Day 15 - Sounds of the Fjords: The Doubtful Sound

Just when we started to trust the weather forecast here, that trust was shattered once again today.

When we opened the curtains, instead of the expected rain, we were greeted by sunshine and frost on the car. Not that I would ever complain about the sun shining. But for our tour today, it was said to be even better in the rain. But let's wait and see what the day brings...

After removing the frost from the car with my blood donor card (no ice scraper in the car...), we headed to Manapouri. There, our journey to Doubtful Sound began. Since the Sound itself is a bit off the beaten path, we first had to take a boat across Lake Manapouri and then cross a pass by bus. 

During the boat ride across Lake Manapouri, the initially cloudy sky gradually cleared up, revealing a view of snow-capped peaks against a bright blue sky.

After about 45 minutes of driving, we reached the other end of the lake and docked there. The transfer to the buses went pretty smoothly, so we were already on our way again 10 minutes later.

Our route now led us through a forest of moss-covered trees, towering tree ferns, and small waterfalls everywhere along the road. In some places, the trees were so densely covered in moss that it was hanging from the branches.

Aside from this road and ourselves, there was absolutely nothing there but jungle, with the thickest undergrowth I have ever seen. But there were also places that were a bit more open. At one such spot, we stopped to get a first glimpse of our destination:

Shortly after, we switched from land to sea again and started our tour through the Sound. It felt like sailing through a large river winding its way through the mountains. Everywhere, green forest-covered slopes, occasionally interrupted by waterfalls. Otherwise, there was nothing in sight.

...except for Manaaki.

He simply sneaked on board, even though animals are not allowed. But the usually shy kiwi showed his best side, was popular with everyone, and enjoyed the ride.

We sailed through the Sound for an hour, exploring the surroundings and enjoying the fascinating views before reaching the entrance of the strait at the Tasman Sea.

There, at the border between the strait and the sea itself, there was quite a rough sea. But the captain made every effort to take us a bit further out to show us a small seal colony that was native to a rock there. However, before he could set course for it, we were instructed to go inside and sit down. But that was justified, because with the rough sea, it was almost impossible to stand. It was quite an adventure... But then we had the opportunity to see seals in the wild.

Afterwards, we headed back towards the starting port. In the first minutes of the return journey, we were accompanied by an albatross. And it is very fascinating to see how long these birds can stay in the air without flapping their wings. We were still on deck to observe this graceful bird, and we thought, the weather is perfect for taking another selfie...

On the way back, there was a small detour to a side arm of the Sound. There was a little announcement that the captain would turn off the engines and generators for a while to enjoy the silence. The request to be quiet didn't take long to follow.

When the restless ones finally calmed down, we could at least let the sounds of nature sink in and enjoy. If you want to experience true silence, I can recommend the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Nothing I have experienced so far comes close to the silence up there. You can hear absolutely nothing except the wind occasionally rustling through the grass.

After this little excursion into silence, we went straight back to the starting point (but not passing Go and there was no €4000 prize). The buses were already waiting there, taking us to the next port. After a short stay and bathroom break for everyone, we boarded the ship again and sailed back to Manapouri across Lake Manapouri (who would have guessed?). The good weather seemed to have been waiting for us here because as soon as we left the area of the Sound, the sun and blue sky reappeared.

With our return to our motel, dinner, and preparation for the coming days, this day also came to an end. Tomorrow we will visit another sound of the Fjordland: the Milford Sound.

And although I never thought I would say this on vacation, I hope it will rain tomorrow! The Milford Sound in the rain is said to be magical, and we want to see it for ourselves...

Side note: The Fjordland National Park (the area where we were yesterday, today, and will still be tomorrow) covers a total of about 1.2 million hectares of land.