The author was accompanied by:

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.

It was the second day of a long-awaited winter holiday in Queenstown, New Zealand, three years ago. My three sisters and I arrived at our motel at about 10 pm, amidst rain, sleet and total darkness. Coming from warm, well-lit Singapore, it was unnerving. But the wood fire in the lobby and the warm, welcoming smile of our landlady eased my apprehension.
“You poor darlings! You are frozen!” she said as we checked in. “But don’t worry, I have turned on the electric blankets in your rooms and your beds will be soft and warm.”
She kept up the friendly chatter as she led us to our rooms, her torch revealing soft, falling snow and a wet asphalt road. We settled in and after a wash-up, crawled gratefully into our snug beds.
In the morning, I pulled back my curtains and for a split-second I was breathless. A winter wonderland stretched out before me: Lake Wakatipu surrounded by the snow-clad mountains of the Remarkables. A thick layer of fresh snow covered the ground. The clear, cobalt sky greeted the golden rays of the rising sun.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Lost in nature’s beauty, I had not heard our landlady knock and enter the room. “Make sure you are well wrapped up today. The weather is like quicksilver and turns nasty in a split second. Head back the minute you see snowfall.”
I nodded. By the time we set out to explore Queenstown’s well-stocked shops, the day was bright and sunny, and I started to wonder if she was being unduly cautious.