We'd set the alarm for the excruciatingly early time of 7.30am, which is just wrong when you're on holiday, but we knew we'd have to have breakfast at 8.30am and get an early start for our trip to Blenheim. Paul said it would only take about four hours, but we wanted to stop off at a couple of places of interest on the way, The road north, almost as far as Charleston, hugs the coast and the views are gorgeous. Unfortunately, the day was cold and overcast, with r...

What a fabulous day we've had today!! We'd booked in for our helicopter flight at 1pm, so left around 10am to leave enough time to get petrol and cash before doing the 2-hour drive south to Franz Josef. The roads were as empty as we've become used to - where IS everyone? - but the weather was pretty overcast and, as we neared the mountains surrounding the Glacier, the cloud seemed to be getting heavier and lower. We'd convinced ourselves that the flight would be...