International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch

The International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch was fantastic!  We weren't sure that we would stop here -- we thought that perhaps we would only stop briefly in downtown Christchurch to witness some of the earthquake damage (from the devastating quake from February 2011) -- but we had heard that the Antarctic Centre was a fun destination for families.  Since it was still cold and rainy, none of us were too eager to get to the next campground just yet!  The idea of an indoor activity sounded very appealing.

We learned upon entrance that there was an affordable cafe on site, but we had already set up our table in the parking lot and made our lunch.  Sitting in a cafe, eating warm food prepared by someone else…well, that's just for sissies.

We realized that buying our tickets through the website would save us a considerable amount on entrance fees, so Steve stood in the doorway of the lobby buying the tickets on his phone while the rest of us waited and posed near the entrance displays:

With wristbands firmly in place, we began to make our way through the different displays.

The little blue penguins were sweet and fun to watch.  All of the penguins have been rescued due to some sort of ailment or disability which would render them defenseless in the wild.  

Here are some pics from the "Snow & Ice Experience" room, with real snow and a slide made of ice!  

Once an hour, there is a brief "storm" inside the Snow & Ice Room, where the temps drop, it gets dark, and the wind kicks up.  There are heavy parkas and boots for you to borrow for the storm. 

I waited on the other side of the glass with the littles.  Those who endured the 5-minute storm claimed that it felt no different than a blustery winter's day in Utah!

We watched (or tried to watch) an awesome 4D film which takes you on a virtual tour of the Antarctic.  Our seats vibrated, the sound was very loud, and we had wind blowing in our faces and even water sprays.  All of that was WAY too much for poor Emily to handle.  She had a complete freak-out meltdown.  I felt bad for her, and should have realized that all those sensory surprises wouldn't go over well with her.  We rushed out of the theater as quickly as possible.  Everyone else loved the movie.

The highlight of our visit to the Antarctic Centre was the Hagglund ride.  Here's the description from the website:

"Climb aboard for an adrenalin and fun filled ride on the amazing all terrain amphibious Antarctic vehicle - the Hagglund!  Sit back, buckle up, hold on and prepare to experience what it's like travelling across rough terrain in this unique and exciting machine!  The ride is highly authentic and exciting and simulates the conditions scientists experience riding in a Hagglund across the ice and over mounds, up and down hills, across crevasses and through water!  It's not a ride for the terribly faint hearted, but the outdoor adventure course is uniquely designed to put the Hagglund through its paces in a fun but safe environment.  The Hagglund ride is around 10 minutes in duration."

These next few photos are some of my favorites from the whole trip -- not sure what Emily's motivation was behind these cute poses, but perhaps she was "warming up" for our Hagglund ride!

Buckled up and ready to roll!

Once we really got moving and shaking on the Hagglund course, Luke and Landon checked out completely...you can see them clinging to our laps, just waiting for it to be over!

Although the Hagglund ride wasn't a big hit with the twins, the rest of us loved it so much that we went twice!  On the second time, Ray and Steve sat in the front compartment with the driver:

After that second Hagglund ride, we were all a bit jostled and had seen everything we wanted to see, so we headed out.

We drove through downtown Christchurch on our way out of town.  It was raining still, and we were reluctant to get out and walk around since the twins had fallen asleep.  I didn't take any photos, but we were surprised and saddened to see the earthquake damage.  There were areas that looked almost like a ghost town, right there in the middle of this beautiful city.  The clean-up and restoration efforts are taking a long time, it would appear, considering that the earthquake occurred three years ago.  We will be happy for those living in Christchurch when the constant reminders of the earthquake and the resulting damage are no longer so visible.