Thanks Gryphon,
Adding up all the high-end kit makes Africa start to look competitive.

I have a wind-up headlamp but would be uneasy using it for that purpose without a top-notch guide. Seeing the Meindl desert boot prices last year, I bought Courteneys in RSA, which I don't suppose are much good in the Southern Alps. Are there no suitable NZ boots - has John Bull gone for a Burton?

The weather on Stewart Island was pretty balmy in late April when I was there; the South Island not so good. I remember being cooped up in one of those helicopter-placed huts for IIRC three days because of rain, without even a pack of cards. There are only so many dirty jokes you can remember to tell.

Thanks even more, eagle27,
That is exactly the sort of stuff I like to hear. Having spent a lifetime settling for representative or lesser trophies, I would not be going to the enth degree to get a big one. The chopper ride in could be just the thing. Will send a PM soon.

Cheers
- Paul