Discover more about Christchurch's connection to Antarctica through new audio tour

Check out the Antarctic Gateway City Trail in Christchurch. Photo / Supplied

Christchurch's links to the icy continent are celebrated in a new interactive audio tour through the city centre.

Scientists, artists, experts and locals all share their stories in the Antarctic Gateway City Trail put together by ChristchurchNZ and The Christchurch Antarctic Office.

Christchurch is one of only five International Antarctic Gateway cities and was the starting point for some of the most iconic adventures of Antarctic exploration.

Starting on Colombo St near Victoria Square, the trail takes listeners on a comprehensive tour of the city, including 17 geo-location audio clips detailing a rich Antarctic history.

The tour also has exclusive insight into two new pieces of street art.

This includes the Scott Base and penguins mural in Cathedral Square, one of the city's largest murals.

Head of the Christchurch Antarctic Office David Kennedy said the audio tour was a jewel in the city's exploration crown.

It is enabling people to reconnect with the city's historic and contemporary links to the ice, he said.

"Ōtautahi Christchurch has always been a place of exploration and stories, with perhaps the richest Antarctic history on the planet.

"The Antarctic Gateway City Trail enables people to experience this history in depth, at the places it happened, and at their own pace."

Christchurch continues to be a hub of Antarctic activity with four international programmes using the city as a year-round base for operations.

They take advantage of both Christchurch Airport and Lyttelton Port for transport.

Hundreds of Canterbury businesses support and supply the Antarctic sector.

The Christchurch Antarctic Office recently launched the Christchurch Antarctic Network, a platform for these businesses to tell their stories of product and service delivery to the ice.

Figures from 2017 show the Antarctic sector as a whole contributes more than $250 million to the Canterbury economy and more than $500m to the national economy.

To access the tour, download the Listen Up Ōtautahi app in the App Store or Google Play, or click here to access the experience via your browser.

For more information on Christchurch's connection to Antarctica, check out the Christchurch Antarctic Office website.