We got up early with the promise of a washer at 7:30AM, however Jen had to negotiate a 7:45AM opening, as they changed their story and didn't want to open it until 8. We also got hot showers, something we learned not to take for granted based on the day before. After this, we waited for laundry to dry, and finally took most of it with wet (because we had a plane to catch!). Seeing a pattern here? Really not liking this motel.
We arrived at the airport, had a quick bite and boarded our fifth air carrier and seventh flight of the trip (for those of you keeping track). As a side note, Air New Zealand has fun branding.
Christchurch was cool and rainy on arrival, reminiscint of a normal February day at home. Our chariot for this part of the trip was a Toyota Highlander. Toyota's are probably the most popular car brand in New Zealand. Kayleigh found lunch at this nice little winery close to the airport. We had decent wine flights, and very good food.
With that off the to-do list, we were on the road for Franz Josef. New Zealand roads are reminiscint of Hawaii- few highways, many curves, and many one-lane bridges. We wound our way in the rain through a mountain pass to the western side of the south island where the rain stopped and the skies cleared. The sunset was breathtaking.
Our lodging for the night was the Aspen Court in Franz Josef. It was a very nice place. It was very clean, well taken care of, and we had hot water. Jen picked up some vinegar and we rewashed the damp clothes from the morning debacle- while eating dinner at a local restaurant. We ordered, Mark ran back to switch laundry (he is so good), ate our meals, Mark ran back to switch laundry, and then had dessert. We went to bed that night with full tummys and clean clothes!