I was skeptical about the Antarctic Center because of a few lukewarm reviews and almost decided not to go because of the expense. In addition to admission there's also the added expense of getting out to the airport, but fortunately the shuttle was included when we bought tickets in advance at the i-site in cathedral square. First up we tested... more

The Centre has some interesting features, but it is just not worth the price of admission. We enjoyed the penguins and did the snowstorm. The Hagglund Ride was enjoyed by my husband & daughter, but the line was too slow for me to have time for a ride. The different levels of the exhibit were not very user friendly for... more

If you haven't experienced snow or seen a penguin before pay a visit. The price for 2 adults & 1 child was $132. After visiting Kelly Tarltons & Melbourne Aquarium the penguin display was very disappointing - very cute though. On top of the entrance fee was an extra charge for the audio commentary. The Antarctic storm felt more like... more

We went because we had just arrived in Christchurch and needed to stay awake in order to minimize jet lag. Being from Chicago, we were not impressed with the "arctic storm" simulation... but the penguin exhibit is really nice, esp because we didn't get to Dunedin on this trip. The Haggland ride was also fun. Overall, we thought it was... more

Having just returned from over 3 months in New Zealand my wife and myself can truly say this was one of the highlights of our holiday. We both felt that this was the nearest experience we could get without actualy going there.Dont expect a Disney world Raz Ma Taz this is serious stuff with plenty of diversity. the ice room... more

We had an amazing afternoon at the Antarctic Centre. The kids loved the storm and watching the feeding of the penguins. The hagglund ride was en-thrilling, so much that we queued up to go on it again ! I would definitely time your visit with the three daily penguin feedings as we did, as it can't be missed. Overall a... more

Our family really enjoyed our visit to the International Antarctic Center in Christchurch.Really interesting and suits the more inquisitive type of traveller who likes to explore and discover a place. The children loved The Storm & Snow Room as well as the penguins and the exciting ride which was a real buzz !!.. Our favourite area was the movie -... more

The penguin backstage show costs extra; they don't tell you that until you get there. And the last one is at 3:30 each day. Still, you can see them feed the penguins, which is fun. The cold-weather room is nice, but you're basically just walking around in a warehouse with fiberglass snow rocks. If it weren't as expensive, we wouldn't... more

This was one of the last things we did on our trip to New Zealand and it was worth the wait. Lots of information about penguins which we really love. We got the back stage pass and got to see the penguins up close with a very small group. The information about Antartica was superb - really learned a lot!... more