Oh what a day!!!
Up early for breakfast, in the car and on the road from Queenstown to Te Anau by 7.30am. The road wound around the lake and the through lovely farming land and more snow capped mountains all around. We got to Te Anau in good time, had time for coffee and pie/scone before dropping our car into the secure parking area.
We were in Te Anau for 11-11-11 at 11am so we joined the locals for their Remembrance Service.
Picked up by the coach and down to Manapora to meet the ferry.
We had a huge gourmet lunch on board the 45 minute ferry ride up the sound, then transferred to a coach to go over Wilmott Pass which is one of the 4th highest passes. We have already done the other 3 higher passes in this trip - Arthur's Pass, Haast Pass, Lewis Pass.
The very steep gravel road wound down to Deep Cove on Doubtful Sound, what a view. Unloaded and onto our boat - the "Fiordland Navigator"... We were allocated our rooms and we met up again upstairs as we left the dock, the staff and captain have a wonderful running and informative narrative throughout the afternoon.
We had a wonderful time on the boat, I don't know words that can describe it or explain it. magnificent, breath taking, awesome, massive, Jurassic like, wildman country but also very precious.
Put this on your bucket list.
We had a lovely cabin with ensuite and it exited to the external walkway on the middle deck, great as they called "DOLPHINS" and I ran outside the room and there they were right in front of me alongside the boat- how good is that for a wake up call.
Meals were extensive and very good, bought the "must have" t-shirt....
Saw seals, penguins and dolphins and loads of all of them.
A picture says a thousand words.....
Best of the day:
Bert : It was all good - the whole Doubtful sound experience
Joyce : The lovely boat
Bob : being on the boat and coming over the Pass
Me : the quiet..... Of being on a boat in such a fantastic place
