I left Madison on October 5th and flew from Milwaukee to Chicago to Los Angeles to Christchurch, New Zealand, home of the International Antarctic Centre, and where the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) coordinates many of their activities.
We arrived in Christchurch on October 7th (jumping ahead one day as we crossed the international date line) and were supposed to fly to McMurdo on October 10th. Bad weather in McMurdo delayed us by four days, so we flew on October 14th.
The first few days in Christchurch involved lots of orientation and training, but the delay gave me some extra time to explore the city.
185 chairs memorial for the folks who died in the Canterbury earthquakes of 2011.
Christchurch has a lot of street art, much of it springing up on ruined buildings after the earthquake.
Flowers in the botanic gardens. It was so strange to see flowers blooming and feel spring rainstorms in October!
The River Avon.
Maori art at the Canterbury Museum.
Trying on my ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear at the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center. Yes, there are a lot of new acronyms to learn!
Elizabeth Delaquess 