5:15 a.m. local time, Nadi, FijiWe're in Fiji! OK, only for a couple of hours as we change planes. But, still. I never thought i'd be in Fiji. I almost didn't believe it was a real place.
When we got off the plane we were serenaded by these three guys playing more Fijian music. It's not enough to distract me from the fact that it's hot and humid. You know how people justify high temperatures in places like Arizona by saying "It's a dry heat"? Well, in Fiji, it's a wet heat.
Also, men wear skirts here. I think it helps with the heat.
2:25 p.m., Auckland International Airport, NZ.
We arrived! Changed some money, looked at a newspaper, and waited until our little flight to Napier, where our friend Jen lives. Since much of New Zealand is mountainous and time-consuming to drive (they don't have many highways here) Air New Zealand operates regular (and inexpensive!) flights between the major and not-so-major cities.
The exchange rate is pretty favorable for us; it's been described for me as being like "everything's on sale!" Basically, it's like everything costs 30 percent less than it says, but the prices in NZ dollars look a tad expensive, so all in all it comes out about the same.
6 p.m., Napier, NZ
We arrive at the Napier airport and are SO EXCITED to see Jen! Also, it's hot. Since NZ is in the southern hemisphere, it's summer. And we have arrived in "always sunny" Hawke's Bay.
Jen takes us to their house, which is up a BIG hill and is so cute. They have a view of a bay (not Hawke's Bay but another, little one) from the front of the house and some mountains from the back. Jen has also made some great discoveries in the garden at the back of the house, where a previous owner planted all kinds of fun things, and she's doing a great job of improving upon the situation.
We eat a fantastic, fresh dinner, sample some of Hawke's Bay's finest wines (did i mention that Jen works at a winery?) and spend time catching up. A great day was had by all.
