We started another long drive, passing east to west via Lewis Pass (again) but this time the weather was nice and sunny. It had snowed up in the mountains the night before as you can see so we stopped to play in the snow like little kids.

48. Nelson

Monday (16th October, my birthday) arrived with no fanfare. We had a quick breakfast and checked out of the hotel, then began our six hour drive northwest to Nelson. About 30 minutes outside of Christchurch the suburbs disappeared, and so did the sun. We drove inland over the mountains through gorgeous scenery, and rarely saw a car or another person. The weather was crazy-sunny one minute, snowing the next, then pouring rain or hailing. The mountains were snowcapped and everything was so crisp in the cold air, quite a change from Bangkok. We drove through Lewis Pass, the northernmost of three passes from the east to west coasts which are separated by a mountain chain running the full length of the island. We stopped for a quick lunch at a thermal springs resort at the Pass, and arrived at our hotel near Nelson, the Lodge at Paratiho Farms, around 3.