1 December and it's nothing like the usual December at all! Well, it's threatening to rain, so you could say it is.
Off to do and overnight trip on Doubtful Sound. Wanted to do this on my last trip, but had just finished a three day walk and a bed and a rest (coffee and cake really!) looked the better option at the time!
I was off with Deep Cove Adventures who run a small motor cruiser in the Sound for 6 people. Met up with Bill and Melissa, from New York, first. They were on their honeymoon and were gorgeous - we got on straight away. The first leg was to cross Lake Manapouri in one of the bigger ferries then meet Chris, our host, and the other guests at the other side. Steve, Pam and Stephanie were all from California and Steve and Pam were on holiday visiting Steph their daughter who had been at Uni in NZ for a year. So that's everyone!
We headed up over Wilmot Pass, literally a road from nowhere to nowhere. It was one of the most expensive roads in the country and links Lake Manapouri to Doubtful Sound, primarily to service an underground power station, but helps tourists like us have a fabulous trip.
Once over the pass, the sun came out and all was well. We settled ourselves into the boat and headed out into the Sound. We first went up Hall Arm which was pretty stunning. Chris pointed out a massive crack in the rock which he informed us was actually the fault line that runs down the Sound. An actual fault line - my jaw dropped! We then went down the Sound a bit more and turned up Crooked Arm, even more stunning. Jaw even further on the deck. There's a quote that I picked up somewhere that said something along the lines of "Life is not about how many breaths you take, but how may times your breath is taken away". I was definitely living! I hope the photos give you some idea - but they really can't reflect the size, majesty and complete awesomeness (is that a word?) of the place. It was gobsmacking. So we had a crayfish (lobster) lunch in Crooked Arm, before waving rather smugly at the Kayakers and their packed lunch!
Anyway, it was very windy, with the Sound channelling the wind in our direction. There was a top viewing deck which we all had a go on, but I stayed up there, braving the bracing wind. Steve Pam and Steph were very sensible and stayed in the cabin up there, but not me. Oh no, I wanted to be out in the elements. Which laughed their socks of when two huge waves off the bow soaked me from head to foot! Undeterred, I got my waterproof and sat there for a wee while longer until even that was getting soggy! It was fantastic to be out in the fresh sea air.
We made our way out to the edge of the Sound and said hello to the Tasman Sea. We stopped for a while to do some fishing off the back of the boat, with real rods and reels! Caught a few blue cod and then Bill and Chris hauled in a shark! That was pretty exciting. Not for tea though, it went back in the water. Whilst we were out there we also saw an albatross skimming the tops of the waves and gliding in huge circles around us. It was amazing. They saw a whale on one of the previous trips but no luck there. We did see Yellow eyed penguins, seals and a Weka (native bird), so we didn't do too badly.
Once we had enough fish, we headed up Bradshaw Arm to calmer waters and more stunning scenery. The clouds were coming over but that gave us some gorgeous views of the suns rays shining through. We were the only people around, so we really felt as if we had the place to ourselves and that 'civilisation' was a long long way away. Definitely no mobile phone signal here!
We stopped for a spot more fishing, where even I caught something (and was very proud) before we moored up for the evening. Chris cooked a spectacular dinner of crayfish followed by venison and having been warned when we booked that the only thing not provided was alcohol (so bring your own!) we all heartily tucked into wine, beer and a few other tipples. The fresh air and a wee dram did the trick and we were soon asleep in our bunks looking forward (?) to our 6.30am start.
Bright and early, and with the sandflies joining us for breakfast, we started back toward the main Sound. It was very peaceful and calm, with no wind, so the run back was a little less frantic! Once in the main Sound, Chris told us to keep our eyes peeled and sure enough, dolphins were with us! Chris manoeuvred the boat to tempt them to come and play and they sure did. Swimming right under the bow and having a great time. It completely made my day - I just loved them. After a while they got bored with us, so Chris ramped up the speed and made waves behind the boat. And the dolphons came back - jumping in and out of the wake and surfing right behind the boat. It was just fantastic.
After that, things calmed down a bit and we docked, got back in the van and back over Wilmots Pass to the ferry. A superb time was had by one and all. Met really great people, saw the most amazing scenery and experienced nature at its most natural.
So, back to the car and off to Queenstown for the weekend. The following day, met Bill and Melissa for a quick drink before they headed to Auckland on the first leg of their journey home. Melissa and I both like cider and I had raved on the boat about one of the local NZ brews. We couldn't believe our luck when it was on tap in the pub - so we both had some! I'm very pleased to say she liked it!
Having said a very fond farewell to them, I had a little rest and then met up in the evening with some friends of a friend I met travelling last time. I'd heard so much about Hettie and Roger that it was so good to finally meet them. We had a few drinks and shared a lovely Thai meal and had just a great time. We all wished Bethan could be there with us and we did toast her good health.
And that was it - my last night on the road for a while. My next stop - Kinloch. A lodge right by the same lake that Queenstown is on, but way way quieter. In fact, the nearest town is Glenorchy and it is quicker to kayak across the lake to Kinloch than it is to drive. Sounds like heaven!
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