Caught the early morning bus out of Queenstown through the mist, frosty fields and orchards. We stopped a ludicrous number of times, pretty much every 20 minutes or so, either for photos or "comfort stops." The latter would be at random cafes, including one with stags outside, and another in a fish farm. About half the people on the bus leapt off each time, but the other half sat sulkily on the bus waiting for us to move on. We saw Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea, Fantail Falls and Thunder Falls - any of which would be destinations in their own right in less beautiful places. We drove through the Southern Alps, the Haast Pass, across the river Gollum was almost killed at in Lord of the Rings, and past a seal-studded beach, enjoying the bright clear weather.

Three of us alighted at Fox Glacier in the afternoon and after checking into the hostel, we made the most of the late afternoon sunshine and walked the 6 km to Lake Matheson. It was dusk when we got there and the feted view of Mount Cook was obscured by clouds, but the lake was beautiful.

The next day, we got booted and togged up and kitted out with some crampons, then headed up to the Fox Glacier. It was a hike to climb up over the rocks to reach the level we could get onto the ice and it felt colder as we approached. The glacier is advancing fairly quickly but it's not at the levels it used to be. We climbed up with a rope and our crampons and spent a few hours walking around the crevasses and ice caves. Our guide had to cut some steps here and there with a big pick axe. It was amazing seeing the deep ice close up as it was a gorgeous turquoise colour with strings of bubbles, like a frozen swimming pool. No ice moles though...