Doubtful

When Captain Cook (that guy really got around) approached the southwest coast of New Zealand in 1770 and spotted the inlet to a huge fiord, he named it “Doubtful Harbour” because of the uncertainty of navigating through it under sail. Later visitors (whalers and sealers) renamed it Doubtful Sound.

Doubtful Sound viewed from Wilmot Pass

Based on the recommendation of some Kiwis we met earlier in our trip, we decided to tour Doubtful rather than the more easily accessible and, consequently more tourist-packed, Milford Sound. Doubtful Sound is substantially larger and less crowded with tour boats.

We took a day cruise, composed of several land and water legs, operated by Real Journeys. After being picked up at our hotel at 7 am, we were driven a short distance to Manapouri where we caught the first of two boats.

The 40 minute cruise across Lake Manapouri in an enclosed catamaran was pleasant, and we could see that these cruises were well-organized and run efficiently. You know a trip involving boats is going to be a first-class experience when you go into the “head” and find that it’s not only clean but so clean that the faucets and porcelain shine and there is a UV light sanitizer. We shared a table with a family from China, part of what appeared to be a larger tour group. They seemed surprised when Irv said “Ni hau” to their little boy. There were also quite a few tourists from Germany, Australia, and the U.S.

We disembarked on the other side of the lake and boarded a bus to take us across Wilmot Pass to Doubtful Sound. The 21 km road, which winds through the fiordland rainforest, is supposed to be the most expensive on ever built in New Zealand, costing over $4 million in 1964. It was constructed to support the development of the Manapouri Power Station (more about this later). The coach driver explained about the construction of both the road and the power station and made a stop to let us get some photos of the sound.

Considering that it rains here two out of every three days, we were extremely lucky with the weather. We had originally booked this tour for later in the week but changed it when we saw the weather report. Although everyone said the rain and mist would not diminish the experience of the sound, we now know that this information is incorrect. There would have been no views of the sound from Wilmot Pass or of the mountain peaks around the sound.

The coach dropped us at the next port where we boarded a second catamaran on Doubtful Sound. We decided to try out the observation deck, which was chilly but afforded a 360 degree view unimpeded by glass. The catamaran cruised down the main arm of the sound to the Tasman Sea where we saw some seals hanging out on the rocks at the inlet.

Irv: cold but happy

View of Doubtful Sound from boat

Seals at Doubtful Sound inlet, Tasman Sea beyond

We were both somewhat nervous about getting seasick, as we learned that the cruise ventures into the sea and/or hangs around the inlet for about 30 minutes for the seal watching. I decided not to take Dramamine, which would have knocked me out for the day. Instead, Instead, I tried two “natural” remedies: crystallized ginger (settles the stomach) and an earplug in one ear (apparently discombobulates the inner ear so that nausea-producing motion is not sensed). I did not get sick or even queasy, but the swells at the inlet were fairly mild.

The earplug strategy was recommended to me by sailors on the Stewart Island ferry (a notoriously bad crossing from the southern tip of New Zealand). On a previous trip, we experienced this ferry ride on one of the roughest days of the year; we were both throwing up within five minutes of leaving the dock. It was so rough that it was impossible to stand, much less walk, to the bathroom.  The crew were fantastic, however; they were at your side immediately with a new barf bag and a wet towel. Someone told us that they get fan mail from grateful passengers. I thanked them profusely when I disembarked, which is when I got the tip about the earplug (they use the filters from cigarettes).

I’ve also tested the earplug method while driving on mountain roads, which makes me really carsick, and it seemed to work then as well. However, I have yet to try it in a really rough situation on the water or in the air. Clearly, we need more data but I am reluctant to put myself into a bad enough situation to conduct a more rigorous test.

I had hoped to see some penguins at the inlet, but none were in sight. We did spot some dolphins on the return cruise in one of the side arms of the sound. These are bottlenose dolphins but are much larger than the ones we see in the Gulf of Mexico. There are strict rules for dolphin watching so the boat captain stayed quite a distance from the pod, which was feeding along the shoreline.

After the cruise on Doubtful Sound, the coach took us to see the Manapouri Power Station, which is built underground. The bus drove down a narrow, spiral tunnel, which drops 2 km (1.2 miles) into the mountain. A tour of the power station includes a view of the underground machine hall, exhibits, and a brief talk by one of the station operators. This is New Zealand’s largest hydroelectric plant and its construction was a massive undertaking. Very impressive feat.

Entrance to tunnel leading to the underground Manapouri Power Station

Underground machine room and exhibit hall

The return trip retraced our path across Lake Manapouri and back to our hotel in Te Anau. We arrived at about 4:30 pm. The entire trip then lasted about 9 hours and cost $230NZ per person. Expensive, but definitely worth it as there is no other way to reach the sound.