On my way, now in Christchurch New Zealand!

The trip has begun! We left Denver on Tuesday and arrived here in
Christchurch, New Zealand on Thursday, August 18th. We lost the 17th in route.
The weather is really nice - 57 degrees and sunny. It is still winter here and the sun crosses the sky low in the north - not in the south like in Denver. I am staying in a hotel next to the cathedral pictured to the right. The center of town is a large square - appropriately called Cathedral Square. We had orientation today in the International Antarctic Center by the airport. We tried on our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear and will return here tomorrow at 4:00 am to fly tomorrow about 7 or 8 am. We will arrive in Antarctica around midday unless bad weather turns us around. The people here in New Zealand are very friendly! Yesterday during the flight from Aukland to Christchurch we flew by the Southern Alps of New Zealand. They were spectacular - very jagged and covered in snow! I imagine alot of people are having fun at the ski resorts! Hopefully the next post will be from the Ice!

Best wishes to family and friends!
Bob