International Antarctic Centre

Christchurch has been a departure point for Antarctic expeditions since Scott and Shackleton, and the airport still hosts the operational bases of the New Zealand, United States and Italian Antarctic programmes - aircraft leave for the ice from here every season. The visitor centre sits in that campus. Its best-known exhibit is the storm room, where the temperature is dropped below freezing and a wind machine simulates an Antarctic blast, jackets and overshoes provided. There is a colony of little blue penguins, all of them rescued birds unable to survive in the wild - injured, blind or with damaged flippers - and a Hagglund all-terrain vehicle ride over a purpose-built course. The 4D theatre and some displays are dated. It works best as an explanation of why New Zealand has an Antarctic role at all.

History

Scott's Discovery expedition called at Christchurch in November-December 1901, Shackleton's Nimrod in 1907-1908 and Scott's Terra Nova in 1910, and from the mid-1950s the city was the base for American flights to Antarctica, the first landing on the ice coming on 31 October 1956. The centre's first stage, offices and stores for the Antarctic programmes of New Zealand, the United States and Italy, opened in September 1990, and the visitor centre followed in 1992 (Wikipedia, International Antarctic Centre).

The main sights

• The storm room - sub-zero temperatures and simulated Antarctic wind.
• The penguins - rescued little blues that cannot be released.
• The Hagglund ride - the tracked Antarctic vehicle over rough ground.
• The gateway story - Christchurch's role in Antarctic operations.

When to go

Any season; indoors throughout. Penguin feeding times are worth timing for. Quieter on weekday mornings.

Things to know

Priced as a full attraction but takes two to three hours. Some exhibits are dated. The Hagglund ride is often an extra charge. The storm room is short - a few minutes.

Nearby

Christchurch Airport is next door; Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is close.