Day 17 - Friday 22nd June - Cruise across to Doubtful Sound from Manapouri

We caught another boat today for a tour of Doubtful Sound. Captain Cook named it Doubtful Sound when he came across the entrance to the sound on his explorations of New Zealand. He was doubtful that he would ever get a wind downstream again to get his boat back out into the Tasman Sea. Cook never entered the sound.

Our trip started with a boat ride across Lake Manapouri.

Lake Manapouri and our boat

Lake Manapouri as still as a millpond

Lake Manapouri

Lake Manapouri

Lake Manapouri

The sun trying to peek through on Lake Manapouri

View of mountains surrounding Lake Manapouri

Looking back on Lake Manapouri towards the village of Manapouri

On the far side of the lake there is a road up a mountain pass to Doubtful Sound. This road is not connected to another road only to the lake, sound and hydroelectric power station. We took a coach trip over this mountain pass where we met our boat "The Navigator" which sailed us through the sound.

Our first view of Doubtful Sound from the mountain pass

The weather in the sound was typical Fiordland weather, wet and misty. Despite the weather it was a lovely trip. The sides of the sound are slightly more gentle in gradient compared to Milford Sound. Still some spectacular waterfalls and views of mountains and islands and eventually the sea.

Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound

Waterfall into Doubtful Sound

Waterfall into Doubtful Sound

Looking directly up at the waterfall on Doubtful Sound

Once we returned to the mountain pass road we had the opportunity to visit the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand. The water runs down from the lake, through the underground mountain power station to Doubtful Sound. An incredible feat of engineering!

Now we are returning to Manapouri, travelling back across Lake Manapouri on a boat. The weather is brightening the further inland we are travelling.