Nov 13, 2012 - Doubtful Sound

Nov. 14, 2012 Doubtful Sound Greg and I were picked up yesterday by our tour bus, Real Journeys, at 1130 and so we began our way to Doubtful Sound and our overnight boat trip. Now it is not easy to get to the sound which is in reality a fiord. First, we took a small shuttle bus about 15 miles down the road to the town of Manapouri. There at Pearl Harbor (yes that is the harbor’s name!) we caught a ferry across the fifth largest lake in New Zealand, Lake Manapouri. We sat outside in slightly chilly weather and watched the islands which...

Jan 26, 2012 - Doubtful Sound no Doubt

Yesterday we decided as a treat to ourselves that we would go on a boat trip from Manapouri where we are staying across Doubtful Sound which is a huge sheltered harbour one lake over. This morning we did not think that we had made a wise decision. The weather forecast did say it was going to rain early on but it would clear up in the afternoon – it didn’t. We had to get up early as well, 7.30am which is unheard of for us but there we were even though we never got that much sleep in the first place as the bites from the bloody sand flies...

Mar 25, 2011 - Doubtful Sound & It's not Verne's Birthday Anywhere!

Up before daylight to get to the lake to take us across Lake Manapouri (has 34 island located in it) to get the bus to take us through Wilmot Pass to get to the boat to cruise Doubtful Sound. While we were waiting for the first boat we met an American who asked us if we were going kayaking on the sound. I couldn’t help but laugh. She was a school teacher from Denver who after 12 years of teaching has taken a semester off to travel. She has been in NZ since February 10 and has been backpacking. She was kayaking in the sound and camping over...

Mar 15, 2010 - Serene, Surreal, Silent Doubtful Sound

With Gerard off 'trempin' I decided to splash out and do one of Fiordland's Must Do's - an overnight cruise on brooding Doubtful Sound. Doubtful is less well known than Milford - probably because it cannot be accessed by road like Milford. It is the second biggest of the 14 fiords (the biggest is Dusky); 3 times longer than Milford and 10 times larger so it had to be good! Captain Cook sighted it first in 1770 but never ventured inland. He named it Doubtful Harbour as he 'doubted' whether the winds would fill the sails to let the ship get...

Jan 14, 2010 - Doubtful Sound

Thurs Jan 14 Today was an all day trip. We took a trip to Doubtful Sound, another fiord. We left Pearl Harbour in Manapouri on a catamaran just before 10 am. We spent about an hour crossing the lake, it was a beautiful lake, mountains all around and the only buildings were those near the little harbour. We arrived at the visitors centre and got on a coach and spent the next hour driving up and over the Wilmot Pass to the Sound. Once there we boarded yet another boat for the three hour trip up and down the sound. The bus ride was quite...

Oct 28, 2009 - Doubtful Sound

The Overnight trip on Doubtful Sound! Tuesday 27th October 2009 Blue skies this morning – but with the snow on the nearby hills it is still chilly! Though the lake looks really good with the snow capped hills behind. As we have to vacate our site by 10.00am we park the van out on the road (though not at the lakeside as we had planned – because they are re-tarring the road) at the back of the Campervan Park. The town is pretty quiet, but we wander round taking pics and then head off to the Department of Conservation visitors centre to get...

Sep 17, 2008 - Doubtful Sound - Kingkong Territory

The following day we drove to Lake Manapouri which is the meeting point for the trip on Doubtful Sound. The initial boat trip took about an hour and it takes you across Lake Manapouri to West Arm. From there, a bus picked us up and drove us over the beautiful Wilmot Pass road to the start of Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound is an unspoilt and remote wilderness with stunning scenary. The weather is so changeable, one minute there's clear skies, the next raining and cloudy. It's considered real lucky to experience both weather conditions. We...

Oct 23, 2006 - Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise

Hi All, I found a pretty good deal on an overnight cruise through Milford Sound and a ride across Lake Manapouri. Fantastic time. Ate too much, but the following day I did a little tramping to justify it. Hope you enjoy the pics. Fiordland is an amazing place.

Jul 22, 2006 - Doubtful Sound

I didn't think it was possible, but Doubtful Sound is more spectacular than Milford Sound. It is less well-known, so many people haven't seen it... which translates into less people, fewer boats and more nature! This trip included a 45 minute boat ride across Lake Manapouri which is filled with interesting islands that were carved out when the glaciers formed the lake and the fiords. We then drove through the Wilmot Pass for 45 minutes... Wilmot Pass is the most expensive road in New Zealand due to how treacherous it was to build since it...

Feb 1, 2006 - Doubtful

Left the fabulous apartment (so sad) for Lake Manapouri and the overnight Doubtful Sound Cruise in the Fjiordsland National Park. The drive in was splendid and we arrived early enough to have a flat white at the world famous "Pop Inn "(well, if your world happens to be Te Anau New Zealand). Rumor has it that this is where Vigo Moritsen and Liv Tyler were spotted having an intimate LOTR snack one day. I am making that up but I will bet you that over 60% of the people, who you tell that too, would believe you. LOTR is a big, and I mean big...

Dec 30, 2005 - Doubtful Sounds

Het is zover! Wel vroeg op staan hoor.. 06:00h. Om compleet klaar te zijn om 06:45h. Ik werd opgehaald door een busje, en ik was de enige die ze op moest halen. Het was ongeveer een half uurtje rijden naar Manapouri, waar het begon. Ik ben naar de Doubtfull Sounds gegaan om daar te kayaken! Het begon met een boot tripje over "Lake Manpouri" naar de andere kant. Dat duurde ongeveer 45 min, en het was vlakbij het "Manapouri powerstation", een waterkrachtcentrale. Daar moetsen we ons vast in de zwemkleding hijsen zodat het later minder...

Nov 11, 2005 - Doubtful Sound Day 2

The second day of our cruise around the fiord was another day of great sights especially as the rain from yesterday had made the waterfalls even more spectacular. We saw some explosive falls today and it made the place increasingly atmospheric. We headed back to port via Southern Arm one of the most spectacular areas of the fiord past yet more powerful falls as the sky cleared creating some wonderful colours and reflections off the water and rock sides. Truly magical. As we crossed Lake Manapouri on the last leg of our return journey the...