Doubtful Sound

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A two hour drive from Bluff to Manapouri saw us arrive in plenty of time for our 12pm sailing on an overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound. It is quite a remote place and so to get there we had to take a small lake cruise of 1hour to connect with a bus which would take us over the mountain pass and onto the other side of the south island. From there we could board the Fjordland Navigator, our home for the next two days.

We thought the weather was going to mean we couldn't see a thing as it rained all morning harder than it has done the whole time we have been here, we couldn't see a thing on our way to the boat and had even put on our waterproof trousers! However, it turns out that we were extremely fortunate. The extent of the rain meant that waterfalls sprang up (or rather down) all over the mountainsides. The bare rock and lack of soil mean that whenever it rains the water reaches the Fjord in a very short time.

As we began our first activity, Kayaking on the lake, the sun came out and the waterfalls kept flowing, it was a truly unforgettable experience, amazing. Doubtful sound really takes your breath away, it is an amazing place, and due to its remoteness we and fellow passengers were really the only people there (In 16 miles of Fjord which is 440m deep thats a great feeling).

Just before dinner (which was great by the way) we sighted a pod of bottlenose dolphins. The ship turn around so that the dolphins could swim in the slipstream, and they gave us a fantastic show, jumping along side and swimming along by the boat. We has already sailed right out into the Tasman and viewed the seals on the rocky outcrops at the entrance to the Fjord. Quite a day!

Really Doubtful sound has been the highlight of the trip for me (Paul) so far, Tabs doesn't like to commit to these kinds of statements, but she too was in awe of the place. The following day (7th Jan) we cruised into the most spectacular part of the sound before returning to Manapouri.

As the day was looking good we then drove through more awesome scenery and a tunnel like I've never seen before, to Milford sound. It too was spectacular, but for us Doubtful Sound is the number one!

Queenstown next stop. Bye for now. Love P&T

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Photos

Waterfalls: Doubtful Sound
Note the boat at the bottom, these falls were massive!

Paul and Tabs
Can you tell its cold here?