A Doubtful Sound

We had an early breakfast, packed an overnight bag plus swimwear and thanked Roger and Wendy for their hospitality.  We drove back through Te Anau and made our way to Lake Manapouri, stopping on the way to take a photo of the lake.  We drove through the town and followed Wendy's instructions to drive to "Pearl Harbour",  where we checked in, having parked in the long stay car park.  We collected our packed lunch and boarded the Titiroa for the 45-minute journey across the lake (at 23 knots) to the hydro-eloectric power station jetty at the far end of the lake.
The weather was cloudy, misty and much cooler, but this was to prove an advantage.
Having viewed the exhibition which described the seven turbines, each producing over 100 MW of electricity, which are driven by the water flowing from the lake, we were collected by a coach which took us the 22Km  over the scenic Wilmot pass (1:5 in places on an unsealed road)  to the Jetty at Doubtful Sound, where the three masted Fiordland Navigator was waiting for us.
The enthusiastic crew greeted us with tea/coffee and hot muffins (why had we needed a packed lunch?) and briefed us on what would be happening over the next 24 hours.
We set off down the sound, which was swathed in misty clouds and after a short trip, paused in "crooked arm" for our activities. 
The energetic ones took to the kayaks (it was necessary to be fit enough to paddle for 2km), whilst those of us with a more leisurely bent chose to take a nature appreciation trip on the tenders.
We saw albatross and dolphins, whilst our guide explained the way in which trees were able to grow on an impermeable rock face.
First comes the moss, which traps moisture, then the ferns, which grow amongst the moss, and this structure is then able to support the root system of small shrubs, which can then allow the larger trees to adhere to the substructure. 
Our guide had worked as a botanist in this region for 10 years and only recently had he witnessed two "tree avalanches" which occur when the trees become too heavy and the whole structure collapses, leaving a smooth rocky vertical face, which can take many years to regenerate.

This Rimu is strong enough to grow out almost horizontally from the rockface.
After the kayaks and boats were back in the "Navigator" we were able to have a swim in the lake.
Peter did a belly flop and Alison descended the ladder!  The water temperature was around 16 degrees - cold for some, but warmer than Guernsey seas.  We were rewarded by soup and a roll, then the ship sailed out towards the Tasman sea, where we saw "fur seals", which are actually sea lions, basking on the rocks.
The mist was descending and the atmosphere was eerie.

It was a perfect evening for Doubtful Sound - the moisture from the mist swelled the rainwaterfalls which spouted out all around us.  We anchored in "First Arm" for the night and had an excellent hot buffet dinner, followed by a fascinating geology lesson with slides, which explained how New Zealand had been formed and then how Fiordland had been sculpted by the ice-age glaciers.
We woke to the sound of the engines being started and the anchor being weighed at 6:15 on another misty morning and took a trip down the Hall arm, noticing how all the springs had swollen as a result of the overnight rain.  We spotted a crested penguin fishing in the sound; when  we reached the end of the arm all the engines and genrators were switched off and we  listened to the "sounds of silence in the sound" - all of a sudden we could hear birdsong amidst the rushing of the waterfalls.
All too soon it was time to return to the jetty and board our bus for the return journey.  The clouds lifted just in time for us to catch a final glimpse of Doubtful Sound at the top of the Wilmot Pass.

We concluded that this trip is a "must do" on any visit to South Island.  Then off to Queenstown for the next stage of our adventures!