Fiordland (October 11-15)

Monday morning, well rested, we woke up super early to leave Wanaka by 7AM to take the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise with Real Journeys. out of Te Anau. We traveled again over the Crown Range Road which was icy in spots, but it was a beautiful frosty drive with snow covering the pastures below. We drove past the Remarkables Range, but scooted past Queenstown following the southern end of Lake Wakatipu without a stop to be sure we arrived in time for our noon cruise.

Fjordland Navigator in Doubtful Sound

After checking in for our cruise with time to spare, we strolled around the Te Anau lakeview trail and saw our first Tui feeding from Kowhai tree blossoms. We had a 20km drive to Pearl Harbor in Manopouri, our point of departure, where we snacked on food we'd brought along instead of buying Real Journeys' box lunch. The cruise was beautiful. It started with a pretty 30 minute boat ride across Lake Manapouri. Then we transferred to a bus which would take us over Wilmot Pass along the only road to Deep Cove, the beginning of the Doubtful Sounds cruise. We learned that Doubtful Sound (originally Doubtful Harbor, but actually a fjord) got its name because Capt James Cook doubted he could sail out of the inlet if his ship, the Endeavor, entered it.

Starting off the cruise, we still had snow at a fairly low level from the storm the day before. After initial orientation and safety instruction, we got the keys to our cabin, which was nicely appointed and had 2 windows. But we didn't spend much time there. On deck and in the observation lounge and dining area were great views, good food and interesting people from all over the world. The crew included a naturalist, who did a great job of pointing out penguins, seals and dolphins along the way. Later in the afternoon, we took a tender craft ride with about 10 other passengers to explore the sounds at closer range. Kayaking was another option for this part of the cruise, but we wanted to stay dry and be able to take photos. Five passengers also chose the swimming activity. It looked like great fun to jump off the back of the boat into the freezing fiord… well maybe if we'd done this 30 years ago! Next, a choice of 2 soups was offered in the dining area and we sat with a nice couple, John and Janelle, from Newcastle, Australia.



Click here for larger images with captions.

We were cruising along Secretary Island on our way out of the fjords to the Tasman Sea when the first Fiordland Crested Penguins were spotted. We also saw a New Zealand Fur Seal colony nearby. It was pretty exciting to be right at the island-studded mouth of Doubtful Sound at the Tasman Sea. Near here we also saw our first Little Blue Penguins.

A dinner buffet with lots of great choices was served a little later and this time we sat with a young Austrian couple, Karin and Markus, who were 8 months into a 16 month trip around the world. We learned that their favorite place so far was Burma. After dinner our naturalist did a slideshow presentation on Doubtful Sounds, its ecology and wildlife. It was getting late and we were ready for bed, but spent a little more time on deck to take in the stars under the cloudless night sky.

Breakfast was served at 7AM Tuesday, and we had to be ready to have our linens changed by 9. We sat with our new Australian friends again. On the way back, our ship, the Fjordland Navigator took us down some of the hidden arms of Doubtful Sound before heading back to Deep Cove. We saw the "Blanket Bay Hotel" a very remote overnight spot for fishermen. Though there wasn't much, if any wind, the crew deployed the ship's sails just as a demonstration. Before we got back, the captain stopped the ship on the glass-like surface of the Sounds, shut down the ship's system and with the cooperation of all passengers, enabled a few moments of complete and total silence -- no one walked around, no one snapped pictures, and it was an almost magical few minutes!

After we docked at Deep Cove we got back on the bus over Wilmot Pass and then across Lake Manapouri to finish the trip. Returning to Te Anau around noon, we were feeling pretty tired after a short night sleep. We were up for an easy walk from the Fiordlands DOC Info Center to the Te Anau Wildlife Conservatory where a pair of rare Takahe live, but they were not out. These birds were thought to be extinct until 1948 when Dr George Orwell discovered two of them in the Murchison Mountains. We did see the captive Antipodean Island Parakeets and Keas, before walking back to the DOC center to watch a video about Fiordlands. We finally checked in to Fiordland Lakeview Motel (had difficulty finding because they just changed their name and the iSITE gave us their former name, Campbells on the Lake) and had our first really disappointing dining experience of the trip at Settlers Steakhouse.

Since we'd cruised the larger Doubtful Sound, we opted to view Milford Sound from the shore. Driving the Milford Road was fantastic with stunning views along the way, especially on the west side of Homer Tunnel. One highlight of our drive on Milford Road was getting to see our first Kea.

Kea biting through a tarp

The Kea is one of the world's only alpine parrots and are extremely intelligent, able to solve puzzles and even work together as a team to solve problems. Many signs prohibited feeding and cautioned us about leaving out any small items they might find "interesting" (people have had their car keys stolen by a Kea). We observed one biting through a tarp covering a car-top carrier, staying in place even as the car was leaving the car park -- then flying to another car.

We arrived at Milford Sound proper at low tide so walked way out to check out the iconic Mitre Peak and as well as get a better view of Bowen Falls. We had a light lunch at the Blue Duck Cafe then headed back, stopping at The Chasm. We also drove out to Hollyford Road to view 900ft Humboldt Falls and took the start of the Marion Lake hike as far as the first waterfall. It was still daylight, so we went back out to view the Takahe at the Wildlife Conservatory and this time had a good look at the rare birds. Some very boisterous Tui in the surrounding eucalyptus trees entertained us as the sun began to set.

The owner of our motel highly recommended the Key Summit hike for great views of the area, so late Thursday morning we headed back up the Milford Sound Road as far as the Divide, which is also the start (or finish, depending on which way you go) of the Routeburn Track. We had fantastic calm weather and mostly blue skies, even at the 917m summit. At the Nature Walk Summit, we chatted for some time with a young Irish couple at the who have been traveling for 9 months.

Mike and Susan on Key Summit

On the way down, we sidetracked to visit the Howden Hut in order to see a NZ tramping hut firsthand. Quite a nice place, in the middle of the bush, with beds, kitchen and flushing toilets. There was a DOC group meeting on the front porch, and we said hi to a DOC worker, Kate, we had met on the Marian Lake trail the day before. Kate was with a coworker who approached Mike enthusiastically saying, "What are you DOING here?!" convinced Mike was an old friend he knew from Oxford (UK). He was sure he was his friend until Mike spoke to him in his non-British English accent. If he hadn't been wearing a DOC uniform shirt and been with another worker Mike would've been concerned, as he was walking to the trail carrying a chain saw! He was amazed and explained that Mike was a dead ringer for his friend. He even asked to take Mike's picture so he could send it to his UK friend.

Back on the main trail, we heard, saw, then finally photographed the tiny Rifleman and more Fantails. Driving the rest of the way back to Te Anau we were both pretty tired, but squeezed out enough energy to visit Mirror Lakes. A very nice viewing platform and excellent signage enhanced this easy roadside stop. We got to watch New Zealand Scaups diving for food and because of the clear water and angle of the sun, we could actually see them swimming underwater!

Mike met a German guy who had graduated from CU Boulder a couple years ago and also had ties to the city in Germany where Mike was stationed years ago. We got dinner at The Ranch after checking out the menu of a few other places on the attractive main drag of Te Anau, aka The Lane. Ready for a quiet dinner, we grabbed a table upstairs at the bar, which was deserted until a group of happy young people speaking French showed up and started playing pool. C'est la vie!

We planned to stay another night in Te Anau and make Friday a day off, scheduling only a visit to the glowworm caves. We were trying to catch up with some things online, but our internet went out (which apparently is not uncommon in Te Anau) and wouldn't be available again until 3:30PM. Maybe. So at noon, after our clothes were washed and dried, we headed off towards Invercargill on the Scenic Southern route. Shortly along the way, we realized we both would have preferred to stay put in Te Anau another day with or without the net - argh! So we agreed to work on better communication and forged ahead down the Scenic Southern Route.