|
|
|
| Jan 21 - Wed. After a terrific breakfast,
we leave Pencarrow for our trip to Doubtful Sound. Our drive south follows
the edge of Lake Wakatipu to Kingston, on to Five Rivers, next Te Anau and then
Manapouri. We board a ferry to cross the Manapouri Lake, climb on a bus to haul
us over the Wilmot Pass, and by mid afternoon we have stowed our gear on the
"Navigator" for our overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound.
Doubtful Sound was named by Capt Cook in 1770 when he was not
confident that he could get into the bay "Doubtful." The Sound
is in the geographic heart of Fiordland of the South Island and the second
largest in Fiordland. It is 40 km from Deep Cove at the head of the fiord
to the open sea. We cruise toward the
mouth of the Sound and the Tasman Sea. Along the way, we pass the Hall
Arm, Crooked Arm, First Arm and Bradshaw Sound.
Along the way, we spot Bottlenose dolphins surfing in
front of the boat. The rocks of Bauza Island and others are home to a colony of
furry seals watching us with as much amusement as we stare at them. We park in First Arm after rounding the Gut (between Secretary and Bauza Island). Once anchored we spend an hour kayaking in the bay. We
were dinner for the sand flies. After a hour shower, we are ready for our
own feast.
Jan 22 - Thur. We enjoy the morning in the
bay before returning to Deep Cove. At the west end of the lake is a giant underground
electrical power station built to supply the Comalco Aluminum Smelter or
conceivably 90% of the South Island's power needs.
Our return drive to Queenstown was a reversal of the prior
day. We collected our bags and headed out to the airport. As we take off,
we have a spectacular view of the mountains and the city. This image is
imprinted for reference when planning our next trip to New Zealand.
|
|
|
