Christchurch

I was able to spend a little over a day in Christchurch after leaving Antarctica. It was nice to see darkness again and to smell green.
This is a Maori kiwi feather cloak at the Canterbury Museum. It's a free museum, and it's actually pretty neat. The Antarctic section is pretty neat and rivals the Antarctic Center.
















The rose garden in the Botanical garden. I could smell it from a couple hundred feet away.











Another area of the botanical garden The garden is free and pretty spectacular even in late summer.

























The memorial to Scott in Christchurch. It was sculpted by his widow.

















I went up the gondola just outside of town. Normally you could see the Southern Alps across the way, but because of smoke blowing across "the ditch," the view was somewhat obscured.










Here you can see Lyttleton Harbor from the lookout at the top, which was one of the more interesting views to look at.

I stopped in at the Antarctic Center when I was waiting for a flight out. It seems rather touristy after going to Antarctica, but probably gives you the best perspective of what it's like even though it is a bit expensive. One part I did enjoy was the blue penguin exhibit. Blue penguins are the smallest of the penguins and are found in New Zealand and not Antarctica. All the animals at the exhibit are no fit for survival in the wild as many. One problem they have run into is the development of calluses on their feet because the penguins spend a lot of time on the land as they don't have to hunt for food, so this particular animal has rubber booties on to protect its feet.