Experiencing The Antarctic by Elyssa

 


This past Tuesday we visited and toured the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch! This city is known as the “gateway to the Antarctic”, along with four other cities in the world. The International Antarctic Centre is both a research center and a way to inform the public about what is happening and being discovered about the continent. Our tour was led by Miranda and started on the Hägglund. These all-terrain military vehicles are used in the rough, icy conditions of the Antarctic. We rode them through a small obstacle course that included going over tires, through water, and up and down steep hills. We then traveled inside to the theatre where Miranda gave us a presentation on the basics of the Antarctic. She started with the background of how Tama Rereti was the first person to discover Antarctica when he was searching for the Aurora over the Southern Ocean. We also learned about the difference between global warming and climate change and the effects it is having/will have on the Antarctic and its wildlife. She showed a few videos too, one describing the patterns of glacial melting and another about the Icefin robot that is currently being used in Antarctica to explore the bottom of the ocean floor. We then left the gallery and went to visit the penguins! At the centre, they have an exhibit of Little Blue Penguins. These little guys have been experiencing declining survival rates in the wild in New Zealand, so this rescue is extremely helpful to them. All the penguins that are kept here would not be able to survive in the wild due to either past issues or current disabilities. After the penguins, we wandered over to the 4-D theatre where we got to experience a boat ride to the Antarctic. We got sprayed with sea water, snowed on, jostled around, and even pooped on by a seagull. When we finished our journey, we briefly got to meet some of the Siberian husky’s that are used in Antarctica for transportation and companionship, and then made our way to the ice storm dome. This room was incredible; it imitated an Antarctic storm which got down to -8°C with a windchill of -18°C. We also perused the gallery for a while which was filled with so many fun facts and little tidbits of information. Overall, this visit was both a fun and valuable experience!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Journey Ends by Francesca

Image
                                                                      Our Journey Ends Group Photo outside of the Lincoln University Library                                    And so our journey in New Zealand comes to an end … or does it? Throughout this past month, we have all learned and grown so much. As Dr. Griffiths and Susan warned us back in December, we will not be coming back home the same person we were when we left. Of course, we are returning a little tanner (or sunburned for some) and a lot of us with tattoos or piercings, but it’s not just a physical change. Not only have we learned more about agriculture and sustainability but we have also learned so much about ourselves. Each farmer left us with life lessons and messages that really resonated with us. One of the farmers, Scott McFadden, who we even recommended write a book to house all his inspirational messages, reminded us to “make each day a good day, have a good laugh because you gotta keep yourself going.” And tha
Read more

Today I met Hamish Marr by Erin

Image
Today, we had the pleasure of meeting a farmer named Hamish Marr. Hamish owns and  operates Longfield Marr Farms Ltd. along with his father, Graham Marr, his brother, Stuart Marr, and their families. Hamish and his brother are the fifth generation of the Marr family to operate the farm. Hamish does not believe his children have any interest in continuing the family farm, but he says he has other relatives who would.  Hamish is a very kind man, whose passion for farming is unmistakable. Throughout our visit,  several questions were asked about his farm and he was very eager to answer every single  one. The University of Delaware Study Abroad program has been visiting his farm for so many  years, that he even provided us with a sheet of facts about his farm upon arrival. This sheet included the breakdown of crops on the farm, why he farms the way he does, a bit about his family, and where he’d like to be in the future. Hamish stressed that in order to be successful as a farmer,  you have
Read more

Grapes by Dan

Image
  Grapes .   Grapes. The word crosses my ears (so far twice on your screen) and what I really want to hear is wine. I know I am not the only one as well. New Zealand’s wine tourism is a booming industry, with vineyards extending 700 miles all across both islands. As a tourist, you don't cross oceans and the southern alps to try grapes, you come for a refreshing and fruity Malborough Sauvignon blanc or cherry red Pinot Noirs in the Otago region. Yet wine doesn’t magically materialize in your glass on lad ies night, it's cultivated from grapes by talented winemakers.             We learned the efforts required to cultivate grapes on our final farm visit. Rossendale vineyards are owned and operated by a lovely couple, Brent and Shirley Rawstro n . We strolled through two of the seemingly endless rows of small green bulbs, barely resembling the Pinot Noir grapes they would ripen to be. These little green marbles would have to wait another two months before Brent would drive his
Read more