Te Anau, Manapouri and the Sounds

When leaving Dunedin Te Anau was the next destination, requiring quite a drive. The backpackers I chose was half way in between Te Anau and Manapouri. It was a nice remote deer farm with a number of cottages and a stunning view. This was a good location to visit Te Anau at which I booked an overnight trip to Doubtful Sound. 


In the evening I ran into Dennis and Sheila again. They are a dutch couple i met the first time at Lake Tekapo, then i met them in Oamaru and now in Te Anua. We played a couple of games of regenworme with some other backpackers and enjoyed the evening.


The trip to Doubtful Sound left Manapouri at noon to return the next day. The trip includes a boat trip across lake manapouri and then a bus ride to Deep Cove. The actual boat trip on the sound starts from Deep Cove. 

During the trip you could participate in one of the activities. My choice was to go kayaking. Unfortunately the weather could have been better, but a little bit of rain was actually a nice added challenge. After a nice cup of hot soup the tour continued to the Tasman sea. There we saw a seal colony and another rare penguin. 


While returning to a safe branch of the fjord the crew prepared the buffer dinner. This was a really good meal, and the desert was fantastic as well. In Oamaru I enjoyed the first tasting of fruit crumble and after having it a second time i am a complete fan. 


In the morning we woke up early since the ship started it's main engines already at 6.45 to start the return journey. Breakfast ended at eight which meant we could spend the rest of the morning to enjoy the fjord. The weather had improved and appart from some winds it was almost a blue sky morning.

Before returning to Deep Cove and ultimatelly Manapouri we spend the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery as much as possible, even seeing a couple of native dolphins. 

In the afternoon I initially wanted to visit Milford Sound however due to fatigue i changed the plans, spending another nice quiet evening in Te Anau.