Fiordland - South Island, New Zealand
01/22/2005 - 01/23/2005
One of the highlights of Doubtful Sound will be the opportunity to see some sea life. Dolphin and seals visit the tour boat several times on our Doubtful Sound cruise.
Leaving the Catlins and driving north toward Fiordland, we say goodbye to the southern tip of the South Island and rugged Stewart Island in the distance.
We left the Catlins and drove north toward the Southern Alps. For exploring Fiordland, we decided to stay in Te Anau, a small tourist hub in the heart of Fiordland -- rather than Queenstown a few hours farther away.
Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound are two of the most popular tourist destinations in vast Fiordland National Park primarily because they are the only two areas accessible by bus or car. Most of the other areas require access by float plane, hiking in, or boating in from the sea.
The Southern Alps terminate at the south end of the south island, plunging into the Tasman Sea in a protected area called Fiordland National Park.
In a log entry for the body of water that is now called Doubtful Sound, Captain Cook indicated that it would be "doubtful" that they would ever be able to sail out of the fiord if they sailed in -- giving the fiord its name.
Pastoral grazing land north of the Catlins, just before arriving in the Southern Alps.
Our first glimpse of the Southern Alps since the TranzAlpine train trip.
We arrived in Te Anau to find the grand opening of the new Real Journeys Community Center. All were invited, so we went in to check it out. Real Journeys, a scenic tour operator, is one of the largest employers in the area. An impressive game of basketball kept our attention.
Although probably some kind of an official/rescue vehicle, this RV/SUV-like truck looked like to could take a camper anywhere!
This snapshot of a map of Doubtful Sound gives an idea of the rugged terrain and the length the fiords reach into the mountains. The water at the lower-center of the photo is the Vancouver arm of the Breaksea Sound. Daggs Sound at the far left reaches almost up to "Crooked arm" of Doubtful Sound in the center. Lake Manapouri at the lower far right edge is a freshwater lake several hundred feet above sea level.
We decided to take the early boat across Lake Manapouri. At the west end of the lake (closest to the sound), we exit the boat and jump a bus (originally brought in by barge), that shuttles passengers over the hill (Wilmot Pass) and down to the top of the easternmost arm of the sound -- at Deep Cove. Here we'll take another boat out into the sound.
Looking ahead toward our destination at the western end of Lake Manapouri. The sunrise is a treat and it looks like it might even be a clear day out on the sound -- a rare occurrence! The scenery around the lake was dramatic.
Closer now, we are reaching the top of the lake. A hydro-electric power plant at the western end of the lake allows the lake water to drive turbines fed by long underground tunnels that eventually spill into Doubtful Sound. The lake was not dammed, so the lake level can be regulated via controls on these tunnels. The benefit is that the lake is always regulated near its natural level.
Extremely steep mountains plunge into the deep lake. The lake bottom reaches several hundred feet below sea level, but the lake remains fresh water.
There is serious rainfall in this area and there's still snow melt spilling down from some of the higher seasonal glaciers.
Beautiful calm lake water. Pristine beaches surrounded by native bush. Incredibly steep, lush mountains. Not a sign of human habitation anywhere. Nice. Just watch out for those darn sandflies. About the size of a small fruit fly, with the bite of a giant venomous mosquito. The bite can itch for two weeks and infect if scratched. Pesky little buggers. Some Kiwi's say you get immune to them after a few years and the bites won't bother you.
Arriving at the Manapouri power station at the top of the lake, it is time to get off the lake boat and get on the Real Journeys bus to take us up and over the natural ridge (mountain and pass) damming the lake, then down over 1000 feet to the head of the southernmost arm of Doubtful Sound. The power station has tours, but we decided to skip this tour and focus on the natural surroundings.
Back in the 60's-70's There was a proposal to allow the lake level to rise to increase power production for an aluminum smelting plant near Bluff. The environmental outcry and subsequent petition (longest in New Zealand's history), prevented the lake level for rising. Today it is monitored and regulated to remain within its natural levels. Lake Manapouri is considered one of the most beautiful in New Zealand and we agreed. Although the coastline and beaches look inviting for camping, kayaking, and hiking, the pesky stinging sandflies keep most people away from the shores. Everyone slathers on the bug juice when arriving at the power station.
The lake boats arrive at the docks at the top of Lake Manapouri. The transmission and distribution wires/towers from the Manapouri west-arm hydro-electric plant are visible on the mountainside. Building this plant was a significant engineering feat.
There will be more pictures of the trip over the hill (Wilmot Pass) later. Here is a photo from the top of the ridge looking down at the head of the sound. The huge Real Journeys bus winds its way down this hill to a boat awaiting at the bottom in Deep Cove. The gloom is normal, as this area receives an average of almost 20 feet of rain per year.
Robin enjoys the brisk morning air on the sound. We won't let a few clouds and drizzle deter us!
This is one of the large power cats Real Journeys uses for its tours.
As we leave the dock on Doubtful Sound, it appears "doubtful" that we are going to see very much. The mist and gloom has descended.
We left the dock and cruised out into the sound. The objective was to motor quickly out to the end/mouth of the sound before the wind picked up, see some seals, birds and maybe some dolphins, then work our way back, with the possibility of some exploration down one of the less explored arms of the sound.
The trip out was foggy and gloomy, with a misty-hint of rain in the air, but we were assured that this was a nice day, and the likelihood of later clearing was high. We tucked into a corner inside the boat and emerged when the scenery dictated.
Fog and mist reached down the valleys, obscuring the dramatic mountain tops and inland vistas.
The view out to the mouth of the sound indicates that it will be a cloudy day with intermittent rain. We are prepared for it, so it is no big deal, but a clear day might have revealed some pretty dramatic scenery.
A couple of times, we could see the mountain tops clear of clouds long enough to snap a couple of pictures -- only to have the clouds swallow up the peaks again a minute later.
Hurry! Quick! Over here! A mountain-top. Duncan quickly snaps a photo only to have it disappear again a minute later. Some of these peaks rise over 3000 feet above sea level.
Near Bauza Island at the entrance to Doubtful Sound, we find Seal Rock.
Mom, Dad, and baby seal wake up long enough to see who is approaching.
Another young seal has its nap disturbed by the Real Journeys boat.
Hey, does it look like it is clearing to you? This is the view down the Crooked Arm of Doubtful Sound. We later go down this arm, shut off the engines, and drift under a 1000 ft waterfall. It is serene and powerful. It also cleared enough to see some sunshine.
But the majority of the sound remained socked in the fog. A layer of fresh water (from heavy rain) and Lake Manapouri sits atop the saltwater of the sound. This darkens the surface water significantly and completely changes the ecosystems under water. The limited sunlight simulates a much deeper ocean environment, so the creatures found underneath the fresh water in this saltwater zone are similar to deep-ocean ecosystems.
Deep crevices were carved by the many mountain waterfalls, streams and creeks.
We were visited several times by dolphins, but it is hard to get the camera zoomed, pointed correctly, and snapped at just the right time! After many attempts, here are a couple approaching the stern of the boat. The very white markings on the right dolphin are a mystery. It may have been a Dusky or Hector's dolphin, but we're not sure.
The snazzy Real Journeys bus that took us up and over Wilmot Pass between Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound. On the trip back, the bus driver stopped numerous times to allow photo ops. Unfortunately, the gray skies still lingered, but it was still an incredibly beautiful setting.
Robin gets her questions answered by the extremely nice bus driver. Its hard enough to drive the bus on these winding roads, much less answer Robin's questions.
Excellent. Duncan and Robin together again. Duncan relinquishes the camera long enough to end up in one of the shots.
The mountains surrounding Wilmot Pass are dramatic. The altitude of these peaks exceeds the tree-line.
Snow is still melting off the tops of these mountains in mid-summer.
Beautiful mountain streams splash down the slopes near Wilmot Pass.
Back up on Lake Manapouri, the mountains have successfully blocked the gloom below in the sound. The clear day on the lake is awesome.
Leaving the west arm power station and heading back to Manapouri. Manapouri is the sleepy village at the east end of the lake where the tour boats depart. It is about 12 miles south of Te Anau.
Another great day in the Southland and another fine hair-do for Robin.
The daily tours are ending and the boats rush back to Manapouri.
We really enjoyed our day tour of Doubtful Sound. The boats and bus were both comfortable and well maintained and the tour guides/drivers were all friendly and informative. We are usually not ones for tours and tour groups, but this was a pleasant experience and we would absolutely recommend it.
Friends Chris & KT from the boat Billabong went on a similar tour that involved some kayaking and they had a blast, so if you want to get a bit closer to the serenity of the sound (and a bit of exercise), this might be an excellent choice as well.
If you can go on a clear day, with a strong high-pressure system -- bringing little wind and lots of sunshine, your pictures will be 10 times better than these!!! To see what a clear day looks like, look at Billabong's Kayaking Doubtful Sound gallery.
Tomorrow, we tour Milford Sound - a highlight of the Fiordland region. We'll compare of the two sounds at the end of the next log.
A final view of Lake Manapouri and the surrounding mountains.
Te Anau is a beautiful town on a beautiful lake, with many stores, cafes, restaurants and accommodations. It is much closer to both Milford and Doubtful Sounds than Queenstown, which is an additional two hour ride away from Te Anau by bus (each way!).
After a great morning on Doubtful Sound and a relaxing walk along the lake followed by a relaxing dinner in Te Anau, we will head off to Milford Sound tomorrow.
Orchestrating our Fiordland day trips from Te Anau turned out to be a great choice.