A hot summer day

December 4, 2013
Christ Church, New Zealand

After a long flight and a lovely layover in Sydney, where we explored the Botanical Gardens,
we arrived in Christ Church early this morning.









We managed to grab a couple hours sleep at the hotel before checking in with the US Antarctic Program (USAP).  At the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC), we were issued two orange duffels full of extreme cold weather (ECW) gear.  Are you noticing a lot of acronyms yet?  We even have nicknames for some of our clothing, like Big Red, the large down jacket on the left.  They showed us a few orientation videos, one of which had a shout-out to our research program, WISSARD.  Although I was tired at the time, I was later grateful that they broke up the orientation into small modules.


The afternoon was spent exploring Christ Church on a long but necessary journey to a coffee roaster. It is still very evident that the city suffered a disaster, the 2001 earthquake, but the atmosphere seems very optimistic.  There were bright and colorful art projects on many of the empty lots.   The container stores seemed to be a fairly successful temporary attraction, but the downtown area still seemed rather empty, of both buildings and people.





We heard that the grand cathedral is due to be demolished and another put up in its place.  I am glad I had a chance to see it, for it is beautiful, even with a gaping hole in the front.



We had a creative meander the rest of the way: when the sidewalk is blocked you decide whether to  hug the fenced curb on your side of the street or jaywalk to the other side where there may be a more continuous sidewalk.


We eventually arrived at C4 Coffee Roastery, easily the best smelling warehouse I've ever been in.  We ended up with 6 kilos of coffee grounds.  It seems like a lot to me, but the rest of our team seems convinced we will be able to finish it in the months ahead.  Granted, we all fully expect caffeine addictions to set in.  I couldn't help but make a couple cups when we got back to the hotel, I was so eager to try the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.  It did not all affect my ability to sleep that night, which evidences how tired I must have been.