A Visit to the South Pole

Pedro

As the weather prediction was dire, we decided to head into Christchurch on our 3rd day to visit the International Antarctic Centre. We phoned ahead to book an opportunity to get up close and personal with the little blue penguins. We viewed an excellent introductory film then met Jordan, our blue penguin expert. All the penguins live at the Centre because they have been injured in the wild; some were missing limbs and sight in one or even both eyes. They live here permanently because they could not survive long in the wild. The Centre can house up to 25 penguins at a time. Jordan took us into the penguin enclosure along with another couple from California. He pointed out the difference between the blue penguins and the white flippered penguins, and he warned us to keep our hands out of their pond as they tend to bite, especially the innocent looking female named Turk. Then we went into the lab and met Pedro, a little charmer who stood very patiently as we snapped lots of photos. We watched feeding time where they throw out sprats and record how many each bird eats. Each has its own identification ring to make the task easier though the keepers recognize them by their obvious disabilities. Next we moved on to Antarctic Base Camp where we donned boots and warm coats for entry into the Antarctic Storm Centre. We stood shivering as the winds roared to 45 kph and the temperature dropped to -18C. We weren’t that impressed as we’ve experienced much worse in Montreal and Toronto in the dead of winter. The darkness was creepy though; I couldn’t stand all those months with no sunlight. Finally Claudia rode on the Hagglund (Swedish made) ATV Ride of Terror. A notice warned those prone to seasickness to avoid the ride so Duncan decided to stay behind and take photos. The ride simulated conditions found in extremes of temperature and terrain from 50C to -50, from desert or icecap. We jerked over hills, round steep curves and into a pond 2 metres deep. Our yobbish driver took great pleasure charging around. I wondered why he didn’t join the military instead of driving the same course at the Antarctic Centre day after day, maybe he’s done that already.