We had a cracker night's sleep - the bed was wonderfully comfortable - and got up early for a delicious breakfast. We love the way that that they serve fresh fruit for breakfast; gorgeous. Having said that, Iain discovered that there were mini packs of Marmite, which I love, so I duly spread some on my toast. I thought that the texture was a little different that our Marmite but didn't let it put me off. Unfortunately. I think it must be one of the most disgusting tastes - and textures - I've ever experienced! It was VILE. Mud would have tasted better. Makes you wonder what New Zealanders would make of the real McCoy!!

Notwithstanding this trauma, we promised the Proprietor that we'd give rave reviews of his B & B on Trip Advisor. (We obviously didn't say anything about the "marmite".) Apparently, they've only been open for two weeks, but it's a cracker place.

After packing up the car, we headed south a bit to Sumner Beach and Lyttleton Harbour in fabulous weather. The sun was shining and it was really warm; perfect weather for sightseeing.

We then started our trek to the west coast, over 'Arthur's Pass', which would be a few hours' drive. It was basically a straight road over the pass and was so dramatic. We could see the mountains in the distance and, as they came closer, the more impressive they became. There was hardly any traffic, either, which was a bit of a novelty. If we're honest, we'd OD'ed a bit on mountains and drama by the time we hit the last bit of the drive! But it would be so shallow to admit that, so we won't!

We arrived in Hokitika around 4pm and found our B & B - 'Larry's Rest'! Our Landlords asked if we would 'mind' having an upgrade in accommodation, so we graciously accepted their offer! Instead of a room in their house we got the little self-contained apartment in the garden. Apparently, they'd built it for Linda's parents but her Dad had died before it was finished and her mum didn't want to move from her Nursing Home, so they decided to rent it out as holiday accommodation. It was lovely and very comfortable.

We checked out the beach before finding a restaurant in the town for a meal, but only very briefly as the wind was blowing a gale and it was pretty chilly. We had a very nice meal, although the portions they serve here are enormous, as well, so I've decided that I'm going to have a starter as a main meal in future! Iain had a steak which was wrapped in bacon, which seemed a bit of an overkill (excuse the pun!), and even he struggled and couldn't eat everything on his plate! I know, I found it hard to believe, as well.

When we went to go to bed I discovered that there was an electric blanket, which was fabulous as there was a definite chill in the air.

We've booked for a helicopter flight over Franz Josef Glacer tomorrow, which we're dead excited about. Mike and Rose spend 8 hours hiking up it (and they still didn't reach the top!), so we're taking the easy option. The flights are subject to weather conditions, so we're hoping that the weather holds!