Leaving Invercargill meant the start of the second section of the Southern Scenic Route. Unfortunately the weather wasn't going to be kind and it was a very overcast and a windy day for most of it. There were not as many "highlights" as the first section so my trip through to Te Anau and on to Queenstown was done in relatively good time. But driving in NZ does definitely take longer than back home. Lots of curves and mountainous sections and the ever present campervans do tend to slow things down somewhat. The weather improved in the afternoon which provided me with some glorious views from the top of the Crown Ranges enroute to Wanaka. The following day's trip from Wanaka to Haast on the west coast was one that I was looking forward to. There were plenty of places on my "must see" list. The weather however had other ideas. Without doubt the worst day since I arrived in NZ. Almost non stop rain, wind that was moving my little rental car all over the road and just an out and out miserable day for sightseeing. On the upside the rain had created a huge number of ad hoc waterfalls. Places where the water was simply cascading down the mountain side and in a few places actually landing on the road. It did make for some spectacular viewing, even if did have to be done from inside the car! Arriving in Haast (hard pressed to describe it as a town, more like a location) the weather improved a little. The rain backed off a little but the wind still cut right through. Drove out to Jacksons Bay and Jackson River and then took refuge in my motel room. And that was the day done. The next day started with a little more promise. Spectacular drive along the coastline. Pounding surf on one side and snow capped mountains on the other. Quite a contrast. By the time I arrived in Franz Josef the rain had set in, visibility was limited so it was straight to the Airbnb. Finally late in the afternoon it cleared so I headed off to walk to the face of the Franz Josef Glacier. About a 45 minute walk and even then you are still 750 metres from the glacier face, but it is still quite an awesome sight. The setting sun certainly helped to create a beautiful pink backdrop. I had booked a helicopter flight for the following morning - up long the Fox Glacier around Mt Cook before a landing on the glacier followed by a flight down the glacier valley. I arrived quite early for my flight and was asked if I wanted to take the next flight leaving. And I would have the front seat. The weather was perfect so I jumped at the chance. All I can say is that it was an amazing experience. I think the photos tell the best story of what the view was like so I will leave it to them. It was clear and calm on the glacier and just an amazing feeling to be able to walk around and take in the view. On the way back the pilot pointed out a waterfall that came down the mountainside and the water actually fell next to the glacier and disappeared underneath the ice. As we got to it he banked the chopper so that I had a perfect view looking straight down on to it. I don't think the Thai family in the back had any idea what was going on. The remainder of the day was taken up with a walk around Lake Matheson, a walk along Gillespies Beach where they used to actually extract gold from the black beach sand and finally a walk up to the face of the Fox Glacier. It is incredible how much the glacier has shrunk. There is a marker to indicate where the face was in 1935. From there it is about a kilometre drive to the car park and then probably another kilometre or more to the current day face. That's a lot of ice that has disappeared in 80 years. Overall a pretty satisfying day. The following day was a leisurely drive along the coast to Hokitika. The weather was better but the ocean remained as wild as ever. The surf just continued to pound the coast all the way. It has many similarities to the Great Ocean Road and this drive is considered to be in the Top 10 coastal drives in the world. It's easy to see why. Enroute I learned about an Australian who I had never heard of. Guy McKenzie was the first person to fly solo from Australia to New Zealand where, in 1931, he crashed landed at a little place called Hari Hari. He was just a little off course as his intended destination was Blenheim, about 400 kms away and on the north coast of the South Is. All the same he now has a memorial and a small museum to honour his feat. The day was completed with a visit to Hokitika Gorge. Due to the effects of glacial "rock flour" in the water it is a beautiful shade of turqoise, offset by the granite which lines the gorge. And so my day ended in a great little BnB about 10 minutes out of town and an unimpeded view to the ocean. Perfect!