Day 8-9- Doubtful Sound in Manapouri

When you travel in NZ, there is always something worth stopping for.. Another mailbox along our journey from QT to Manapouri..

By the time we left QT and arrived at the town of Manapouri its almost 7pm. It was getting really dark and we were searching for our lodging.

Manapouri, as I can remember is a dark, cold place..

As we were reaching our accommodation for the night, we met 3 people who seem to be asking for help. We realized the couple was the owner of the campervan which had one wheel stuck in the soft mud. The 3rd guy was trying to be helpful, acting helpful but in fact not tt helpful. He does all the talking but dont see him doing much. Paul was the one running up and down the road trying to get the wheel unstucked. N when a girl drove past, he actually chit-chatted with the girl leaving all of us waiting and puzzled.

It got so dark in the end that we could no longer be helpful. We all decided to abandon the campervan, left it to the next day for professional help. We brought the couple up to the lodge where we all stayed for the night.

Anyway, the campervan owners are French and they had a few month old baby who was a bit sick that night. Because it was such a cold night, they decided to get a lodging instead of sleeping in their campervan.

All through the incident, I was helpless. The men did the problem solving, while I chit-chatted with the French lady.

Lodging at Manapouri is totally different from Wanaka. Its cold and dark. They give us wood to burn for warmth and one solar lamp which is not bright enough to light up the whole room.

Route to the toilet was even scarier. The 100m walk to the toilet is windy and super dark. No lamps to guide your path at all! Look at the cabin on the slope, that is ours. Its by God's grace we didnt fall while walking to the toilet. We requested for torchlight from the owner of the lodge but he says he has only one. So we thought it is only good that we give it to the French couple with their small baby.

Paul also had the experience to pick wood somewhere behind our lodge. It was dark, but we wanted more wood for fire. He claimed that he heard someone cutting wood from somewhere from behind our cabin. I had to follow him and provide some light from my hp. Honestly, I was quite frustrated bcos I find it dangerous! haha.. But we did find a whole storehouse of wood and we helped ourselves to it!! I guess no pain no gain ya..

I must mention the 2 horses.. One night I woke Paul up to accompany me to the 100m walk to toilet. We heard sound and Paul said he saw shadows of horses which I thought was ridiculous la! it was dark and I saw nothing anyway. BUT when the toilet auto light came on, 2 horses within 10m radius of me pop up and I was scared. But for the toilet, I must march on!! I tried to be calm and normal and pray the horses dont attack. I heard stories of animals attacking as a result of shock.. Thank God HE protected me again from shocked horses!!

Ok, the main purpose we travelled so much to the end of the earth is for the purpose of visiting the Doubtful Sound! Sound is like a bay, a harbor. Doubtful is its name bcos the captain of the first boat that discovered this place was doubtful whether it was appropriate to carry vessels.

Boarding the cruise..

Besides seeing the beautiful Doubtful Sound, the organizer of the cruise also wants us to taste the pure nature of their land. They drove the cruise near to a cliff, make us all wet and got us to collect pure ground water and drank them. It was yellowish in color (they said its normal) but it does not have a bad smell. According to the organizer, the water is being purified by going through the high mountain, the trees of the jungle and finally stream down to where we are. There are many such small streams as we cruise in Doubtful Sound.

See how calm and peaceful the waters are. The reflection of mountain on the water surface is rather sharp. No wonder they call it the end of the earth.. Undisturbed peace on earth. In this sound, there are penguins, seals, and we also saw dolphins.. We are not allowed to make noise when we approach these animals. We only stopped near enough and watch them from a distance. But playful dolphins swam to us and kinda did tricks to amuse us. So happy for these animals that they are in their natural homes and the people ard them are committed to preserving their peace.

The Manapouri Underground Power Station. From what I remember, it is enough to generate energy for the whole of Christ Church for certain period of time.. Cant remember liao...


After the trip, we went to a nearby town, Te Anua for dinner.

Having dinner at a french restuarant is one of my highlight. We had NZ lamb as what was claimed on the menu. Taste good. I love the soup. I cant really remember what soup it was but I know they dont cheat on the ingredients.

Tt night, after our cruise tour, we were so reluctant to return to that dark lodge cos we will be so bored, so we went a little further. It is just a slightly more happening town compared to Manapouri. Not many shops just some book stores, dvd rental stores but at least there are street lights.

When we go back to Manapouri, we just depend on our car headlights. By this time, Paul was more confident about driving in pitch dark night. Thank God, otherwise we may just be bored to death in our little lodge.

On the day we left, we met the French lady while she was on her way to wash up. In her limited English, she requested that we wait for a moment while she goes back to her room.

She returned with her a box of chocolates and told us it was her favorite. She would like us to have it as an expression of thanks for how Paul helped them. Although the campervan problem was not solved that night, they were touched by the way Paul tried to help. Her comments for Paul is that he is a good man. Haha.. I am proud of Paul as the guy who could be depended upon!!

In return, I gave her my Remarkables Sweet Shop chocolate and told her in as simple English as possible the significance of the chocolate. I was glad her baby recovered by that morning and as you can see he is sure to be a handsome boy. She is Pauline and her husband is Peter..

N btw, they got their campervan up to the lodge by that morning and we stood in front of it for photo-taking..

Paul said that he wanted to help because he understands what it feels to be in trouble in a foreign land. Ya I recalled how we felt when our car battery went flat at Arthurs' Pass. Thank God for another helpful tourist who has the jump-start kit in his car. Isnt all these people God sent?

This is the information booth of Freestone accomodation in Manapouri. If you see carefully, you will notice 2 horses. These 2 horses truly belong..

As we drove out to Christchurch as the final destination of our trip in NZ, we saw the most beautiful rainbow in our lives. God is beautiful and so is all His creation..

Manapouri is beautiful. That night, when I find myself warm enough to stand outside our cabin, to admire the beautiful night sky, I saw my first shooting star... It is beautiful.. N there are so many stars.. BEAUTIFUL.. (just a little too dark and too cold.. hee..)