Day 32 Doubtful Sound

The day began overcast but improved as we made our way from Te Anau to Lake Manapouri where we began our Doubtful Sound experience.  The journey involved crossing Lake Manapouri to the western arm, and then disembarking from that boat and taking a coach journey across Wilmott Pass to Deep Cove the eastern end of Doubtful Sound, all of that took from 1230 until 230.  We soon settled into our cabin on the Fiordland Navigator and were underway up the sound looking for the various forms of wildlife.  We were already warned of one form of wildlife – sandflies – finding us and so we used plenty of anti-insect.  We were offered the chance to join smallboat expeditions to check around the edges of the sound and that was a good experience – no waves of any extent.

A bit later we rejoined the larger boat and headed to the end of the sound where it joins the Tasman Sea.  On the way we met some dusky dolphins – very small only about 2 feet long – and some more fur seals of the variety we had seen close up at Kaikoura.  We also met a blue penguin swimming but they are so small we could not get a good photo.  The sea was unusually calm when we reached the mouth of the sound  and we had a wonderful view back the way we came.

We then made our way back to a sheltered side sound for our night’s anchorage.

First view Doubtful

View from Tasman Sea