Kayaking

Kayaking on Doubtful sound.

Waterfalls cascading down the steep sides of the 42km long fjord. Rain and cloud then sun then rain, and cloud.

Unforgettable 

Doubtful Sound

Trapped! Sort of....

We're now in Manapouri, down in the deep south of the South Island Fiordland.  Some of you may have seen on the news that the area has an incredible amount of rain - some places got up to 1m of rain in 3 days.  The rivers are raging and some roads are closed due to being washed away or blocked by landslides.  It seems that we're actually trapped in this part of the country.  That sounds rather dramatic, but actually there is no drama at all - we got wet as we finished the Hump Ridge track yesterday but are now drying out in a quaint little motel looking forward to steak for dinner.

The bad weather has moved off into the Pacific and the it's been quite a nice day here.  We went around the local area and got a feel for the amazing landscape.

Tomorrow, we'll be kayaking in Doubtful Sound - should be great.

Looking towards the mountains

Over the lake

Sound advice not to jump into the raging river

Humpridge trees

Humpridge track flora

The Humpridge Track

This 3 day trek has been quite an experience.  We had the luxury of huts to stay in complete with hot showers , very welcome after really quite wet weather and a fair bit of up and down. The path has taken us up hills and around the coast, on the beach and winding through breathtakingly beautiful forest with ferns, lichen and ancient mossy trees. Finishing yesterday's walk on the level along an old logging tram line we ended up at Port Craig where ships used to be loaded with logs by cable from a pier. A bit like Makatea, Port Craig has had its day and from 1000 residents in the 1920s there are only a couple today who man the track hut.

We swam in the bay and to our delight we were joined by a few Hector dolphins, not scared of James' skinny dipping.

Today it rained nonstop but it did seem to fit the damp forest. We heard a crash at one point, a rotten tree falling under the weight of vines, fern and moss.

A flat route today meant we finished the 20 k in good time. But cold, fingers too numb to do much! We warmed up in Bailey with  a very welcome cup of tea. 

En route up to Manapouri we heard news that flooding and landslips mean a state of emergency has been declared in Fiordland and Southland. The Routeburn track was closed when a landslips fell onto a hut and walkers were rescued by chopper. The road to Milford Sound has been closed in 3 places by landslides.

Lucky us. We just got wet, not stranded.

A few days off then we start the Kepler track on Saturday if it is open.

Off tramping...

As planned a couple of years ago, we have met up with the Heaths in Invercargill. This morning we are setting off to walk the Humpridge track, 3 days from hut to hut in far south Fiordland. It was still blowing a gale last night, but is a bit gentler now. We will have mixed weather but  I can't wait to get up into the hills!🏃‍♀️