Arthur’s Pass Alpine Motel, where we stayed last night, was really nice. I can’t believe that yesterday, Duke an I sat there wearing every piece of warm clothing we had, trying to stay warm. When, if we had read the folder right in front of us, about the motel, we would have learned that if we were cold there was an extra space heater under the sink and all the beds had electric blankets! Once we turned on the space heater we were cozy and warm!

We woke up this morning to fresh snow on the mountains around us and clearing skies. Thank goodness, because we were able to enjoy the stunning scenery.

Before heading west down to the west side of New Zealand’s South Island, we enjoyed a wonderful big breakfast at the cafe just down from the motel.

The drive down out of the mountains was gorgeous. I am so glad the rain stopped and the sun came out.

Tonight we are in the town of Ross overlooking the Tasman Sea. We are staying in a cozy little dome.

After getting settled we went for a lovely walk along the beach.

Ross is a very small village with a gold rush history. We went into the village to the Historic Empire Hotel for dinner. Although New Zealanders speak English, sometimes the accent can be a bit of a challenge. I thought I was ordering the Whitebait meal but actually I was ordering the Whitebait Sammy.. Duke had the beef pie and chips. It was all good.

This morning we had breakfast at Riverside Market before checking out of our hotel, the Observatory, and drove northwest, in the rain across the mountains toward’s the west coast of New Zealand.

We are spending the night at a motel near the mountain pass. We have a nice little room but the heater in the room isn’t keeping up and we are snuggled on the couch trying to keep warm. I think this area would be beautiful for hiking but for the rain.

For lunch and dinner we went to the little cafe down the road. As we were leaving our cabin we met the motel owner for the first time. She asked how we were doing and I said cold! She asked if we were using the space heater under the sink in addition to the wall heater. We didn’t know about it! As we drove off she went into our room and turned it on. At the cafe down the road I had a burger and Duke had a burrito bowl for dinner.

When we got back to the room it was definitely warmer. I’ve still got my long underwear and 3 layers on top, but the space heater is doing the trick.

Tomorrow’s blog post is here.

We had a very early start this morning. Our plane out of Nadi, Fiji left at 8am so we left the Fiji Orchid at 5:45. The flight was uneventful and on time.

We arrived in Christchurch at just after noon. Customs and immigration were all very quick, automated and modern.

I was reminded of how much the world follows American politics when the immigration officer asked us what state we were from. When we said Nevada, he said is that red or blue? When Duke said it’s a swing state. He said I won’t ask you what side you are on but he hoped it was the good one! I think it was pretty obvious from our reactions where we stand. We all grimaced and laughed.

We picked up our rental car and drove a short distance into central Christchurch. Our hotel, The Observatory, is in a building that used to be a part of Canterbury College.

After getting settled we went for a walk in the Christchurch Botanical Gardens across from our hotel. It is early spring here and the daffodils are blooming. The weather for our Saturday afternoon walk was perfect.

For dinner We went to a nearby restaurant, Fiddlesticks. Appropriately, for our first night in New Zealand, Duke had the lamb shoulder and I had the braised beef cheek Gnochi. They were each excellent.

To read tomorrow’s blog post click here.

Today is our last full day in Fiji. Tomorrow morning we fly to New Zealand.

We had a great breakfast this morning in the open air dining room here at the Fiji Orchid. A little after noon we drove about ten miles closer to Nadi and hiked in the Garden of the Sleeping Giant.

Tomorrow we leave Fiji for New Zealand. You can read about it here.

This morning around 4:30 they stated pouring concrete for the house they are building two doors down from our villa in Volivoli. It was quite noisy. In spite of the early start we had a lovely last morning in our villa.

About 10:30 we left Volivoli and drove two and a half hours west to the Fiji Orchid resort where we are tonight. The resort is about half an hour from the airport. Duke chose it so we wouldn’t have too far to drive before our early flight Saturday morning.

At Fiji Orchid we have a beautiful stand alone room. After we checked in we relaxed, read and enjoyed the peaceful setting .

We had a wonderful dinner in the Fiji Orchid Restautant

The blog post for our second day at the Fiji Orchid is here.