Doubtful Sound

For the last IFSA event, we went to Doubtful Sound for an overnight on a boat there. We left at 6:30 Saturday morning and drove to the west coast. The sun was already up by the time we got on the bus which made it easy to get up but now that it's spring it's time for daylight savings. We sprung the clocks forward an hour Sunday. This means the time difference between home and here is 18 hours instead of 19. We had a toilet stop in Gore (that's really the town's name) which claims to be the Brown Trout capital of the world. I didn't sleep for the ride there so the front of the bus talked sports with Josh the entire way. We got to Manapouri and boarded a boat to take us across the lake. Across the lake is a power station that supplies NZ with about 14% of its power. From the power station we got on buses that took us over the pass to Doubtful Sound. Because the Fiordlands are rain forest and rocks there is no topsoil so when it rains hundreds of temporary waterfalls are created. Around every corner on the pass there was another waterfall. We got on the boat and headed out into the Sound where we found a calm spot and went kayaking. Only one person fell in and that's because we made it a goal to ram into each other and to splash each other. I was able to stand my own during this but was told it was not very lady-like to be splashing people. After kayaking they allowed us to jump off the boat into the water. I was going to do this but I was shivering really badly standing on deck and decided hypothermia would not be fun.

After this we headed out to sea. The Sound opens into the Tasman Sea and Australia. It would have taken us 5 days to sail there. At the opening, there are rocks where seals so we watched a few seal fights. The ocean was a bit choppy but it was fun to go up and down. This was also at sunset which was really pretty. We then hoisted the sails and headed back into the Sound for dinner. Dinner was a buffet with so much delicious food. There was roast beef, lamb, salmon, roast root veggies, and so much more. Then we had a dessert buffet which wasn't as good but there was pavlova and white chocolate, raspberry bread pudding.

After dinner there was a presentation about the history of the Sound. I kinda fell asleep during it so only remember parts. There were dear in the forests and they people would catch them for stock on the deer farms by jumping out of helicopters and tackling the deer. They don't do that anymore they use nets to catch the deer.

After the presentation we laid out on deck and went star gazing. It was a really clear night and you could hear the birds. We also say shooting stars!!!

In the morning there was no need for an alarm clock because they turned the engines on at 6:15 so we could start going. We got up to watch the light come into the Sound. It wasn't really the sunrise because we didn't see the sun until about 10 when it made it over the mountains. We did some more touring and in one of the arms of the Sound, the captain cut the engines and generators and everyone just sat there listening to the waterfalls and birds. No walking around, no pictures. It was really peaceful and nice. After that we went sailing into a waterfall. The captain was able to put the bow under the falls. They gave us glasses so we could get a drink. We then headed back to the wharf and over the pass to the lake to the other boat and back to the bus home.

Wildlife: This trip was my first experience with sand flies. Sand flies are pretty much like mosquitoes and are just really annoying.

We saw the seals on the rocks but we also saw one swimming around fishing. They said that it was most likely a juvenile waiting to rejoin the rest when it was big enough.

Right after breakfast, we saw two dolphins. They ended up riding the bow wake right below me and we jumping out of the water. It was really cool to see. There is usually a large pod the live there but they had migrated and were on their way back.

We also saw a crested penguin. It was by itself hopping along the rocks. It was so small. It was hard to see because it would turn it's back and blend in with the rock. This kind of penguin is rare because stoats and weasels eat the eggs.

I had my first meat pie over the weekend as well. I'm not sure what to think about pies. It was good but now I want to try other flavors and find the best one.

Top of the pass overlooking the Sound.

Heading to the sea.

tree on rock at entrance to sea.

Sunset.

Sunrise.

Sailing under a waterfall.

Side Note:
The America's Cup just finished up in San Francisco with Oracle Team USA coming from behind to beat Emirates Team New Zealand. This is a really big deal here unlike in the US. Team NZ was ahead 8-2 and needed one more race to win the cup. They were less than one nautical mile from the finish line but there is a time limit of 40 minutes for each race and they went over the time limit so it didn't count. They had to re-race and Team USA came back to win the cup. Funny thing is there is only 1 American on Team USA and the rest are Aussie, Kiwi, or British. And the boat was made in NZ. And the owner of the team flew the boat builders to Cali. to teach Team USA how to make the boat go faster. Let's just say the Kiwi are upset about this.

But here's a fun video from the race to see what it's like. Well what happens when the boat capsizes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLX1XPCQodk