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2007

Date:  October 24, 2007
Location:  Christchurch, New Zealand
Latitude:   43 degrees, 31 minutes, 34 seconds South
Longitude:   172 degrees, 38 minutes, 6 seconds East
Temperature:  16°C (61°F)
Wind Speed:   11 knots
Wind Chill:  16°C (61°F)
Elevation:   34 meters (112 feet
Kilometers Traveled:  0
Ice Cores Drilled:  0
Written by:  Dan D.

Photos

Nicky, Elena, Dan B., Mike, and I arrived at Christchurch airport early this morning after travelling non–stop since the morning of October 22nd. This actually sounds more impressive than it is; we crossed over the international date line as we flew over the Pacific Ocean and had to wind our clocks forward by 24 hours. Nevertheless, we have still travelled for a solid 24 hours (or more in Mike's case).

Amazingly, we arrived on time AND with all our luggage – it must be some kind of record because at least one of us usually loses our luggage. After piling all of our bags and boxes onto carts we headed over to the International Antarctic Center, where the United States Antarctic Program Clothing Distribution Center is located. This was quite a struggle because out carts were fully loaded and didn't steer well at all. We eventually made it to the CDC and dropped off all the bags that we weren't going to need during our stay in Christchurch. Feeling much lighter, we all jumped into a mini–van taxi and headed to our B&Bs.

It was turning out to be a beautiful day so we dropped our remaining bags off in our rooms and headed out to the Botanical Gardens for a lovely walk. We walked through the gardens for a few hours and then went back into town for some dinner. About halfway through dinner the conversation died down and everyone seemed suddenly very sleepy. Jet–lag was setting in. We barely managed to stay awake long enough to pay our bill and then we returned to our rooms for some well–deserved sleep. It felt good to be over the first hurdle.

Date:  October 25, 2007
Location:  Christchurch, New Zealand
Latitude:   43 degrees, 31 minutes, 34 seconds South
Longitude:   172 degrees, 38 minutes, 6 seconds East
Temperature:  18°C (64°F)
Wind Speed:   18 knots
Wind Chill:  18°C (64°F)
Elevation:   34 meters (112 feet
Kilometers Traveled:  0
Ice Cores Drilled:  0
Written by:  Nicky

Unusually, day two of our trip brought another gorgeous day in Christchurch. Those that awoke early, including myself, again chose to spend the morning in the botanical gardens. In anticipation of months of flat white and bright blue Dan D. and I spent some time digitally capturing the brilliant yellows, reds, oranges, pinks, purples and greens of the garden. I imagine those colors will be well appreciated in the months to come.

After this outing, we all shuttled back to CDC (Clothing Distribution Center)to pick up our extreme cold weather clothing. We were briefed on the ins and outs of this event, including weight limits for baggage to McMurdo (a mere 75lbs), the newly instigated boomerang bag (a change of clothes and a tootbrush thrown on top of the cargo hold in case we're unable to land at McMurdo and have to turn around) and the allowable size of our carry–on. When clothing distribution ensues, The changing, rooms become a complex mix of organization and total chaos. The issued items must be tried on, to ensure proper fit and inspected to ensure technical perfection (no sticky zippers allowed). The room looks like millions of clothing bombs exploded, but in the end, thanks to the folks who handle clothing distribution, everyone has all the right gear. These people have the patience of saints and in my experience are even willing to oblige such requests as "Can I have this in a silkier material?" (in regards to poly–pro baselayers) and "Could I have an extra pair of blue boots?" (even though supplies are a little low). This event takes Elena and me an incredibly hot 2 1/2 hours.