Doubtful Sound

February 15, 2009

 

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We drove from Milford Sound back to Te Anau, where we filled with much-needed petrol and did some grocery shopping (there is no petrol available beyond Te Anau on the road to Milford Sound, and I forgot to fill the tank!).  Then we took the short drive south to Manapouri on the shore of Lake Manapouri.  We spent two nights in this town, as we had a full-day sea kayaking trip on Doubtful Sound booked.

 

Doubtful Sound is much larger than Milford Sound.  It is also much harder to get to, as the road to it does not connect to other roads.  You have to take a boat across Lake Manapouri, then a bus over Wilmot Pass and down to Doubtful Sound.  Because of this, Doubtful Sound does not have the crowds of people that Milford Sound has.  The weather we had on the day of our kayak trip consisted of low clouds, mist, and light rain on and off.  But we were told that this is normally what Doubtful Sound looks like, sunny days are rare and not representative of the typical weather.  So we were lucky from that standpoint J.

 

The kayak trip was enjoyable, we kayaked from the road end up to the junction with Hall Arm and then kayaked up the Hall Arm.  A boat picked us and our kayaks up there and took us back to the road end, which allowed us to see more than a round trip in the kayak would have allowed.

 

Fiordland Crested Penguin (rare to see one of these)

 

First view of Doubtful Sound from Wilmot Pass

 

      

 

      

Views in Doubtful Sound

 

  

Lake Manapouri and the boat we took across the lake

 

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