International Antarctic Centre — Attraction in Christchurch

This is a must have experience while in Christchurch that takes you to the Antarctic through various close to actual simulations. Ideally two and a half hours will be enough to go through the center, be part of all experiences, and read up on the information available. Would recommend buying the ticket with the Haggled vehicle experience that is only $5 above the general admission price. Would also highly recommend to time your visit so that you are able to view the penguin feeding that takes places at 10 AM and 3 PM daily. This place is at almost a walking distance from airport, so if you have a 4 hour layover between flights, come and visit this space. Below is the detailed guide on experiences available:

Storm Room: A simulation of average Antarctic conditions. The average room temperature is -8 Celsius. You are provided with foot covers and jackets to go inside. The storm simulation takes places every 30 minutes and is one of a kind experience, where the temperature drops to - 18 Celsius as an Antarctic storm is simulated through strong cold winds.

Penguin Feeding: This takes places at 10 AM and 3 PM daily. You can watch the guide not only feeding penguins but also providing a highly informative commentary on the penguins. Here you get to see the Penguins up close in their most active situations.

4D Theatre: A 4D movie is played for 12 minutes documenting the journey to and life at Antarctic. The seats in the theatre move with the experience on screen, while all visuals are depicted in real life through blowing of wind and splashing of water. The movie runs after every thirty minutes.

The Drive: you will experience a ride on the special automobile named Hagglund used in the Antarctic. They buckle you up and drive you around various terrains encountered in the Antarctic. This is a 15 minute experience and the rides leave every 30 minutes from outside the main entrance.

Huskies: There are 5 rescue huskies in the center who are brought outside on different intervals during the day. You can pet the huskies and take pictures with these adorable animals.

Exhibits: There are many exhibits and short movies, auctions in various parts across the center showing evolution of human journey to Antarctic, the life there, means of transport, and how the people survive there. A lot of interactive screens where you can also watch live webcams from various country stations in the Antarctic.

Gift Shop: This shop is at the end of the experience and you can buy a wide variety of souvenirs relating to the Antarctic. The prices however are slightly higher. There is also an adjacent cafe for snacks and beverages.

Parking: There is a free parking lot next to the Antarctic center, which is super spacey...

It was great to visit the International Antarctic Centre again after 29 years! There were some standout experiences—like the penguin feeding and the chance to step inside a mock aircraft with an old-school video playing inside. Honestly, it’s probably the same video I watched 29 years ago—which gave me a good laugh!

The storm room was fun, with wind chill temperatures dropping to -25°C. That said, there were definitely some underwhelming aspects. The huskies looked completely bored out of their minds, which was quite sad to see. The whole place feels like it’s trying to appeal to everyone—kids, teens, adults, international tourists—but doesn’t quite hit the mark for any particular group. I would never pay full price for this experience. Thankfully, we booked tickets through BookMe, which made it considerably cheaper than purchasing on the day.

A few things to note for families: the layout isn’t stroller-friendly and can feel crammed at times. It’s not the easiest to navigate, especially during busier periods. One recommendation I’d make is to create a designated breastfeeding area. When we asked about family-friendly spaces, we were told to try the private function area upstairs, but mixed communication led to staff questioning our presence there, which was awkward. Also, the baby change room sign says it’s for “disabled people or females with a baby,” which really needs updating for inclusivity.

If you want to soak up the full experience—meaning read every single word on the walls and take in all the exhibits—you’ll want to allow 2–3 hours. I’d recommend arriving early. But for families or casual visitors, you might get through it much faster.

If I’m ever going to return, they’d need to improve the layout, be more inclusive, and cater more clearly to different demographics. If you want children to come and connect with the experience, offer more interactives, find ways to truly engage them, and bring some passion into the storytelling—help them become guardians of tomorrow.

The one big takeaway from today is that Christchurch has a lot of fun and reasonably priced activities. This could be one of them, with just a...

I was a little unsure about going at first because I'm travelling on a budget but the International Antarctic Centre went above and beyond all of my expectations. The centre starts with large screens showing stunning videos of Antarctica to set the scene, before being plunged into -17 degrees in the antarctic storm simulation. They provide warm jackets and shoe covers for the snowy ground. I'd recommend wearing trousers when you visit because I felt very sorry for the visitor wearing shorts! The 4D movie completely convinced me that I need to visit Antarctica and had some really fun surprise elements. As a dog lover I was always going to enjoy seeing the huskies but I was impressed by how sociable they were and how wonderfully their owner handled them. The owner was also very welcoming and chatty. The penguin feed at 10.30 was a great chance to learn more about their rescue penguins and their back stories. The penguins can be seen underwater, in their enclosure and you can also have a sneak peek into their bedrooms. Finally the Hüggland ride was a fantastic way to round off the trip, it was great fun and I was lucky enough to co-pilot with the lovely Steve. The staff were all amazing, very knowledgeable and were happy to chat about the exhibitions or their own trips to this wonderful continent. Thank you for a brilliant experience, I will be recommending you...