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The first leg of this all-day journey was a 30 minute coach ride from Te Anau to Manapouri. There we boarded this ship for a cruise across Lake Manapouri:
It did not take long at all to cross the lake at the speed we traveled:
Eventually, we reached the far side of Lake Manapouri and boarded a bus. This vehicle took us through mountainous terrain across Wilmot Pass:
Our bus driver (and nature guide) made several stops along the way such as this one at the “fern grotto”:
At another stop we encountered (for the second time this trip) a native bird called a weka. Somewhat resembling a chicken in size and appearance, these birds are flightless but not at all timid around humans (at least the wekas we met) --- they simply ignored our presence:
At last, far below we set eyes on Deep Cove, the eastern end of Doubtful Sound:
Arriving at the harbor, we headed for this catamaran which was to take us to the mouth of Doubtful Sound:
The “TV monitors” on this comfortable vessel helped us visualize our position amongst the several arms of the Sound:
Finally underway, we depart Deep Cove:
Soon after, we passed Hall Arm which we entered on our return:
We were surprised to find this building and activity on an island in the Sound:
It seems that fishermen use this convenient location to off-load their catch which is then transported to market by helicopter.
Nearing the Tasman Sea, pockets of fog begin enveloping the peaks:
Numerous small islands such as these dot the mouth of Doubtful Sound:
On some of them sea lions were easy to spot lounging in the sun:
This peculiar formation is called the Hare’s Ears:
After experiencing the swells of the Tasman Sea, some of us on board were pleased when we turned to retrace our route. Some time later we diverted to explore a bit of Hall Arm:
Having proceeded as far into Hall Arm as he intended, our pilot cut the engines so we could appreciate the silence. For a full five minutes, we savored the natural sounds and beauty of this wild place. It was magical.
Our exit from Hall Arm was much speedier than our entry:
After returning to Deep Cove, our bus took us over Wilmot Pass to the shores of Lake Manapouri. One more adventure still lay ahead: a 2 km drive down a spiral tunnel to the Manapouri Underground Power Station:
This immense machine hall was hewn out of solid rock deep underground. The turbines in this room harness the power of water falling 500 ft through man-made shafts from Lake Manapouri. This is New Zealand’s largest electric power station:
Visible above ground on the West Arm of the lake are the Intake Station and transmission lines:
Our trip back across Lake Manapouri brought to an end one very full day. The weather could not have been more beautiful for a trip like this. However, the down side of this rare dry spell was that there were few waterfalls. Strange as it may seem in an area famous for its high rainfall, no precipitation at all had fallen for 16 consecutive days!