In the southern hemisphere

Doubtful Sound (a sound is a narrow channel of water connecting two wider bodies of water or between two bits of land) is the most exquisitely rugged and remote area of untamed wilderness in this part of the world.

Cows coming home in Franz Josef town, which is at the base of the mountain where the glacier is situated.

The tui, a native bird.

Post-rain cascades dot the hillsides along the route through Doubtful Sound.

A view of the Tasman Sea.

The Franz Josef glacier.

Aoraki, or Mount Cook, is 3,754 metres high and is New Zealand’s highest peak.

The Wilmot Pass road, which runs through Fiordland National Park. New Zealanders claim this is the most expensive road ever built.

The weka, New Zealand’s version of the wild swamphen.

The highlight of the trip to South Island is the cruise through Doubtful Sound.

Sunset in Wanaka.

Lake Tekapo. It is one of the seven lakes that make up the Lakes District in South Island.

Manapouri Hydroelectric Power Station on the edge of Fiordland National Park. It is the largest power station in the country.

The Southern Alps, with Lake Wanaka in the foreground.

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Franz Josef glacier. The early Maori name for it is Roimata (tears of the avalanche girl). Legend has it that the tears of a Maori girl whose lover fell down a cliff froze into the glacier.