I was suddenly wide awake, listening to that dreaded sound.

In seconds I was beside the Triumph grappling in the dark as the rain pelted down looking for the battery conditioner and the attached electrical lead.

Located they wre raised above water level and now quiet wet I retreated to bed.

Next morning it was still wet so I opted for a seven layer day.

Layer one was the thermal singlet that served so well in the 40+ of Eastern Europe in 2015.

Layer two saw the Katmandu long sleeve under shirt emerge.

Layer three was the superfine Merino sweater.

Layer four was my riding jacket.

Layer five the full cover wet suit.

Suitably warm, dry and protected from the rain still falling we headed off on our short 120 jouney to met up with our helicopter at Fox Glacier.

However the wet slippery road especially where it was shaded by the vegetation of the Mount Aspiring National Park saw us making slow progress often at 60-70kph.

Halfway saw a halt at a Salmon Farm but our interst was not in these fish but the warm inviting cafe next to the tanks. We were not alone as wet weary travellers some on a charity push bike ride drifted in.

The table next door began talking to us about our bikes and trips before telling us they were frequently travellers as he was a Airbus A320 Captain and his wife a Flight Attendant.

The rain continued until we arrived at Fox Glacier and we stopped at the helicopter base and one look told us "Sorry No flights today!"so we ventured to the motel and prepared to sit out the rain.

It lifted so I decided to try some of the road for tomorrow it was twisty and had numerous one way bridges that are part and parcel of road travel in New Zealand. Then the returning rain added another unnecessary risk so I again returned to the motel.

Around 5pm the rain stopped and I remember tucked away a piece of information at the time it was given I filed it as useless, but now the rain had stopped it became important, so the riding gear was donned and off I drove in a Westerly direction.

Surely with a lot of traffic using a rural feeder raod something was an attraction.

I passed the usual dairy farms, the silage, the green covered round bales and the took the grave road despite the big sign stating EXTREME CAUTION, after all the Triumph loved the gravel roads in Bulgaria and last year in Estonia so why not in New Zealand?

However only 300m up this road a sign stated "Viewing area"the hills looked the same the forest the same but sensing more I parked as usual facing out removed my helmet and gloves and the turned,

It was hugh.

The sun brilliantly illuminating it.

It covered the whole valley.

Just hanging at the end of the valley I was face to face with Fox Glacier it capitatived me like few other scenes even having climbed Franz Joseph glacier and seen the glaciers of Norway just did not have the starkness and sheer might as standing before the terminus of Fox Glacier.

I returned and gathered up the rest of the party but nature was not in a revealing state twice in one day and clouds,mist and rain meant only glimpses of the scene I had witnessed only half an hour earlier, nature was again shrouding a hidden wonder.