Tuesday 7th Mar Mt Cook (temp. from 20 -13)

 Rob had been hoping to do a helicopter flight doing this trip but had been unable to book, one due to flights being fully booked or there not being enough people for a flight. He was in luck today though. He was booked in for a “pilots choice” flight at 10.30 am. After dropping Pat and myself off at a nearby shopping centre, Rob checked in for his flight. He and another couple were ready early and so the pilot was happy to take off early and give them at least 10 minutes more time than the allocated 30 minutes. He said it was wonderful, seeing the area all around Queenstown as well as being taken to the top of a mountain, where the pilot landed the helicopter for 5 minutes or so. Many fabulous photos were taken! Following this he drove back to the shopping centre and picked Pat and myself up. We were then setting off to drive to Mt Cook. We took our time taking numerous stops for photos and having lunch at Wanaka, on the lake. Unfortunately a squall came through while we enjoying lunch and it became quite cool and windy. From here we continued on and by the time we made our next stop at the Clay Cliffs out from Omarama, the weather had improved and warmed up again! We went for an invigorating walk to view these unusual cliffs made up of layers of gravel and silt, which were formed by the flow of water from ancient glaciers over a million years ago. It was well worth the climb! From here we drove on to Mt Cook. The closer we got, the more spectacular the scenery was of Mt Cook peeking through the clouds. Our accommodation at the Hermitage Hotel has brilliant views of the mountain and we can just look out of our room at the magnificent sight. We feel very lucky.