Getting down to the ice is a pretty long, tedious adventure. It starts with leaving home about five days before you’re supposed to be on ice.
I flew from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to Dallas (7 hr layover) to Sydney (17.5 hr flight!) to Christchurch totaling nearly 35 hours of travel. The next two days were allotted for a bunch of trainings, (Extreme Cold Weather) ECW clothing issue, and getting everything repacked to head down to the ice on Day 5.
However, severe blizzard-like conditions plagued the McMurdo area and caused some significant flight delays and extended stay in Christchurch.
I had a lovely time making the most of my time in the city. My hotel was between the airport and downtown and was well placed on the 29 & 3 bus routes. For less than $2 US, I could get downtown in about 30 minutes.
