August 24, 2025  |    7 Comments

Sabrina and John - DIA
Me and Sabrina at Denver International Airport at the start of my 24+ hour trip to New Zealand.

I am currently in Christchurch, New Zealand the main gateway for US Antarctic Program participants heading to Antarctica. The reason for Christchurch being the primary gateway to Antarctic is that it is directly north of McMurdo Station, the largest US base in Antarctica, and thus offers the shortest travel distance from a major city to McMurdo.

NZ-Ant_map
It is almost a straight flight south from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. On a C-17, the type of plane I’ll be flying on, the flight time is about 5 hours. On a C-130, used during the Antarctic summer, the flight time is about 8 hours.

The plan for this Antarctic trip was that I would spend 3 nights in Christchurch before heading south to Antarctica. I arrived in New Zealand on Tuesday August 19th, two days after leaving home in Colorado after losing a day crossing the international date line. On Wednesday I took part in US Antarctic Program training sessions that are required before deploying to Antarctica. On Thursday I spent the morning at the Antarctic clothing distribution center (CDC) getting the extreme cold weather gear that will keep me safe and warm while living and working in Antarctica.

ECW gear
The US Antarctic Program provides all the cold weather clothing I will need except for base layers, which I provide myself. This photo shows the cold weather gear I was issued for this trip. On the coldest days I’ll wear all of this plus base layers.

The plan was that I would fly to McMurdo on a US Air Force C-17 on Friday but as often happens with Antarctic travel that flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem with the plane as well as bad weather in McMurdo. I am currently waiting in New Zealand for the aircraft mechanical issues to be resolved and for the weather in McMurdo to improve so the flight can head south. In the meantime, I am enjoying spending a few extra days in Christchurch.

The Christchurch botanic gardens are one of my favorite spots in Christchurch. They are especially nice to visit after spending weeks in Antarctica without seeing any plants.
Illuminate light show
I enjoyed seeing the gardens lit up for the Illuminate light show on Thursday night.

One of the reasons I am always excited to go to Antarctica is the fact that I get to spend time in New Zealand – one of my favorite places. I have spent a lot of time in New Zealand, having passed through here 15 times on my Antarctic trips plus more than 10 additional times for other work trips and vacations. Christchurch almost feels like a home away from home for me.

Sadly, in 2011 Christchurch was struck by a devastating M6.3 earthquake that killed 185 people and destroyed buildings and infrastructure across the city. I returned to Christchurch, on another Antarctic trip, less than a year after that earthquake and have been back to Christchurch several times since. It was hard seeing the devastation in the city after the earthquake. Rebuilding was a slow process but it looks to be almost completed. There are lots of new buildings and restaurants downtown and the city is busy with people having a good time. It is wonderful to see Christchurch coming back strong after the earthquake.

Christchurch cathedral - 2009
One of the major landmarks in Christchurch is its cathedral that dates from the late 1800s. Here is a view of the cathedral in 2009.
Christchurch cathedral - 2025
The cathedral was severely damaged during the 2011 earthquake and is still being rebuilt today.

In 2012 Liz, Sabrina and I lived in Christchurch for 3 months while I was on sabbatical at the University of Canterbury and our time here is one of my fondest memories.

Key Summit, Fiordland N.P.
At the end of our 3 months in New Zealand we took a road trip around the South Island. Here we are at Key Summit in Fiordland National Park on the southwest coast of the South Island.

One of the things I love about New Zealand is the amazing diversity of outdoor environments from sandy beaches to rugged fjords and from plains, that remind me of the high plains at home, to snowy, glacier covered mountains that are all within a few hours drive of each other. It really is an outdoor paradise. In addition to the amazing natural environment the people here are so welcoming and friendly. I loved living in New Zealand during my sabbatical and experiencing the relaxed lifestyle and am always happy to spend more time in New Zealand. 

Mt. Cook
Aoraki / Mt. Cook is the highest summit in New Zealand topping out at over 12,000 feet.
Sea kayaking Doubtful Sound
Sea kayaking through the lush temperate rain forest in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland National Park.

Because I am an avid cyclist, I love riding wherever my travels take me and New Zealand is a wonderful place to ride a bike. I have brought my folding Brompton travel bike with me on this trip so that I could do some rides while I am in New Zealand. Christchurch is an easy city to get around by bike with lots of bike lanes and bike paths crisscrossing the city. 

While I have been waiting for my flight to Antarctica I have been cycling around Christchurch including to New Brighton beach.

In the past I have done several multi-day bike tours in New Zealand including on the Alps 2 Ocean trail (https://www.alps2ocean.com) and the Central Otago Rail Trail (https://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz).

Central Otago Rail Trail
The Central Otago Rail Trail is a 100 mile dirt trail follows the route of an 1860s gold rush railroad that linked the coastal city of Dunedin with the gold fields in central Otago, in the south central part of the South Island of New Zealand. The dry rolling hills along this trail remind me of Colorado or Wyoming.
Lake Pukaki, Alps2Ocean trail
The Alps 2 Ocean trail winds from near Mt. Cook to the coastal town of Oamaru. I started my 2014 ride on this trail along the shores of Lake Pukaki below Mt. Cook.

As my delay in flying to Antarctica has stretched on I have been looking for things outside of Christchurch to occupy my time. Yesterday I spent the day riding the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch, on the east coast, to Greymouth, on the west coast, crossing over the Southern Alps at Arthur’s Pass. It is a beautiful train ride that goes from the flat, agricultural Canterbury Plains outside of Christchurch, through the rugged Southern Alps and finally descends through the temperate rainforest on the west side of the mountains to the shore of the Tasman Sea at Greymouth.

Canterbury Plains and Southern Alps
Approaching the Southern Alps from the Canterbury Plains. The sheep grazing in the distance are a common sight in New Zealand.
Southern Alps High Country
Tussock grassland in the high country of the Southern Alps.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully my next blog post will be from Antarctica.

7 comments on “New Zealand”

    • For this trip the delay in New Zealand will shorten our time in Antarctica since our return from Antarctica is tied to the start of the main field season, currently scheduled for October 3rd. At this point regular flights will resume and there will be too much air traffic for us to being regular drone flights near McMurdo.

      Reply

  • enjoying the blog and a little bit of history. Never visited myself (my brothers have). Please add my email to your blog notification email list.
    Ron

    Reply

  • Thanks Jeff. Latest is that our flight is delayed until at least the 30th. They are currently waiting to get a part for the C-17 from the US.

    Reply

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