Doubtful Sound Cruise
Woke up in Te Anau and it was raining. Got some supplies for the boat (lunch + wine) and sat and had a coffee until we got picked up from the hostel. Made our way to Manapouri town with our six fellow cruisers, on first opinion a weird beardy couple, a lesbian couple and a couple from the UK. From there we got on a small boat across Lake Manapouri to the Power Station. I could tell you lots of educational stuff about the power station but if you really care, google it! The trip across Lake Manapouri was a bit wet and choppy. Luckily none of us were sea sick. The views were really good especially as it was raining because there were lots of waterfalls. Unfortunately 4 of the others were yanks, made worse one woman befriending the English woman and cackling away like a couple of old fish wives.
We got a mini bus to the boat on Doubtful Sound, driven by the skipper, who seemed like a nice chap. Once abort the main boat the weather started to clear and it turned out to be a really nice day. The views were fantastic (apolgies for lack of photos, Mark cannot get to grips with the technology!), lots of waterfalls, mountains and wildlife. It was really peaceful and we only saw one or two other boats. At one point we sailed past a school of dolphins larking about, that was really cool. Sitting on the top deck with a glass of wine was awesome. Plenty of time to sit and think and take in the views.
In the evening the skipper caught some fish (blue cod and something else) which we feasted on for dinner. We all had early nights as we were exhausted and we had an early start the next day. We had a cabin to ourselves with bunk beds. I (SS) drew the long straw and bagged the wide bed much to Mark's disgust. In the morning we sailed some more. It was really clear but freezing cold on deck so not much outdoor action. Mark and I managed to work out the relationships of the other guests which were:
Beardy Couple - Mum and Dad
Lesbian Couple - Daughter and partner
I mention this especially as we discussed these relationships and kept changing our minds.
So, headed back to Manapouri across the lake, this time it was sunny and the views were amazing and the lake less choppy. We got a coach back the way we cycled to Queenstown. It was a lot quicker and easier on the backside.
We got a mini bus to the boat on Doubtful Sound, driven by the skipper, who seemed like a nice chap. Once abort the main boat the weather started to clear and it turned out to be a really nice day. The views were fantastic (apolgies for lack of photos, Mark cannot get to grips with the technology!), lots of waterfalls, mountains and wildlife. It was really peaceful and we only saw one or two other boats. At one point we sailed past a school of dolphins larking about, that was really cool. Sitting on the top deck with a glass of wine was awesome. Plenty of time to sit and think and take in the views.
In the evening the skipper caught some fish (blue cod and something else) which we feasted on for dinner. We all had early nights as we were exhausted and we had an early start the next day. We had a cabin to ourselves with bunk beds. I (SS) drew the long straw and bagged the wide bed much to Mark's disgust. In the morning we sailed some more. It was really clear but freezing cold on deck so not much outdoor action. Mark and I managed to work out the relationships of the other guests which were:
Beardy Couple - Mum and Dad
Lesbian Couple - Daughter and partner
I mention this especially as we discussed these relationships and kept changing our minds.
So, headed back to Manapouri across the lake, this time it was sunny and the views were amazing and the lake less choppy. We got a coach back the way we cycled to Queenstown. It was a lot quicker and easier on the backside.
posted by Mark Halliday at
11:15 PM
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