Well, having reached Franz Josef safely the drama didn't end there! I had booked, in a moment of complete madness or drunkenness, a heli-hike. This is where you are taken onto the glacier by helicopter then have a 2-hour hike through crevasses and ice caves etc. At the time, before we left Wanaka, this seemed like a good thing to do, but with the amount of snow that had fallen we were having second thoughts. Anyway, we duly turned up at the given time, only to find that I had booked the advanced 3-hour heli-hike by mistake - must have been drunk, lol?! Not sure how that happened but the staff were very good and agreed that it was probably beyond our capabilities, with me not having any snow/ice experience at all. They transferred us to another company, who were doing what I thought I had booked, that afternoon! So, we went for a coffee and then a walk along the river, which was a stunning turquoise blue. We watched as the sun disappeared and the clouds rolled in. We knew this did not bode well for our trip and our fears were confirmed when we went to check in - no more flights that day! Gutted was an understatement - I felt bad as I had made the mistake, and then we had turned down the 3 hour hike which had gone ahead without us in the morning - maybe we should have done it?!

We agreed to stay another night and try and make the 30-minute scenic flight, with snow landing, first thing in the morning. Well, the next day was stunning - blue skies all around, not a cloud in the sky! The flight was on, and 6 of us climbed into the helicopter. We were allocated seats based on weight and I was 'lucky' enough to be on the window seat (for once I was the lightest, whohoo!), which looked out over the glacier. Wow, the views were so amazing that I forgot to be scared of the height that we were flying at. We flew up even higher than the glacier and made a snow landing on the top of the world - it was so high it seemed that way. Apparently it was higher than they can normally go, because of the amount of fresh snow. I took a step out of the helicopter and immediately sank up to my knees in the snow. Walking was hard and we were both so pleased we hadn't done the hike! The views were truly mind-blowing, and we posed with the helicopter and Mount Cook in the background. Then it was time to leave in the helicopter. On the way back we actually flew over some some of the hikers and were so glad things had turned out as they did - we had the most fantastic trip and made some amazing memories!

Then we took off in 'Trannie' for Hokitika. Well, my nerves were still on edge from the helicopter flight when we came to a one-way bridge. Nothing unusual about that in NZ, but this one was shared with a railway line - yes, we actually drove down a railway track over a river! Hokitika Gorge provided the third challenge of the day - a suspension bridge that moved and bounced when anyone walked on it. I was a wuss and waited until no-one else, apart from Bob, was on the bridge and gingerly edged out over the gorge. It was high, but the water was such a pure turquoise colour that I had to stop in the middle to take a photo, then I hurried to the end. The turquoise colour is produced by rock flour (a mix of schist and greywacke rock particles), glacial water and minerals - and don't ask me what schist is because we don't know!!

On the way back another reminder of how careful you have to be on the roads - a young group of people had put their Jucy van in the ditch and it was being towed out by the local farmer. Maybe it's something to do with Jucy vans?!

Hokitika was lovely and I wished we could have stayed longer - the beach and the rolling breakers were awesome to watch, especially at sunset. And anyone who has read "The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton will recognise the places mentioned.

The Pancake rocks, at Punakaiki, were another highlight. However, despite the warning signs and the obviously sheer drops, one young girl had ventured over the barrier and climbed onto a 'pancake' stack in order to get the 'perfect' photo. What was she thinking?! She was greeted back by murmers of disapproval and frowns, even from other young backpackers!

My nerves were saved from further shredding when we stopped at New Zealand's longest swingbridge, with the option of a flying fox ride back. We stood and looked at it for ages, debating whether to do it or not. We had started walking away then changed our minds and decided to give it a go. We went back only to discover that they had unfortunately just suffered a burglary and so were shutting early. I must admit to feeling very relieved! What an awesome day though, and the first evening that we didn't have to have the heater on in the van!

And so on we went, via Cable Bay, Murchison, Mapua and Motueka to name but a few, to the winegrowing region of Marlborough and the rows and rows and fields and fields of vines producing the grapes used to made the famed Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. We got our priorities right and booked our full-day wine-tasting tour first and then asked which campsites they picked up from! We then booked into one of these and were duly picked up at 10:30am the next morning after having had a Bob's fry-up to line our stomachs for the day. We were the only two on the tour for the morning, so off we went to the first vineyard, one of 6 we visited that day. We could have gone to any of 15 others, as there are over 20 in the region! Bob and I had a wonderful lunch at one winery, and another 5 people then joined us for the afternoon session, the highlight being a visit to the Cloudy Bay vineyard. We were then dropped off at our campsite at 5:30pm - what a day! Bob kept the tasting notes and we worked out afterwards that we had tasted 36 different wines - some achievement by anyone's standards!!

And so, onto our exploration of Picton. I can now say, with some authority, that a 'scenic' drive in NZ means a road with stunning views and lookout stops, but also with even more hair-pin bends and sheer drops! The Queen Charlotte Drive was a 'scenic' drive and once again I was clinging to my seat! I loved the rest of Picton though, very relaxed and friendly. The highlight was our walk around the harbour and just chancing by a group of 4 Southern fur seals just chilling at the end of a walkway. We stopped to take photos of one laying on its back with its flippers folded across its stomach, and then we saw the others. One even came out of the water and made its way over the rocks towards us, where it posed very happily. However, when it advanced towards to us, I made a hasty retreat. You never know with wild animals!!

This is the end of our time on South Island - a time I shall remember forever. Those sheer drops and snowy roads are etched on my memory, as are the fantastic experiences we have had in Milford Sound and on the glacier. Roll on the North Island, except the forecast for our crossing tomorrow is gale force winds and choppy seas - help!

Well, a quick update before I publish this blog - we have survived the crossing!! The trip through the Sounds was, unfortunately, spoilt by the weather as everything was shrouded in mist and grey. Once out in the Cook Strait the sea got choppier and I was just starting to get very worried when we got into the shelter of Wellington. Bob's friend from college, 40 years ago, picked us up, and we were so glad of his offer of accommodation as that night it blew an absolute hoolie and the rain absolutely chucked it down. We would not have slept well in the van!!

However, today Wellington has surpassed itself - you'll have to wait for the next blog though!!