Honeymoon – Doubtful sound, and it rained, and it rained, and it rained.

Our day started the an abandoned trip to see New Zealands deepest lake. We didn’t fancy 27km on a gravel road first thing in the morning so instead went to Clifden suspension bridge. The only similarities between the bridge is Bristol is the name, it’s a lot lower in NZ, and covered in scaffolding. On to Manopouri to catch the overnight cruise around Doubtful sound, named by Cook who was ‘Doubtful’ his boat would be able to get out once it had sailed in. Our utmost thanks to Brigitte that bought us this trip for the wedding. 

We took a boat across the lake to the hydro electric power station, then a  bus across the island to Deep cove to board the ‘Navigator’. All the time, it was absolutely pouring with rain, and this rain didn’t stop for the entire day, it poured. While on the boat we had afternoon tea and given the key to our twin bed cabin, with views…of the rain and wind. Trying to go outside the boat was pretty treacherous as the doors slammed shut behind you. We sailed for 3 hours around the various arms of the Doubtful sound, we saw bottlenose dolphins jumping the waves, a seal colony with the males fighting for the harem. And it still rained.

Hot soup, then we dropped anchor in a sheltered spot. Still raining, I took the tender boat ride around the inlet. I had waterproof coat, trousers, tarpaulin over our legs, a life jacket on…and still the rain was dribbling through the cleavage! Not a nice experience but the tender boat ride was excellent to get up close with the trees, the moss, the ferns and drive right into the waterfall. Due to the heavy rain, we saw so many waterfalls that aren’t usually there. Each fiord was covered in waterfalls. On the coach journey to pick up the board we had to drive through one of them flooding the bridge we had to get across. 

By the time we got back to the boat, we couldn’t get any wetter and I was getting cold. Pools of waer had developed in my coat. The water in the fiord is almost pure, so you can drink it straight from the side of the boat, I resisted. Back on board, and dry clothes on. There is nothing quite like the feeling of dry warm clothes when you have been sat in the rain in a fiord. 

A dinner buffet was served, with pavlova, still disputed between the Australians and Kiwi’s on who invented it, but it was lovely, not the hard crunchy meringue of the UK. After dinner, our nature guide gave a talk on how New Zealand was formed, the sound, and flora fauna which was excellent. Off to bed, and still it rained…