Doubtful Sound

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Well, I've had a long, but relaxing day. Long because it started at 6:30 in the morning when I hopped on a bus for Manapouri (a small town about thirty minutes from Te Anau) and only ended eleven hours later. At Manapouri, I boarded a ferry which carried myself and others to the far side of Lake Manapouri (about one hour on the water) where we boarded a bus. For forty-five minutes the bus slowly made its way up an unsealed road to the Wilmot Pass for our first view of Doubtful Sound. Wow! Then it was down to Deep Cove and the Break Sea Girl, a ketch that would take fifteen of us on a four hour cruise of Doubtful Sound (actually a fijord).

The weather is fantastic, with a bright blue sky and next to no wind. Just after we get underway we're served hot scones with jam and cream. Very tasty. Things soon got even better. The boat slowed and turned. Everyone reached for cameras. The skipper had spotted a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Some of the pod came to check us out, swimming in the bow wake, but most stayed farther out, searching for fish. We kept our distance and didn't stay for long, but wow, was that terrific.

After the dolphins, the scenery became the main attraction, with cliffs rising several hundred metres around us. We spent four hours on the water, pulling into different arms of Doubtful Sound enjoying the scenery and the quiet, glassy water. It really was a special time.

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