After 25 hours of travel I've arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand! In Los Angeles, I met one member of our team, Perry Spector, who is a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington in Seattle. We traveled the final two legs of my journey to Christchurch together.
Interesting screen showing the plane's flight path as well as global time zones and current daylight/nighttime areas.
We are staying at the Windsor B& B. The Windsor is beautiful and the people are amazingly friendly.
Charming bed & breakfast that I'm staying at: The Windsor.
Once our PI, John Stone, arrived from Australia, we met up with him and went to dinner at a popular local restaurant, the Dux de Lux. It was nice getting introduced to the scientist who was instrumental in my ability to have this opportunity. After dinner, we took an enjoyable walk through the Christchurch botanical gardens. Not only do most people who go to the "Ice" visit the gardens to soak up the greenery, but they often visit on their return. Antarctica is very stark in contrast - the only colors out away from McMurdo and the main camps are shades of blues, whites, grays, and blacks.
Here you can see Perry (in red) standing next to a giant cedar tree in the Christchurch Botanical gardens.
This is a color that doesn't seem to be common in nature. This flower is about 24