To bestest friends. Sorry we are too thick to pick up on your 'handle'. Much too clever for us. Pete would have loved seeing Garry's MG collection. Told him all about your baby.

Wednesday 19th Nov. A remarkable day. I am up early and take the car to Lake Matheson - about 4 kms away from where there is a popular photo shot of the snowcapped mountains reflected in the still waters of the lake but this morning Mt Cook has it'shead in the clouds and the water is not still. Bit of a wasted journey but the trees around the lake are nice - al draped inmoss and lychen. We drive up to Fox Glacier. The foot of the melting ice has receded about a mile in the last 100 years. The car park is a ten minute walk accross the moraine to reach the viewing point but the braver of us climb through the rope and scramble accross rocks and streams to the melting face. Well worth the effort (and risk of wet feet) to appreciate the scale of the monster. Marilyn does not make it to the face and the atmosphere between us issomewhat strained at this time. Needless to say its all my fault selfish mean old bastard that i am always insisting we do what I want to do. However I suspect that because her ladyship has not been sleeping too well and is getting very tired this may be a contributing factor. Just as we are leaving the glacier itstarts to raintocomplete the gloom of the atmosphere so the conversation in the car for the next 100kms can hardly be described as scintilating. However a stop for coffeeat a Salmon farm with very nice cafe attached helps to melt the ice and restore 'entente cordiale'. Another stop at lunch time at Haast - a smal community on the coast miles from anywhere - enables her ladyship to indulge some retail therapy at the Possom and Marino Wool store. It has recently been built with corrugated tin and whilst we are in there the heavens open and for half an hour the noise is so much that we can hardly hear ourselves think yet alone discuss the price of a Possom skin. There is a mobile stall in the road sellingWhite bait patties - see photo -so have to try one. Big mistake. I shall stick to the good old English style Whitebait. The drive down the west coasthas become somewhat monotomous with rain forest right up to the road onboth sides for hundreds of Kms. Soon after Haast however the road turns inland and climbs the Southern Alpes through the Haast pass. On the way up we pass lots of spectacular water falls and rivers. After the pass its like turning the page of a book because there is a complete change of scene. Now we are in the dry country. All the trees are gone and the sheer mountains are relaced with lower ranges and glens which remind us very much of Scotland. Eventhe streams here are called Burns. Sheep, Cattle and Deer (farmed not wild) grazing as far as the eye can see. Millions of head. The road passes down the side of great lakes, the clouds have cleared and everything is bathed in brilliant sunshine. Pause briefly in Wanaker, a nice town at the end of the lake, and then press on to Arrowtown (on Richard's recommendation) via yet another mountain road that passes through a ski area. Fine viewsout accross the valleyleading down into Arrowtown - founded when gold ws discovered in the river Arrow. Book into a nice Motel with a very well equiped attrctive chalet and settle down after supper in town to watch the All Blacks snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Munster. A great match.