Christchurch is home to the only specialized Antarctic attraction in the world.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Cool New Zealand Experience

Arriving at Christchurch Airport, I overhear a family discussing one of the most amazing places on Earth.

“We should stop by Antarctica.”

“Do we have time? It’s almost 3:30. Mum’s expecting us.”

“No worries. It’s only five minutes from here. A waddle, really.”

“Kids, do you want to go to Antarctica? We’re just popping in for a bit.”

It’s the most matter-of-fact call to adventure I’ve ever heard.

Intrigued, I roll my suitcase past waiting taxis, hang a left, and tag along on the the World’s Most Casual Expedition.

Funny, it doesn’t look Antarctic! Christchurch is the logistics center for the
Antarctic research expeditions of NZ, the U.S., Korea, and Italy.
© Joyce McGreevy

What’s It Like to Travel Antarctic Terrain?

Minutes later, we’re staring at what look like giant tractors.  Hägglunds are all-terrain amphibious Antarctic vehicles designed to clamber over the roughest, iciest terrain. A driver calls, “Last run of the day, lovies!”

Not your average parking lot. Across the street are the headquarters
of the U.S. Antarctic Program.
© Joyce McGreevy

As our suitcases rest comfortably in a  locker, we discover how it feels for scientists to travel in Antarctica.

Bones shake, brains rattle, and stomachs flip. We picture the real thing: going up and down steep icy slopes. Through treacherous water. Across flat land that may hide a deadly crevasse.

Somewhat wobblier for the experience, I approach the main building. A sign says “Gateway to Antarctica.”

What the cool crowd’s wearing in Antarctica this season.
© Joyce McGreevy

Why Is the Antarctic Center in Christchurch?

One of five official “gateway” cities, Christchurch has designed the International Antarctic Center to let the public experience what life is like in the coolest place on Earth.

A replica ice cave is eerily convincing.
© Joyce McGreevy

Instead of just looking at exhibits, you explore them. These range from a full-scale ice cave to an explorer’s hut and its surroundings, complete with changing weather and visibility.

It’s so immersive that afterward, says a guide, some folks feel “exhilarated and a  bit bedraggled.” That’s probably in keeping with the effects of an actual Antarctic sojourn.

Step into the hut from Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova expedition (1910-1913).
© Joyce McGreevy

By honoring New Zealand’s cultural heritage of Antarctic science and stewardship, the Center has attracted many prominent visitors, from prime ministers to presidents. But none have been more warmly welcomed, says our guide, than “Ed.”

Who Was “Ed”?

Our guide says: A shy Auckland city boy and beekeeper who secretly dreamed of adventure. 

A secondary-school ski trip to New Zealand’s Mt Ruapehu inspired “Ed” to seek adventure.
© Joyce McGreevy

As “Ed” later wrote in his autobiography, “I returned home in a glow of fiery enthusiasm for the sun and the cold and the snow—especially the snow!”

In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and “Ed”—a.k.a. Edmund Hillary—reached the summit of Mt Everest, the world’s highest mountain.
© Joyce McGreevy

Five years later Ed Hillary led the New Zealand contingent of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition. His team became the first to reach the South Pole overland since Robert Scott’s tragic journey of 1911–1912.

Hillary’s enthusiasm for snow had, in the understated words of our guide, “turned out rather interesting.”

So folks must have been “rather pleased” when Hillary  stopped by the Center, especially when he praised the realism of the world’s first indoor Antarctic Storm.

How Do You Create the Perfect Storm?

Designed to simulate a blizzard on the South Pole, this snow and ice experience takes place in a special room complete with icy surfaces, wind chill machine, stunning lighting effects, subzero temperature drop, and authentic Antarctic blizzard audio.

“Hurry!” the guide says. “You don’t want to miss the blizzard!”
© Joyce McGreevy

As visitors don parkas and boots, eagerly awaiting their chance to be blasted into human ice cubes, I question my own eagerness. After all, I’ve lived in Chicago.

Even the Windy City can’t top Antarctica’s record as windiest place on the planet.
Winds exceeding 198 mph have been recorded.
© Joyce McGreevy

Why Does This Continent Captivate Us?

Author Jon Krakauer says Antarctica has “mythic weight. It resides in the collective unconscious of so many people, and it makes this huge impact, just like outer space.” But I think that’s only part of it, because Antarctica—our most vulnerable continent–also registers the huge impact we humans make.

• Uniquely lacking in permanent residents, this continent models the cross-cultural heritage of protecting our global home.
• Isolated from other continents, it connects to every continent through its oceanic and atmospheric effects.
• Farther than most of us will ever travel, this continent connects the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the daily choices we make.

Oh, I see: Antarctica is even closer than I realized.

Think Economy’s rough? The C-130 Hercules is equipped with skis for landing on ice.
© Joyce McGreevy

Discover one of the most amazing places on Earth in a new podcast series, “Antarctica Unfrozen,” here.

Explore New Zealand’s heritage of Antarctic science, here.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.