Yes, there really are those days when you get that reflection of New Zealand’s highest mountains at Lake Matheson. However, seeing Mt Cook and Mt Tasman without a ripple of wind on the lake or clouds around the peaks is rare, so you need to bring time and patience or just be lucky, as the area is one of the rainiest in the world. The Westland National Park, with the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers on the West Coast of the South Island, is one of the most remote regions in New Zealand. I spent the evening by the campfire at Gillespies Beach, a wonderful beach with plenty of driftwood and, with any luck, seals, and the next morning by contrast with a hike through dense rainforest to the Fox Glacier.