October 2--Arrival Day

We arrived in Aukland, New Zealand (North Island) on October 2, after a 12 hour flight from Los Angeles. In Aukland we went through customs where Stacy and Jennifer were beagle busted because apparently their carry-on bags had a fruity odor (although they actually did not have any contraband) and Craig's baggage was inspected because he had packed a pair of dirty hiking boots.

Jennifer during the Beagle Bust.

New Zealand is very strict about what is allowed into the country because it is an island nation and they are serious about preventing diseases and invasive species from being introduced. We serendipitously arrived in New Zealand with D.J. from the band 'Eminem', and were thus treated to an authentic Maori welcome dance complete with warriors grunting and sticking out their tongues.

From the international terminal we walked over to the domestic terminal to wait for our flight to Christchurch (South Island). Christchurch is the location of the United States Antarctic Program headquarters, the staging point for McMurdo Station, the largest base in Antarctica with 1200 people during the height of the season. Once in Christchurch we were briefed on the logistics of the next few days by Antarctic Program staff. Then our check-in luggage was delivered to the CDC (clothing distribution center) and we were delivered to our lodgings, The Croydon House Bed and Breakfast.

After settling in to our accommodations we spent the afternoon walking around lovely Christchurch. Christchurch is a beautiful city about half-way down the east coast of the South Island. It was established in 1850 and boasts of being the most English town outside of England. Jennifer, Jim, and I spent much of our afternoon enjoying the new art museum-housed in an architectural wonder of glass and metal. The museum has a beautiful collection and focuses on Maori and contemporary New Zealand art. The other part of our day was a food fest--Greek food for lunch followed by ice cream and then a delicious Thai food dinner. We would have capped the night with a visit to Death by Chocolate but we found out to our dismay that it has been closed for two years-some things change... I should mention that I fit in a little shopping too (the paua jewelry, Maori bone carvings, and wool sweaters are beautiful) and somehow I have been labeled the group shopper-hey, I can blame that entirely on my mom who can literally shop till she drops. Needless to say, our heads hit the pillows hard that night.