After Dunedin my parents had planned to visit the magnificent Doubtful Sound on the south west coast of the South Island. It was supposed to be one of the most beautiful sights of New Zealand so I decided to go with them! The 3 of us drove down to Te Anau in the pouring rain where we were based for the trip to Doubtful Sound. Unfortunately the west coast of the South Island has the highest rainfall in New Zealand so we were warned the trip could be rained off..and after arriving in horrendous rain..we were doubtful (hehe) about the trip.
We woke the next day to more rain. It was not as heavy as the day before so the trip was still on, we got dressed in our warmest and most waterproofed clothes and got on the bus. We got the bus to Lake Manapouri and boarded our first boat of the day. The rain had stopped but there were dark and miserable clouds covering the sky. I´d ruled out getting any good photos. However, the 50 minute boat trip across Lake Manapouri was spectacular! Even through the clouds the scenery was amazing. We braved the cold and wind and stood on the top deck and witnessed the first blue skies of the day..things were looking up!! By the end of the boat ride the sun was even out and only a few black clouds remained! How quickly the weather can change! We were so lucky..it was suddenly a beautiful day and no rain in sight!!
Once we arrived at the other side of the lake we boarded another bus that took us via the only road to Doubtful Sound. The road was only opened in 1959 and before that it was pretty impossible to get to the Sound. The bus journey was very scenic, passing huge waterfalls and dense forest. We reached Wilmots Pass, the highest point of the road with a spectacular view of the Sound.
We then boarded the second boat of the day..and the trip on the Doubtful Sound began. It was breathtaking. Every view out of the window was amazing, and despite the wind, we spent most of our time on the top deck taking pictures and taking in the views! It was so quiet and peaceful. We saw some bottle nose dolphins out in the distance and as we got close to the Tasman Sea we saw a colony of fur seals basking on the rocks. The boat trip was about 4 hours and was fantastic, we were so lucky the rain stayed away and got some amazing photos! Thank you Mum and Dad for a wonderful trip!
We woke the next day to more rain. It was not as heavy as the day before so the trip was still on, we got dressed in our warmest and most waterproofed clothes and got on the bus. We got the bus to Lake Manapouri and boarded our first boat of the day. The rain had stopped but there were dark and miserable clouds covering the sky. I´d ruled out getting any good photos. However, the 50 minute boat trip across Lake Manapouri was spectacular! Even through the clouds the scenery was amazing. We braved the cold and wind and stood on the top deck and witnessed the first blue skies of the day..things were looking up!! By the end of the boat ride the sun was even out and only a few black clouds remained! How quickly the weather can change! We were so lucky..it was suddenly a beautiful day and no rain in sight!!
Once we arrived at the other side of the lake we boarded another bus that took us via the only road to Doubtful Sound. The road was only opened in 1959 and before that it was pretty impossible to get to the Sound. The bus journey was very scenic, passing huge waterfalls and dense forest. We reached Wilmots Pass, the highest point of the road with a spectacular view of the Sound.
We then boarded the second boat of the day..and the trip on the Doubtful Sound began. It was breathtaking. Every view out of the window was amazing, and despite the wind, we spent most of our time on the top deck taking pictures and taking in the views! It was so quiet and peaceful. We saw some bottle nose dolphins out in the distance and as we got close to the Tasman Sea we saw a colony of fur seals basking on the rocks. The boat trip was about 4 hours and was fantastic, we were so lucky the rain stayed away and got some amazing photos! Thank you Mum and Dad for a wonderful trip!
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