Doubtful Sound

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We arrived in Manapouri for one night with accommodation opposite the Lake itself, looking beautifully mirror-like in the late afternoon, cloud drifting down the mountains in the background and an air of mystery about it.

Took a quick trip into Te Anau later to find some kai as Manapouri was overloaded with visitors and the waiting time at the local eatery was 1 hour for a meal. Recommend Baillez in Te Anau for a good pub meal.

Next morning I did a bike ride, in colder temperatures than I'm used to, along the Lake to Lake cycle trail leading from Manapouri to Te Anau. I managed a short ride out and back and couldn't feel my fingers when I finished.

And so, on the boat at midday for the crossing of Lake Manapouri to West Arm, the bus ride over Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove and on the Fiordland Navigator for our overnight Doubtful Sound event. Manapouri was beautifully still, primeval in its depth of forest and almost forbidding aspect. Many arms leading off the main body, West Arm being the well-known power station base of Save Manapouri fame.

On the bus our driver, Malcolm, kept up a commentary all the way on flora and fauna, local history and fun facts of the area. The road was steep, gravel, bush-lined and dramatic with its backdrop of towering cliffs and mountains. We stopped at the top of the Pass then dropped steeply down into Deep Cove where our boat was moored - the Fiordland Navigator, a three-masted motor sailer capable of sleeping 72 passengers. Our group was only 42 so we were dancing or could have been with stacks of space to move around in.

Our cabin was two-berth with a small en-suite, warm and comfortable, on the deck looking out to the Sound. The boat was clean, we were allowed access to most areas for viewing including the Bridge at any time. That was a bonus. The Captain (Dave) was a bit monosyllabic to begin with but loosened up and patiently answered our stupid, ignorant, naive (pick one) questions as we went along. It felt like we were gliding up the Sound rather than motoring as the black water was so glassy and mirror-like. I think Lyn and I were feeling a bit like children on a new adventure, excited and edgy, exploring the ins and outs of the boat.

We headed to the mouth of the Sound to view the Tasman Sea. A big swell was running out there and the Captain took the boat out to the Hares Ears rock outcrops to give us a taste of how big it was. We bucked around in the big swell. It was exhilarating. Wispy echoes of James Cook, Alessandro Malaspina, for whom the entrance to the Sound is named, and early Maori explorers lending a distinct historic edge to the experience for me.

The Sound has precipitous cliffs covered insanely in forests with dozens of waterfalls dropping from 100's of metres above the water. Quite grand and.beautiful.

I could write 1000's of words about the whole experience but won't. Great food, super crew, good sleep, million dollar scenery, just being on the boat....

The Sound gave me a feeling of being in a place that hadn't changed for 1000's of years, where footsteps hadn't penetrated the remote and wild valleys or tops. I wouldn't have been surprised to see a Moa poke it's head out of the forest; maybe a bit surprised but it was that kind of aura surrounding the boat as we slipped along between the towering cliffs that made it such a special place.

The trip back to Manapouri reversed the outward journey and then we were off to Invercargill.

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Photos

Top of Wilmot Pass
Looking down to Doubtful Sound

Comments

[Sharyn]

Doubtful Sound
Sounds awesome guys. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Xx