Antarctic Centre, Sunday 11/27/16

After breakfast in the hotel dining room, we boarded our coach for the International Antarctic Centre, another happening we were looking forward to.  This is not a museum, as such -- more like getting people as close as possible to the awesome sights and sounds of the Antarctic without actually setting foot on the continent.  They bill themselves as the coolest adventure in Christchurch!

This Centre is also the real deal -- home to the New Zealand, US, and Italian Antarctic programs, comprising administration offices, warehousing, an American/New Zealand clothing store, a post office and travel agency, the Antarctic Passenger Terminal and, of course, the Visitor Center.

Before seeing live penguins, we attended an "Antarctic Revealed" educational talk, something Road Scholar is really good at organizing.  We've learned so much on this trip already.

Heavy jackets and booties were offered to those who chose to spend five, yes five, minutes in the cold room.  OK, we were game to give it a try.  It was cold, yup, and then the wind machine was turned on, which turned cold into something so freezing and biting that we left the room a little before the five minutes were up.

The frozen continent holds the record for the coldest temperatures on the planet, is classified as a desert and is the windiest place on the planet. Surrounded by the stormiest ocean in the world, Antarctica is the most remote and environmentally hostile of all places on Earth.  Impossible to imagine being here in winter.  The sign board above kept changing as colder temps and higher winds were introduced.  Brrr!

What an experience!

Little Blue Penguins!  They really are small compared to other species, the smallest penguins in the world.  Endemic to Australia, NZ, and Chile, (not the Antarctic), we watched them here at Penguin Encounter in a fairly natural environment.  These are a few of the guys, above.  Most (if not all) are rescue penguins.  Their heads and backs are blue, hence the name.

Strange-looking creatures, aren't they?

But sorta cuddly looking, too.  No, we don't get close enough to touch. 

Here a lady penguin emerges from her burrow.  The guys are on the right of the photo.

Several more gals emerged from their burrows while we watched, some went for a dip in the pool, while the majority kinda stood around.  These are not breeding penguins.

In this icy white backdrop, Jimmy stands out in his black!  Oh, and if you've ever been to a Disney park and saw "The Bug's Life show," you'll appreciate the special effects offered at the Centre's 4D voyage movie, which was last on the venue.  Lots of shrieks and laughs!  Very enjoyable.  Everyone is giving a "thumbs up" after the show!  Jimmy and I are third and fourth on the right, front.

Well, that's it for Christchurch.  Next is our Noon/ish flight to Invercargill, just a short hop to the bottom of NZ's South Island. Again, a very good, packed lunch was provided (and consumed!) beforehand.

We love these small Air Zealand turbo props.  And the verdant landscapes on the South Island. Cloudy weather prevented us from seeing much before this point, and it looked like rain was falling. We've been very lucky so far to avoid stormy or wet weather. Invercargill and Te Anau are upcoming!

Kiwi Encounter! Friday 11/25/16

Near Rotarua we made our way via coach to Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park. It was a misty kind of morning, but that's why rain jackets were invented, and the clouds lifted while we were inside. Our group had a 9 am guided visit to the Kiwi Encounter, and we were the first visitors. Helen was our guide.  She'd been with Kiwi Park for many years and she was excellent.  Oh my, were we the lucky ones ... first in the nursery and hatchery, too. No photos were allowed at the nursery window BECAUSE a four-day-old chick was being weighed in front of our eyes -- it held stock-still in a young lady staff worker's hands, the cutest little puff ball you've ever seen. Next came a 14-day-old chick on the "baby scales" and it, too, froze in place. CJ, a one-month-oldster was last, and he was to leave the nursery today and into an outdoor run. CJ was brought out into the visitor room and was held inches away for all to see. Talk about up close! Very, very special.

In the "indoor run," darkened for these nocturnal birds, we watched a feisty 38-year-old lady Kiwi named "Te Kaha" stalking through the undergrowth, and Pie and Thistle on the opposite side of the walkway (woohoo, boy and girl).  Rainbow Springs has hatched and released 1600 chicks into the wild, a terrific number for a bird gone nearly extinct, 67 this season alone.  The header bird isn't alive, of course, but we were very fortunate to see babes and adults this morning!

They show other birds, water fowl, and fish, and it's a great place to visit.

Gorgeous parrot.

Biggest and prettiest rainbow trout we've ever seen!

New Zealand Scaup, female and male.

On our way to Rotarua Domestic Airport (also cute and little) and because we had loads of time, our excellent coach driver stopped in a Redwood grove, which amazed all of us, simply because we had no idea Sequoia Sempervirens existed in New Zealand.  Above, Bernice, Ibby and Jimmy prove that they do.

A lovely silver fern front marking the path in the grove.

The tree ferns are gigantic, like so much of what we see Downunder.

We transferred to the airport at 10:30 for our flight to the South Island -- shaky Christchurch, to be exact -- departing at 12Noon, but a very nice packed lunch was provided beforehand.  So, off we go to more adventure!

Christchurch and environs, Fri-Sun 11/25-27

A whole lotta shakin' goin' on ... but not while we're in town, thank goodness.  At least nothing strong enough that we felt.  That massive 7.8 earthquake that struck near Kaikora (roughly 115 miles from Christchurch northeast along the coast), did damage parts of the city, but Christchurch hasn't recovered from two previous, but shallower and less intense, earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. Personally, I was dismayed to see so much of the city that hadn't been touched, as in repaired or torn down and rebuilt. Look at photo I took from our room of the Anglican Cathedral below, fenced and unusable, and its future remains uncertain ... this from the June 2011 earthquake!  A lot of the central city remains in limbo.

In the meantime, parishioners have been meeting in the Cardboard Cathedral, which we walked to from our hotel.  Designed by Shigeru Ban, it's a lovely little temporary building, pictured below. 

* * * * *

Saturday we were up early and looking forward to our coach trip to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula and our Dolphin Cruise, but, phooey, we were thwarted by wind!  Akin to Chinook winds or the notorious Santa Ana Winds of Southern California, today's high winds meant no cruise to see dolphins, bird nesting sites, fur seals or penguins.  Boats can't go out on days like these.  Well, heck.

But we had a gorgeous drive, over hill and dale, and fluorescent spring green!

Historic Akaroa itself was a fine little town to explore (in the wind; bad hair day!) -- it retains its French flavor from settlement long ago.  The gardens and flowers were really beautiful, with a magical rainbow of colors and scents.  I enjoyed that.  We covered the main street and walked a bit by the beach ...

... including a trip to see Akaroa Lighthouse. now ornamental rather than functional. 

Seems that every town/city has a war memorial, and Akaroa had a stunning one.  I think you can just make out Jimmy's red backpack in the center.  Many of these memorials were originally dedicated to WWI veterans, but eventually WWII vets were recognized.  How tropical this looks with the palm trees!

Lunch was on Road Scholar, and a group of us chose Ma Maison, a waterfront eatery, where we all ordered a stellar seafood chowder.  Nice views.  Norman, left, and Jimmy on the right leave the restaurant.

Cute, Jimmy.  Who's the artist? 

So, on our way back to Christchurch, we stopped at and tromped through what was called a lowland podocarp forest.

But this wasn't part of the forest.

These Shelducks, Dad and Mom and Junior, were seen on the way in.  I didn't get any good pics of the podocarp forest, cause the trees were too tall.  My camera battery had petered out anyway and most of my photos are phone shots.

And finally, before we returned to the hotel, we dropped by Lincoln University, home to original Elder Hostel in NZ.  Beautiful library building, below, with our admiring group in front.  Jimmy decided to sit on the curb to check it out!

Built in 1878.

Finally, Saturday night, close to 10pm, as I was getting ready to hop in bed, I heard pops outside that sounded a lot like, um, fireworks?  Well, how nice of Christchurch and/or Road Scholar to arrange a fireworks spectacular for us on our last evening here (tongue in cheek, of course)!  Seen from our window -- cool beans!

Sunday morning, we had one more bit of adventure to enjoy before flying to Invercargill, at the tippety-bottom of New Zealand's South Island.  Tell you tomorrow!