Our pre-booked helicopter flight from Franz Joseph is due to depart at 4pm, but there seems little likelihood of a flight in today's adverse weather. At the Beeches Cafe on the main road in Franz Joseph we have hot lamb sandwiches before checking in at the Alpine Adventure Centre regarding our flight. Here, it is confirmed that all helicopters are grounded and we re-book for tomorrow at 8:40am. As we leave the Alpine Centre, the clouds briefly part to show the nearby snow-covered mountain tops breathtakingly bathed in sunshine.

 

Tomorrow's flight will enable us to view many of the sixty-odd glaciers that stem from South Island's icy backbone. But two of the largest glaciers (the Franz Joseph and the Fox), can be approached on foot, and we drive south of the village to commence a walk towards the Franz Joseph Glacier.

 

It is now dry, but overcast, as we follow a rough, but well defined track, across gravel beds left behind by past glacial retreats.

The glacier feeds the Waiho River, which is in full spate as it is also being fed by several spectacular waterfalls. We get fairly close to the glacier, but the only safe way to get onto it is with a guide. It begins to rain again as we do another walk: to Sentinel Rock. There are good views of the glacier from here, but the clouds now descend so that the top of the glacier is hidden. Back in Franz Joseph village, we watch a film (Flowing Water) in the Visitor Centre before driving to Westwood Lodge. The weather now starts to improve.

Room 7 is a large, cabin-style unit, resplendent in pine walls etc. There is a large double,bed, and the room is well-appointed with 'extras' and 'features' (eg a kettle  in a hideaway unit) to justify the exorbitant cost. The modernistic bathroom has a large shower, a separate 'stand-alone' bath, and two basins.

Free pre-dinner drinks are served at 6:50pm for the meal at 7:30pm. The area used for dining is huge, but a log fire gives the room a cosy,  alpine lodge feel. There is no choice for dinner (vegetable soup; salmon; brownie) which is quite pleasant and served with some style, but is otherwise unremarkable. We share a table with a mother and son from America who are most pleasant dining companions.

 

The evening ends with an excursion outside to look at the night sky. This is an amazing experience as a staff member is able to point out individual stars, the Southern Cross, the Milky Way, Venus, etc - all clearly visible in the clear atmosphere

 

 

 

After a comfortable night in our luxury accommodation, we are up at 6:45am for breakfast at 7:30am, when we are the only diners. We have a fairly modest breakfast, although there is a wide choice of cooked items on offer.

 

A telephone call confirms what the continuing rain tells us - there will be no helicopter flights this morning. The weather does improve briefly, and there are excellent views from the lodge of the mountains which appear to have had more snow overnight.

 

The rain returns as we drive to Lake Mathieson, a lake made famous by the many 'chocolate-box' images of Mounts Cook and Tasman mirrored in its smooth waters. A walk round the lake takes us 1½-hours - a well-signposted boardwalk guides us through lovely native bush for the first part of the walk, during which it ceases raining. At the 'View of Views' viewpoint, the mountains are fairly visible, but the lake's surface is not perfectly smooth. Moreover, the views are gradually curtailed as the rain returns on the latter part of the walk. At the Cafe Lake Mathieson, we find coffee and shelter. We talk over coffee to a young Australian couple that we bump into later when we are at the Fox Glacier 

Access to Fox Glacier is better than at the Franz Josef Glacier - a track leads to the foot of the glacier that requires crossing a few streams en route. Fortunately, the weather is mostly dry now, and even more fortunately, we arrive at the glacier just in time to see a huge fall of ice. The face of the Fox Glacier has three caves, and the outer edge of the roof of the cave nearest to us collapses in a spectacular display

On the way back to the car park, the clouds again briefly clear to tantalise us with glimpses of the wonderful, snow-covered peaks. Moving the car, we find another parking spot just above the Fox River - the starting point for a walk that takes us via a long, historic, swingbridge to the other side of the river and the commencement of the Chalet Lookout Walk. This moderate climb promises stupendous glacier and mountain views, but it soon starts to rain again. Signs on the path warn of the need to take care when crossing streams that may be swollen with rain. About half-way up the climb we meet such a stream - it is fast running and looks dangerous to cross by way of the gleaming wet stepping stones. Another couple, descending the hill, say that the next stream is even more difficult. We therefore turn back, and reach the car as the clouds descend to restrict visibility even more

The rest of the afternoon is spent exploring the villages near the glaciers before returning to Westwood Lodge at about 5:30pm. Tonight's dinner is salmon; lamb; and meringue. Our dining companions are a couple from Kent, who are easily provoked into expounding some very right-wing views, particularly the husband who insists on drinking a large quantity of wine, despite the request of his his extremely pleasant wife, for moderation

 

This morning we are greeted by clear blue skies to provide us with excellent views of the mountains from our accommodation. Today's planned drive to Queenstown is 365-kilometres, which should take over 7-hours. Accordingly, we have made an early start to the day, and although there is no time to pursue a reluctant helicopter, we decide to make time to take advantage of the improved weather to repeat yesterday's Lake Mathieson walk. We therefore make a prompt departure after breakfast and drive south on Highway 6