Continuing to the west

Since this was a travel day, we left for the airport in Papeete at 5:00AM.  What fun to find that the Kiwanis Club of Papeete was still actively helping the Children of the World.  They had a collection box for change from travelers in the airport.  The last time we visited this club was 18 years ago, and unfortunately we didn't get to see them this time.

We were surprised at how far it was to Auckland - almost a 6 hour flight, farther than from Raleigh to Los Angeles.  We are now 8 hours behind EDT, so still adjusting to the jet lag.

When we landed in Auckland, we were greeted by a large concrete statue with a little sign reading "On loan from Middle Earth" - a reference to the land inhabited by men in The Lord of the Rings, a book by J R R Tolkien.  Since much of the movie version of the book was filmed in New Zealand, there is much celebration of that fact. Take a look at that huge axe!

We then caught a flight for Christchurch on the South Island.  Flying over the North Island we saw barren mountain ranges but when we got to the South island, the view was lush and green. Christchurch is our destination for today and the starting point for exploration. 

The Grange B&B

Yep, the right hand drive.

Tom now has a car with right hand drive.  It is always so confusing to remember to get in on the opposite side.  We did not have any trouble reaching the Grange Bed and Breakfast for our evenings lodgings.  After checking in, we walked to a nearby restaurant, The Villas for dinner.  I had a steak and some yummy Kumara, which turns out to be a New Zealand sweet potato. 

Dinner of steak and kumara