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Published: April 24th 2009
17/3/09 = Kayaking at Doubtful Sound
Had to get up at 6am today and after rubbish sleep, really didn't want to! Pitch black and room all cold, while I was wrapped in cocoon toasty and warm. Felt like torture having to get out. Then remembered that if I was at home, would be doing this everyday and here I am moaning about having to do it for one morning where actually getting up to do something really cool = kayaking through the beautiful Doubtful Sound. Swiftly stopped complaining to myself and scrabbled out of bed. Got changed, ate porridge, made lunch and rushed around until 7am pick up. Still pitch black outside as clambered onto bus. Was another American couple on it when we got on and chatted to them on way to main office. Checked in when got there, then everybody arrived and we all got on bus. Sun just starting to rise at nearly 8am and the sky was shocked red. Looked amazing; one of best sunrises have ever seen, because were so many clouds and all bleached red or orange.
Only a short journey to boat = Adventurer 1, which was waiting for us on Lake
Manapouri. Takes a lot of traveling and forms of transport to get to Doubtful Sound. A car, a boat, a coach and then another boat to be exact. Climbed on to Adventurer ready for 30k cruise to West Arm = change point for bus. This part of travel (boat ride) was one of best parts of day. As made our way across lake, caught all stages of sunrise and watched as it lit everything up. Even mountains turned orange and pink. Then saw the ball of the sun rise up from glowing water and 5mins later there was heat. Yeh! Climbed off of boat at West Arm and got changed into thermal gear for canoeing = thermal top and wetsuit. Wetsuit was a nightmare to get on…tightest thing have ever squeezed my body into in life; instant liposuction! Don’t know if really was a smaller size or all cakes just catching up on me?! Squashed it on anyway, then came out to Sandfly heaven. As soon as sun out, all sandflies out to play. Nearly laughed at them with my skin-tight, thick extra skin, but they still scare me, so ran onto safety of coach instead. They were all in
Wow...
I know it means shepards are warning, but you can't fault a sky like that!there too; trapped with us. We were all cocky with our rubber layer though; not this time sandflies!
Was a 22k journey over Wilmot Pass road and spent most of it trying to cover hands and face; could see those wretched flies were trying to get at me. Did get a great view of Fiordland on way though. Ran off bus when finally got to Deep Cove and immediately calmed when cup of hot chocolate was handed my way. The power of chocolate. Had to decline the cookie offer…how many more days can possibly be left in Lent…has been forever already. Drank hot chocolate while guide gave us some info about kayaking and safety tips, then all got back on boat again to get into kayaks. Also got our deer stalker hats here (love those hats) , jackets. Life jackets and skirts for sealing us into canoe. Looked a treat again. The in we got. Deb went to back to steer using foot pedals and I went in front to paddle leisurely looking at view. Had to raft up as a group for a team talk first, then off we paddled.
Headed down through fiord at a nice,
Even the mountains turned red
Never seen anything like that! leisurely pace, taking in mountain view and unbelievable stillness of water. Just like Milford with mountains and valleys sealing in water, but totally peaceful, with not a single other group or person on water. This is why Doubtful costs more; more isolated I suppose. Paddled silently onwards and then listened as guide started to talk about area. Was interesting at first, but then when he got down to naming and talking at length about individual plants and leaves, kind of lost interest and decided to just take in views instead.
Had a steady paddle to a small island in middle of it all where penguins lived. Not seen a penguin yet and got really excited. Paddled all around it silently so as not to scare them. Moved really slow through water, surveying trees, but got all way around it without seeing one. So disappointed. Happy about weather though. Was predicted rain but all could see was bright blue sky all around us. Thermals may not have been a good idea. Guide talked more about birds, formation of mountains and types of rock I think?…but our attention was gone, so we concentrated on taking photos instead. Some of other couples
were bored too I think; not just us. Paddled close up to a waterfall, which was good, went further down fiord, then was time for lunch. Was all moving a bit too slow for my liking. Not just slow paddling, snail pace. Didn’t want to race or anything, but arms were stiffening up they were moving so little! Think we picked the OAP tour again.
Boat was waiting for us a little further down water and we climbed on a de-layered. Desperate for toilet and layers of thermals under and over wetsuit = not good. Took a good 10mins just to get out of it all. Had lunch then = tasty sandwich and soup. Ate loads; takes a lot more than one sandwich these days! Ate, then all sat round chatting for next 30mins. Real mix of people from Australia, America and us, and all good to talk to. Back into canoes then. Had to leave thermals off because was so hot and even left top half of wet suit down. Lots of insect spray on any showing skin because water literally swarming with sandflies. They were everywhere and no way we were moving quick enough to get away
from them! Paddled over to mountain edge to spot some fish. Really lucky that such a clear day because water calm and could see everything below us. Not so lucky in that lack of rain meant lots of waterfalls had dried up; you can’t have everything I guess…and I’d rather have sun! Apparently, rains for 205 days a year at Doubtful and we managed to land on sun…just lucky I guess 😊
Rest of journey involved paddling down along mountain edges and into cave mouths. Guide talked even more about trees and plants (how he knew so much at age 27 is a mystery to me) and we paddled along looking at scenery. Awful when did have to sit stationary on water to pretend to listen, because that’s when the sandflies swarmed in. In end, he talked, we moved, even if was just round in circles. Worked well. After an hour paddling down edges and towards end of Hall Arm, turned to paddle back again. Was much harder on return because wind had picked up and water no longer still. I was o.k., but Deb got a soaking at back of canoe every time I lifted my paddle 😉
All congregated at bottom of a waterfall and Adventurer came to pick us up. Got back in boat in a set order and trip over. Good overall, but not as good as Milford. Maybe because we did a boat trip there and had a really good group of people, but had a better time there.
Back on boat, wet gear off and headed back to Deep Cove. Had a lovely hot chocolate 😊, no biscuit 😞 and got back on bus to take us across Wilmot Pass and back to Lake Manapouri. Had a mini stop at a visitors centre in between and v.interesting to read that the only sandflies that bite = female. Apparently, males = vegetarians, only females = blood sucking vampires. Typical. Also, poor workers who constructed roads and tunnels in area got paid an extra $3 an hour just for putting up with sandflies - too right! Guide also told us Maori story about sandflies and creation of Doubtful Sound: A good giant was asked to create Doubtful by the God's so that people would have somewhere to bring their boats and rest. He hacked away with his axe and that = how the fiord
was formed - it does actually look like it has been chopped into creation. Then, he asked the female God of the Underworld what she thought of it. She thought it was beautiful, but maybe too beautiful. She worried that too many people would come and not enough would leave, hence she created the sandfly. Clever women....nobody would stay in that place for too long!
Wondered around centre, then got on boat and sailed back to Manapouri. Pretty and sunny journey and arrived back to bus to take us into town again. Said bye to everyone as they departed and off we went back to Te Anau, tired and hungry at this point. Would have loved to have gone straight to bed, but Paddy's Day, so had to go out for at least 1 drink. Had big rice dinner, then got ready and headed into only pub in town = Moose Pub. Expected it would be busy since is only pub in town and had already seen they had a band performing = Little Green Men. Always like live music. Well, got to the pub to find we were one of around 20people. Where was everyone? And the
Little Green Men...wow... they were far from it. Had at least expected 4 guys dressed in green. What actually got was a middle aged husband and wife duo not wearing a scrap of green between them...talk about false advertising! Got a drink anyway = first drink in 3 wks. Was another thing should have been giving up for Lent, but can't order a soft drink on Paddy's day. Deb ordered the v ‘in keeping’ Guinness, I opted for the old Irish Baileys - always reminds me of Christmas. Drank it straight down - went down a bit too easily - then listened to the surprisingly good band. Played loads of different instruments between them and were really good singers. Mostly, had never heard of any of songs they played, but still tapped along with it.
Stayed for an hour, then went back to hostel shattered. Had to pack up for yet another early start tomorrow and then wrote diary for a while before could finally crash to sleep. Queenstown tomorrow.
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