From Chicago to Christchurch: The First Leg of the Journey-Monday, Oct. 8, 2007

Flying from Chicago to Christchurch, New Zealand, is quite an experience—and a rather long ordeal! We left on Monday, October 1st, but did not arrive until Wednesday, October 4, 2007. Although that looks like a two day flight, we had actually crossed the International Dateline and lost a day. Even so, we were in the air for almost 20 hours, but I’m happy to say that the flight was uneventful other than losing my luggage…again! Qantas anticipated my needs with an amazing overnight kit including PJs, but I had to make do with the same clothes for two more days.

Thursday night and Friday morning, the ARISE team participated in presentations for the adult community and for forty students ranging in age from 4-15. We talked about ANDRILL and the work that we will be doing in Antarctica, and then led five different hands-on activities. We had great fun and the children and parents were very enthusiastic about the experience.

It is spring in Christchurch—when I left home in Naperville, Illinois, the trees were just beginning to show signs of fall changes, so I find myself feeling quite off-center every time I round a corner and see baby ducks swimming or daffodils in bloom! On a beautiful, perfect spring afternoon, we visited the Botanical Gardens and breathed in fragrances and gazed on colors that we hope will remain in our memories for the next few months.

On Saturday, the ARISE team decided to rent a van and drive to the harbor town of Akaroa. We were thankful that Bob, our own Kiwi, did the driving, because he was exceedingly comfortable driving on the left side of the road over mountains with steep drop offs around every curve! In Akaroa, we took a harbor cruise and saw the highly endangered hector dolphins, the blue penguins, and the southern fur seals. The dolphins are very small and extremely quick with very interesting black markings on gray bodies. They were easy to find, because the terns would fly above the dolphins and pick off fish that the dolphins were hunting.

Hiking in Akaroa, we came across this tin horse and had to take a quick ride. From left: Louise Huffman (Naperville, IL), Kate Pound (St. Cloud, MN), Joanna Hubbard (Alaska), Julia Dooley (Newark, DE), and Robin Frisch-Gleason (Ann Arbor, MI).

Julia, Ken and Bob enjoy the perfect spring weather in Christchurch.

Yesterday, Sunday, we went to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) for the US Antarctic Program and were given our two orange bags filled with ECW (extreme cold weather) gear. It was a chaotic experience because two groups were getting their clothing at the same time and there was very little space to lay out the items and try them all on. I found that nothing except Big Red (the large expedition parka) fit, so I had to stand in line to exchange everything. Once I made sure that all zippers zipped and Velcro hooked, I packed my clothes into the bags and weighed them all. If something doesn’t fit—no worries! There are plenty more items to choose from. It was a bit harried trying to make sure that I didn’t exceed the 75 pound weight limit! And oh my goodness--standing on the scale with my carry-on and ECW gear is a weight no one should see!

And now we have just heard that our flight is set to take off tomorrow morning after a 10 AM check-in. Antarctica, here we come!

A Recreational Day in Akaroa, New Zealand

By this morning, the ARISE team was ready for a bit of adventure. We all wanted to see a bit of New Zealand before deploying for the ice. So the 7 of us rented a car, and the one Kiwi (meaning a person from New Zealand) among us offered to drive (a good idea, since the driver sits on the right side of the car and drives on the left side of the road – the complete opposite from the U.S.!) Bob Williams, our resident Kiwi, masterfully navigated us up through the foothills, where we climbed above Christchurch for a beautiful view of the city with the snowcapped views of the Southern Alps behind us. We then meandered our way up a narrow mountain road, up over the mountains, and down the other side to a lovely peninsula on the eastern shore of the south island called the Banks Peninsula.
This peninsula is an ancient volcanic crater, perfectly rounded. Hillsides were covered with sheep where, being spring, baby lambs were chasing their mothers to and fro. In New Zealand, there are approximately 50 million sheep. (That is compared with a human population of approximately 4 million.)

We drove out to a beautiful town called Akaroa which was purchased by the French whalers from the Maori people, who were the original inhabitants of New Zealand, as a place of respite from the rough Pacific Ocean. It later became a French mission. It was later the scene of a very bloody battle between the Maori people. It is now a quaint town filled with art galleries, restaurants, and boating excursions. 5 of us went on a wildlife cruise on a catamaran that took out out through the Akaroa Sound and into the open ocean. There is a very rare species of tiny dolphin found here called the Hectors Dolphin. We were fortunate enough to see a few of them feeding in the water with their little black and white dorsal fins poking out.

Further on, we came to a few Blue Penguins. There are small penguins that live throughout this area but are not adapted to the colder climate further to the south. Like other penguins, they are flightless birds that mostly live in the water and, indeed, they are blue.

We also came across New Zealand Fur Seals sunning themselves up on the rocky slopes above the water. It is calving season, and there were many newborn seal pups learning the ways of the world as well.

What a treat to see all of those animals!

After our return to shore, we enjoyed a wonderful meal in the French restaurant called C’est La Vie – the last thing I expected to be doing in New Zealand! For the first time in my life I tried escargot!

It was an idyllic day and a much needed bonding time with the rest of my teammates. We talked, hiked, watched the sunset, toasted our upcoming adventure… On the circuitous journey home through the mountains, we got to know one another even better by playing a game where we each told things about ourselves: two of them true, and one of them a lie. The others had to debate which statements were true, and which were a lie. What an entertaining and enlightening way to get to know your teammates! The kilometers sped by as we learned about the personal and professional lives of our cohorts, the life accomplishments and failures, stories from childhood, and life dreams. We came back to Christchurch warmed by the sun and by the new bonds we had forged with our team.

It was a perfect day. C’est la vie, indeed!