Getting to know Christchurch



 As is often the case, our flight south from Christchurch has been delayed. Initially, this was due to a mechanical issue on the C17. But now we are scheduled to fly on the RNZAF Boeing 757 instead - we just have to wait until Monday for that one. So we've spent the past four days getting kitted out with our Antarctic clothing; packing and re-packing all our gear into four types of baggage (bags to stay in Chch, carry on to the plane, return to us if we're delayed further in Chch, and return to us on arrival into Scott Base); getting to know each other as a team; trying out various different cuisines for dinners; talking to a camera crew (we're being filmed for a Climate Change doco - "The Climate Canary") and finding new accommodation - not easy for a team of 10!

It's been a real mix of weather - snow, sleet, and hail to start with, and lovely warm sunshine now. A few of the crew got out for a walk up Mt Pleasant yesterday, while I covered several kms on foot down here on the flat.

With the combination of minimising our street clothes to take south and an extra four nights spent in Chch, we've taken advantage of today's sunshine to get our washing up to date. Otherwise a fairly quiet day.

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