Fareastdriver - legitimate question - honest.
To others, thanks for your insights - very interesting.
I grew up in NZ and in a former career as a journalist, flew with many NZ helicopter pilots (Alan Bond, Bill Black etc) in dodgy conditions like this.
I was also a fixed wing PPL at the time, so the human factors of rotary wing flight in near IMC is a topic of interest.
I flew with Bondy a few months b4 he died; we hover taxied down the Mt Hutt road in foul conditions, and I was astonished at the airmanship.
Insight from places like PNG is also very interesting - big mountains and rapidly changing weather conditions.
Gentlemen, thanks for sharing your knowledge.