had a late start this morning, again. traveling wears you out i guess. or you just don't want to get up when it's cold. or you just don't feel like getting up when you don't have to be somewhere early. by the time we showered and were ready for the day, it was almost lunchtime. we went across the street to piko wholefoods, an organic health type store. bought some vegan pies for lunch. mine were just ok but twiddle thumbs loved hers. we got different kinds. if i go there again, i want to try the other ones. we found twiddle thumbs's favorite nature's path cereal there cheaper than anywhere else we have seen it in new zealand so we had to buy 1 box.

what's with kiwis and giant chess boards in every town?

once our bodies were fueled, we walked to cathedral square again. we decided to catch a shuttle to the international antarctic center. we had to wait almost one hour for the shuttle so to kill time we went to use the last of our 30 minute blocks of pre-purchased internet time at base backpackers. while we were there, one of the people called back regarding an ad seeking flatmates. last night we wrote down several numbers from internet flatmate ads in wellington and left messages today. this one is ideal as far as we know. it's not too bad a price, it's on cuba street, and the other flatmates are vegan. i just don't know if it's furnished and twiddle thumbs forgot to ask, but they don't mind two people to the room and it's still available. because of this, we've decided to cut short our planned time in christchurch by 2 or 3 days so that we can take a look at this place.

cathedral in the daytime

cathedral square in the daytime

the shuttle was late and we rode out to the international antarctic center, which is across the street from the christchurch airport. it's an international center because the new zealand, american, and italians are based there for their respective research operations in antarctica. i really want to go to antarctica one day. i would love to have a job where i was there for a few months or 1 year. it sounds very cold and crazy but i want to experience it. the only problem is, i'm not the kind of person who goes there or gets employed to go there. i just don't have those kind of skills. it's largely scientists and i'm just not a science kind of person. to be an artist and go there, now that is amazing. for that, kiwis are lucky bastards. there is a antarctic artist fellowship program they have. damn lucky. i'm sure it's incredibly competitive but still, it's an opportunity to go. if you have lots of money you could go as a tourist. it would take lots of money to train me as a scientist or to become a new zealand resident to qualify for the fellowship program so it doesn't matter. either way it's just fancy. going to the museum part really is going to be the closest i get to antarctica.

the international antarctic centre in christchurch

penguin butts

one of the first things you see when you walk into the center is the penguin ashtray and the giant sea lion body pillow/sofa type thing. it's pretty damn cool. at least i think so. i had a good chuckle.

inside the center is a cold room where you can experience a slice of antarctica. they do a minor simulation of a storm. you have to put on rubber covers over your shoes to help keep the snow clean in the room. then you put on a jacket. good thing i was wearing my polypropelynes and had on gloves, even if they were fingerless. you walk into the room and there's snow and ice. you only slip and fall if you're careless. otherwise it's alright. when the storm part is in session, it is announced through loudspeakers and there is a digital clock to countdown when it occurs so there are no surprises. the lights go down and the wind picks up. it's really loud. it gets cold. then a thermometer lights up so you can see how cold it is. minus 5 celsius. again, what's with minus 5? first the bar and now this antarctic room.

the marine mammal you can sit on

too cold to fake a decent smile

another section of the center has a small aquarium of antarctic sea life. pretty interesting stuff. really surprised to learn that people go diving there. crazy bastards! now i want to be one of them. hehehehee...

hagglund all-terrain vehicle

for an additional fee, you can ride a hagglund military vehicle used in antarctica. we went for it. crazy! such fun. they are like all-terrain tanks with flexibility in their mobility. they can make tight turns, go through water, go up and down sharp gradients. just a really fun way to kill 15 minutes. they built a little obstacle course behind the center and they drive all around it, showing off what the vehicle can do, including going through a 10 foot puddle.

propelling through water

view from my window