We arrived at Te Anau from Arrowtown late afternoon. Another lakeside town and I take a walk along to the boat harbour, after which we have pizzas sitting out in the evening sun.
An early start next day to get to Lake Manapouri where we pick up a boat to take us across it. The clouds were low over the surrounding mountains and there is occasional rain as we speed to the far side of the lake, where we disembark on to a coach.
We are taken via a 2k spiralling underground passage to the power station machine hall carved out of solid rock. This was built to power an aluminium smelter situated 170k away at Bluff opened in 1971. A massive feat of engineering employing drillers, tunnellers and engineers from around the world. The generators are powered by the water falling down intake tunnels from Lake Manapouri, whose level was raised to much controversy and hard fought compromise, through them into Doubtful Sound.
We left the power station and crossed Wilmott Pass in rain and saw water gushing down the mountainsides. We went down to Deep Cove to board another boat to take us more gently through Doubtful Sound.
This is Fiordland and it is one of the wettest regions on Earth. The moist westerly airstreams cross the south Tasman Sea and crash into the high landmass, releasing the rain as they are swept up the mountains.
Annual rainfall can reach over 5m at Deep Cove, whereas it is little more than 1m in the 'rain shadow' on the eastern side of the mountains at Manapouri Village.
We sailed out to rougher waters as we reached the end of the Sound and saw fur seals on the rocks at the Nee Islands.
We also saw a couple of rare Fiordland crested penguins hopping around. Unfortunately my iPhone camera and its operator were not efficient enough to record these.
As we returned down the Sound, the weather was improving and we started to sea Fiordland in a changed mood.
At one point we stopped, the boat's engines were turned off and we all stood quietly listening to nothing but the sound of the water and the calls of the birds. A magical moment.
Then back to Deep Cove and on to our coach to cross Wilmott Pass. This time, with the improved weather, we were able to see down into Doubtful Sound.
We return across Lake Manapouri at the end of a long but delightful day.
Then back to Te Anau for another evening's meal in the sunshine.
Robert Cole
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