ChCh, Methven and Hamner

2 hours into our 5 hour drive up to Christchurch (aka ChCh), we arrived at the milky blue Lake Pukaki to see our first views of the 12,500 ft Mt. Cook, which the indigenous Maori call Aoraki (Cloud Piercer). Lake Tekapo, our next stop, with a population of 295 offered a hike up Mt. John and a wonderful Japanese lunch with bus loads of Japanese tourists who were enthralled by our usage of chopsticks. We sped off to ChCh to afford us an hour or two at the international Antarctic Center. Learning about life on Scott Base, administration of the national (US & NZ) programs, and historical, geological and zoological exhibits paled in comparison to the thrills and frostbite of the 'Antarctic Storm' chamber, in which, as the name suggests, an Antarctic storm is simulated.
The next morning, after we learned how to put chains on our car, we headed up the windy Mt. Hutt access road, the looks of which turned our collective knuckles white. Just as we were getting our ski legs back and enjoying the softening snow, harmless looking clouds from the valley rolled up the mountain, causing white-out conditions. We reluctantly turned in our passes for a half-day refund and skidded back down the access road into Methven. We headed the 3 hours up to Hamner for an evening soak in the sulfurous hot springs.
The best part of Hamner which completed our ChCh experience was meeting two Americans on their way back from McMurdock and the South Pole camps on Antarctica. They enthralled us with stories and factoids about life during a winter on Antarctica.