On Wednesday, 15th of April, the Level Two Earth Space Science class went on a field trip to Christchurch to visit the Antarctic Centre. 

We have been learning about extreme environments and how Emperor penguins along with other animals have adapted to these harsh conditions. When we arrived at the centre after over three hours in the bus, we were greeted by one of the staff, Miranda Satterthwaite. She showed us that a lot of countries' Antarctic bases are right by the center, and then we headed through into the presentation room. 

There were a few problems with the technology, so we went and hopped on the Hagglunds. They are the vehicles that people drive in Antarctica to get over crevasses and ice shelves. They are waterproof, and are very durable. We took a quick 10 minute ride over a course of hills and water, which everyone enjoyed very much. 

Once we had finished the ride, we got led into the snow room. Obviously, this room is full of snow and simulates some of the Antarctic conditions, such as the darkness and wind. The wind speeds at one point got to over 40 kmph! 

After this, we took a quick tour around the penguin enclosure, where we learnt about not just the penguins living there (mainly little blue penguins), but also some information about the Emperor penguins. Sadly we didn’t get to see any of the actual penguins in the enclosure. 

From here, we walked on into the 4D theater. This was an incredible experience for many people, as 4D theaters are very rare. We got to see Antarctica up close with 3D glasses on, and there were even effects such as water spraying on you and shaking chairs. 

By now, the technology was fixed and we got to go back into the presentation room, where Miranda led an excellent presentation about the extreme conditions in the environment. Did you know that it is the windiest, driest, coldest and most radioactive place on Earth? 

After this we proceeded on to see the Huskies. This was such a cool experience for everyone!

By Dakota Robins.