Te Anau and Doubtful Sound

Our stay in Te Anau got off to an exciting start because we experienced our first earthquake since arriving in NZ. It was 5.3 on the richtor scale and happened while we were having breakfast. Lucille noticed it first and then we both felt the building moving. Apparently they get lots of these small ones.

We watched a good video at the Information office which gave us a better appreciation of the history, fora and fauna of the southern Alps. This is a truly remarkable area of NZ and it is easy to understand why it has been designated as a World Heritage Area. We then went to the local cinema to see another film which provided us some beautiful views taken from helicopters covering all four seasons. Cheapest way to see what the mountains and fiords look like from the air. The cinema was very small but the seats were very comfortable and large. It was also the first time that I was able to have a beer in a cinema. Very civilized!

The next morning we drove to Lake Manapouri which is the deepest lake in NZ (443 M) and is actually 265 meters below sea level at the bottom. We boarded a boat for the trip across the lake then a bus took us down to the coast where we took another boat out into Doubtful Sound. Incidentally, Captain Cook named it because he wasn't sure whether he would be able to navigate his way out of the fiord hence decided not to take a chance. Having seen the width and how strong the wind is coming into the fiord I think he made the right decision. Doubtful Sound is the second largest of Fiordland National Park's 14 fiords. The sea surface area is 10 times larger than the Milford Sound but Milford Sound has steeper cliffs. We were blessed with another really beautiful day; not a cloud in the sky (very unusual). The views were stunning with huge mountains on all sides and clear blue water beneath us. We travelled to the mouth of the fiord where we saw fur seals and the open ocean. Nothing left between us and Tasmania.

Closer we got to the mouth the more the wind picked up and until it was so strong you could lean into it and not fall over. On the return trip we entered a smaller side-arm where the Captain shut-off the motors and we were seemed to be suspended between the ocean and the sky. All we could hear were birds signing and feel was a gentle breeze.

After re boarding the bus we took a detour by entering the service tunnel for the hydro electric dam. The tunnel went 2 kms through the mountain (it was cut in order to bring in all the equipment including the turbines) and we were able to descend 180 meters below the level of the lake. We were then able to view the actual generators from a large observation deck.

The most pleasant day we have spent in NZ! Although everyday has been pretty good so far!

We are off to the The Caitlins (most southern part of NZ).