/ South Island, Southland / By George
This was undoubtedly (pun intended) a major highlight of our travels so far. This was a highly recommended excursion by many, although most talked of a one night cruise and we were very fortunate that ‘Real Journeys’, the cruise operator, had only recently commenced these longer versions. No doubt it is to capture the New Zealand cruise clients for a longer and therefore more expensive cruise in the absence of the shotgun visits of the international tourists. The wisdom of this seems to be working and our cruise had a solid quota of almost 60 passengers, grateful at the thought of two nights on the Sound (ok yes it is actually a glacially formed fiord – how much more you learn and retain by being there!).
That’s the preamble to our arrival in Manapouri, where we would pick up the excursion. We had predetermined we would stay at Possum Lodge, which is located right on the Lower Waiau River, the very place where our adventure commenced. The Lodge also would only charge us $10 per night to keep our motorhome there and on power while we were away on the cruise. It had all the camp facilities we needed and lovely hosts to boot. I would call it quaint with an air of hardy outdoorism; the toilets were biting to the buttocks in their shady blockwork shelter and the wash water straight out of the lake. Nonetheless we stayed there the night before and the night after the cruise.
Manapouri itself has a very small township, covered pretty much by the single pano shot above. No that’s not a church on the left, but is actually a bar. Social communion taking place in an appropriate medium (pun’s aplenty!). The lake presented itself superbly as below on our reconnaissance walk along the lake edge and into ‘town’. We also took advantage of the unoccupied playground to have a shot on Debbie’s favourite piece of equipment, the flying fox or more modernly ‘the zipline’! Just playing kids for a while.
The big advantage of being at the Possum Lodge was that we could walk to ‘Pearl Harbour’, from where we would pick up the boat for the first stage of our excursion. To check this out we took the 10 min walk from the camp the night before the cruise. The walk takes you through a small Beech tree forest laden with a sea of green mosses. As it opened out onto the Lower Waiau River we came upon the most amazing mirrored scenes you could imagine. This river used to be the outlet from Lake Manapouri until the power station was built, so now largely sits motionless if there is no wind, as a semi dead arm of the river. Below are some photos we took that evening as the sun was setting – and people say you must visit Mirror Lake on the way to Milford Sound!!
So the day of the excursion arrived and it was fairly clear skies with a light breeze. We were told on the info sheet that an overnight bag each only was allowed, so we duly jammed everything we thought we needed into two small backpacks. We weren’t carrying suitcases or anything larger in the motorhome anyway. I had checked the weather forecast the best I could for Doubtful Sound and it wasn’t great at all. Strong winds to gale and rain, but we figured it was only a Sound and protection from such elements could surely be sought. We did pack beenies, scarves, gloves, thermals, raincoats, leggings and I took hiking boots, as well as something a bit lighter. Debbie had her puffer jacket and I took my thick sheepskin lined jacket that I bought for $30 in a Masterton clothing store when we underestimated the temperature drop on a visit there some years before. It had served me well in the winter in Auckland!
We arrived at the set-off point at Pearl Harbour, checked in and collected our lunch that we had paid extra for so we didn’t have to sort out our own on this first day. They were provided in large white boxes and it was quite obvious to all that we were almost the only ones with a ‘bought lunch’. The contents were copious though and we used some of the contents for snacks over the next two days. It also become obvious that we were the only ones with small backpacks and that the definition of ‘overnight bag’ was liberally applied by most. It also became clear that there were two cruises leaving at the same time, ours on the larger ‘pleb’ boat and another on a smaller ‘niche’ boat. Ok that’s tongue in cheek, but my expectation was that our boat would include basic and shared facilities, even though we had booked the last twin cabin on this cruise (as opposed to the four berth bunk cabins). It is true we hadn’t read all the details of the ‘cruise’ ship and we were going in a little blind on detail but high on the recommendation of others.
We ate the chicken wraps and scones in our lunch boxes on the trip over the lake, warm inside the air conditioned lounge of the speedy catamaran while we chatted away to other passengers. It took about 45 mins from boarding the boat at Pearl Harbour to docking at the start of the Wilmot Pass road, which lies at the extreme end of the south west arm of Lake Manapouri. Going up on deck on the trip across the lake, as recommended by the skipper, was useful to understand the likely temperatures and wind chill we would experience on Doubtful Sound. The snow on the surrounding mountains and boat speed across the lake was sufficient to prove my ‘Warehouse’ thermals and $30 jacket and Debbie’s puffer would cut the mustard. I was sure the rain jacket and pocket-sized leggings would cope with any precipitation, so we were happy we were set clothing wise for the trip! The drop off point to connect with the buses is also the location of the water intake for the underground Manapouri hydro-power station. This well known power generator was opened in 1971 to supply electricity to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in Bluff. I remember well the (successful) protests to the raising of the lake level, which to a large extent was the forerunner to the environmental protection movement in NZ.
There was only a brief delay before we were loaded onto the buses for the journey over the Wilmot Pass road to Doubtful Sound. Our driver Reynold rattled off a well rehearsed array of geographical, geological, historical and comical information that made the 45 min trip over the pass both interesting and seemingly short. We stopped at the top of the pass for our first glimpse of Doubtful Sound, before heading down to Deep Cove and our waiting ship, the Fiordland Navigator. They unloaded the buses smartly including all the provisions for the cruise, which had travelled with us from Pearl Harbour. Manapouri is the nearest inhabited town to Doubtful Sound so is the base for all supplies here. Here is a map to help a bit with the dialogue below:
The Navigator was built in the same design format as the old trading scows, with a flat bottom and was therefore ideal for cruising across mirror-like fiords. After boarding we all gathered in the lounge area for the statutory health and safety briefing and I’m sure we all hung on every word, as our lives depended on it. We were then ushered to our rooms and what a pleasant surprise. We were on the deck level closest to sea level (there were some cabins on the next level up) with an external room on the port side. We had two good sized windows, a heater, a heated towel rail and ensuite. The room was deliciously warm and inviting and we were ecstatic! The beds were very comfortable and so too the pillows, all of which make a positive difference at our age!
There was little delay before we pulled away form the jetty and headed seaward down Doubtful Sound. The weather, as predicted, started to close in and the closer we got toward the Tasman Sea the stronger the nor’wester started to bite. We were determined to be outside to experience the conditions and take in all the views, so we put on all our wet weather clobber and headed up onto the forward deck. Despite the rising wind and stinging rain the ship sat pretty flat in the water as there was no swell in the Sound itself and only small waves. However the closer we got to the Tasman the more we started to pitch and it gave a good understanding of the conditions inflicted on this coast by the gales from the southwest (although it was blowing from the nor’west at the time!). The crew advised they would only “Poke their nose into the Tasman as the conditions were too rough”, which we were all pretty happy with. Still we stayed up on deck with a hardy few and enjoyed (suffered) the immersion in this experience and the 35 knot gusts.
All the while ‘Wattsie’ was continuing a certainly much repeated dialogue about the sights, sounds, flora and fauna of the whole area. He clearly wasn’t nearly bothered by the cold as we were. At the mouth of the Sound is Bauza Island and an array of smaller islands, one of which is occupied by a seal colony. We sailed in closer to this for a view of the colony basking in the strong winds and rain. “They love this” explained Wattsie “as they are not bothered by the sandflies”! The ship turned away from the wind and headed back up the Sound to what would be our night mooring on the Bradshaw Sound. They knew worse weather was coming in although they didn’t say so. This was their normal (protected) layover on a large permanent mooring so I felt pretty safe about all that, although I knew gales up to 100 km/hr had been predicated. The sky was darkening and we were ready for a hearty dinner.
And what a hearty dinner it was, served as we thawed out in the warmth of the dining saloon. Catching up with friends we had meet on the journey and learning more about them whilst dining on a buffet offering roast meets, vegetables, smoked salmon and fresh salads, followed by delicious dessert treats of fresh fruit salad, sticky date pudding, cheesecake, pavlova and my ultimate vice… chocolate mousse. For those without a sweet tooth and I don’t think there were many, there was a cheese board as well. A great finale to the first day. There was coffee and my hot drink of choice, hot chocolate, on tap around the clock. I needed several of those on the excursion to defrost.
Having a two night cruise was ideal in that we weren’t rushed in any way and we truly got to experience the conditions this unique part of New Zealand experiences; from the gales, the driving rain, the ethereal gloomy mist and fog and the still calm beneath clear skies. The rain is copious here, but afterward creates the amazing sight of mountain lakes cascading their contents down the granite faces of the surrounding mountains. The Helena Falls in Deep Cove falls 600 meters, which is twelve times higher than Niagara Falls! This gives some idea as to the scale of the relief here with the mountain peaks reaching 1300 to1600 metres above sea level.
At 1.30 am on the Saturday morning I was awoken when I heard a bang somewhere on board, immediately followed by a terrific howling of wind. It was like the sound you get when you have your car AC system on full fan and only one vent open. I realised there was a small ventilation port in the door and there was a gale force wind trying to force it’s way in there. Debbie was up like a shot grabbing for her life jacket and she opened the door to reveal the punishing wind and very obvious white tops across the water, visible clearly even in the dark. It was a gale-force squall, so I shut the door vent to shut out the noise and climbed back into bed. Truly, the ship wasn’t moving around much at all, but things were banging about and through the rather thin cabin walls we could hear our fellow passengers awake. It was a very short lived event and seemed to last only about half an hour. We learnt in the morning that at that time the wind swung nor’west to sou’west and a 50 knot gale (about 90kms/hr) hit the ship.
Come Saturday morning at daylight we saw the second face of Doubtful Sound and this time it was the stillness and silence of the seas that were an olive branch after last night. And the buffet breakfast of multiple continental and cooked delights put paid to any negative thoughts of the interrupted sleep we had experienced.
Saturday morning had exciting plans for the passengers, while we were still anchored at Precipice Cove. We had the choice of either kayaking or taking a ride in one of the two tender boats to get a up close and intimate with the Sounds. Whilst I was really keen on the kayak option we both decided to do the tender, which was a sound option as we travelled much further and saw a few extra sights than those on the kayaks. Wattsie was our skipper on the tender and was once again shedding all his knowledge on the flora of the area. He also circled the Navigator a couple of times so we could get some great shots of the boat (one of which is shown above labelled ‘Fiordland Navigator’). It’s just incredible how the Beech trees, which can grow up to 30m in height and can live for 300 years, together with the Podocarp varieties (Miro, Rimu, Totara) cling to the steep granite rock faces, using a base of just moss and rich peaty humus. Because of this precipitous anchorage there are regular tree avalanches, which leave scars on the rock faces for the process of lichen, moss and humus growth to recommence.
At the completion of the tender tours and kayaking anyone who wished to could take a dip in the 10-12 degree waters. That was never going to be me, but about four people braved it and one woman was disappointed when she had to get out so we could move on. There was no question that the women won that test of bravery!
Lunch was a ‘make your own sandwich or wrap’, with assorted cold meats and salad ingredients. We weighed anchor and set off up Thomson Sound, making another attempt at reaching the Tasman Sea on a nicer day. We were largely successful and managed to nudge into the incoming swell allowing the ship to pitch easily, giving some idea that these scows were never designed for ocean sailing. Talking sails, whilst the sails on the ship were used during the cruise this was not for motive power, but rather to assist with boat stability. Any passenger was allowed at any time to go up onto the bridge and chat with the captain, the whole atmosphere being very relaxing. We spent sometime there and the captain recalled when he was skipper on the Manapouri ferry and John Hanlon visited and mused over the memories of the protests over raising the lake. The captain asked me if I remembered John’s famous protest song of the time… so I sang it to him!
Having said that there was the serious business of a fire drill on the Saturday afternoon, where we all had to go on deck. This would be the first time for some I thought, as the decks were sparsely populated most of the time. Many people had brought along books, packs of cards and/or board games and seemed happy to stay in the dining room and play these or read. For us it’s “When on a boat go boating – or at least feel like you are!”. You know, wind in your face, salt spray on your lips, chilblains on your ears. The fire drill was successful as no one burned to death or jumped overboard to extinguish themselves. We got to cuddle the fire chief (Courtenay) and all took part in an impromptu version of ‘YMCA’ on the deck to remind us how old we all are (even older than I thought as I couldn’t remember all the actions).
The ship chugged toward our night birth, which would be in the ‘First Arm’ so we thought we’d take five and head for our cabin for a few minutes, as we’d been on deck continuously since lunch. It was good to pull off the damp shoes, thick socks and some of the heavy garb in the warmth of the cabin. No sooner had we done this when we saw our cabin neighbour rush past with his camera. What now?? Debbie was off like a shot with her camera and I thought, maybe it’s just a similar sight to many others and sat tight. The ship had slowed to a crawl and we seemed to be nose in toward the rockface, but I couldn’t be bothered putting all my gear back on, so I rushed to the forward deck in bare feet and shirt sleeves. There was a very large contingent of the passengers on deck as the bow of the ship was directly beneath a waterfall cascading down from an immense height. A must see experience yes, but bitterly cold for the under dressed. A quick look, a photo and I left the rest to Debbie! These waterfalls are more, or less, spectacular dependent on the amount of rainfall and we were fortunate to have a reasonable amount yesterday and last night to give them a boost. Some are non-permanent waterfalls performing only after sufficient rainfall, whilst others continue year round. Good weather or bad there is always something amazing to see here.
On the way to our mooring we made further brief stops at the historical stores building, located deliberately over the water to avoid DOC regulations and the breeding ground of the shags, who were nesting in the trees. Saturday night was peaceful with another wonderful meal, this time roast pork or beef after last night’s roast chicken or lamb, with another array of veges and salads. Dessert I think was similar to the previous night, but all that was important was the repeat of the chocolate mousse… yum. On both nights the ‘entertainment officer’, aka Wattsie, put on non compulsory video presentations for about 45 mins. The first evening it was a session on the native fauna and flora, which had moderate interest. The second night I would describe the offering as an historical movie about rounding Cape Horn in a freight carrying sailing ship, including all the necessary preparation for such a trip and training of the crew. I can’t remember when the actual voyage was made, but the movie was more recent and was original footage with continuous narration by a member of the original crew (whom I think was about 80 when he did the narration). Wattsie had built it up during the day to be something unique, which it was in its own obscure way, but apart from an element of humour about the manner of the commentary it lacked relevant interest to most and a number left during the biscuit break. The rest of us stayed out of kindness.
You will note that I have mentioned Wattsie a number of times in varying roles on the ship. This was symptomatic of all the crew, which was small in number and required them to multi-task. To the point that on the Friday night it was observed that the captain was washing the dishes! Perhaps they should reallocate the role of entertainment officer however. There was a piano on board but obviously no pianist on the crew. I was sure one or more passengers would hit the ivories for a good ole kiwi camp style sing-a-long, but alas not. The evenings were a bit of a flat spot. So many times in my life I wished I knew how to play piano!
The last day of the cruise dawned with us surrounded by the final face of Doubtful Sound, a misty fog over still waters that makes the whole world become black and white, mystified with mesmerising reflections. We had to be up and out of our rooms very early, with breakfast served between 6 and 8 am. All the beds needed to be stripped and remade for the next cruise later in the day. We are not morning people, but of course did what was required and it enabled us to get some good photos in the early morning light. After breakfast we had an ethereal moment, when all sound was shut down on the ship and we were all invited on deck to just stand in complete silence for ten minutes, immersed in this land of awe and wonder. I think most of us could have stood and allowed the audio emptiness and visual fullness to last considerably longer. I’m sure the memory will last a lifetime though.
There was never going to be long to see too much on this day as we were to be back at Pearl Harbour in Manapouri by around midday. We did however get a close up look at the most impressive Helena Falls as we neared Deep Cove, before seamlessly disembarking back at the jetty. As with other cruises we had been on these parts of the process are well practiced by the crew, to ensure the turnaround for the next cruise is successfully completed. It was then on the buses, across the Wilmot Pass, transfer to the Lake Manapouri catamaran ferry and back to Pearl Harbour by just after midday.
Was it worth the $650.00 pp we had paid for a twin share cabin? In our opinion, hell yes. There is no other way to see Doubtful Sound other than this. The longer cruise enabled us to see the many faces of Fiordland ‘warts and all’ and spend time getting to know others we had met along the way. We were able to see the adjoining Sounds and enter every arm of Doubtful in those three days. It seems common for people to want to draw comparison between Doubtful and Milford Sounds. Our expectations were exceeded in terms of the accommodation facilities and the food offerings were excellent middle class NZ kai. Just like my Mum used to make! Cost wise of course Milford Sound will be cheaper because it is much more accessible. We hadn’t been to Milford Sound prior to this, so can only make a true comparison once we have. I suppose its a case of, “Is the exposure to one Sound representative of both?” For us we have chosen to see both and will have no regrets over that I’m certain.