurate but I do know that it was EFFING cold. We stayed in for about 5 minutes I think and then we returned to sanity and got out.
Next was a penguin parade but that was really crowded although despite this, Joan and Lesley liked it. Ron and I being nice blokes, surrendered the more forward viewing areas to some newly acquired Chinese and South Koreans friends who had decided that they needed to be so close to us that we could tell what they had for brekkie.

After the Penguins, my good lady wife and I boarded a Hägglund. Hägglunds are Swedish dual-cab, medium class, over-snow vehicles which can carry four passengers in the front cab and 10 in the back cab. They operate in the Antarctic over most snow and ice terrain including sea ice and soft snow. They move on four rubber tracks like tanks I suppose. There was no snow on the course our Hägglund covered but it was an obstacle course simulated like the terrain in the Antarctic. We had to belt up (Aunty Kate would have been in her element) and hang on for dear life to 2 overhead handles as we crossed the terrain. If you had a bad back, it would have been badder after this ride.

A 4D movie experience followed that ride and we were jolted around and sprayed with water during a short movie about an ice breaker down in the Antarctic. Thank the Lord it was short is about all I can say.

Another longer movie (not 4D) was on offer but we hit the gift and coffee shops instead. Joan took the opportunity to purchase a really

nice cardigan woven with wool and possum fur. She had been looking for one since our tour started and there was just the right one. Well done Joan. Lesley managed to find some T Shirts for Lucas and Cooper (I hope they are the right sizes) so that is another task completed. So it was another great morning where we did something we would never do otherwise. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Dave collected us about midday and took us on a tour of the city. Earthquake damage is still visible in many places as the city continues to undergo almost a complete rebuild. It has been and will be a massive task. To see building propped up by steel supports and cables and blocks completely vacant is eerie and quite scary. The terror that would have come with the shocks can only be imagined. 185 dead, bloody hell.

We had lunch at a cafe in a mall and hopped on and off the tram that regularly traverses the city. I bought a shirt in Ballantyne’s, the local department store, to replace one that must have shrunk in the wash. Ron kept bagging me about it and he was right, I could have been the original Michelin man. That shirt was on it’s last legs anyway but I will seriously need to get on the exercise program when we get back.

We rode the tram back to the nearest stop to The George and it was just a 5 minute walk from

there. The afternoon was spent with washing, writing, snoozing and some ironing. As you can imagine, only one of us accomplished all of those activities. I am pretty sure it was the same in our good friends’ room too.

We met in the bar about 6 and had a quiet drink or two. The concierge directed us to a lovely Italian establishment about 3 blocks from the George. Venuti’s was not all that busy and the best part was, there was no one else from our tour there. Not that we were having any problems with them, it was just good to have a break.

Ron and Joan had pasta, Lesley a seafood risotto and it was a pizza for me. All were very good and much better than Portofino in Wellington. After dinner, we strolled back to The George at the end of another different and interesting day. Day 11 and an early start to catch a train await us when we wake tomorrow.