After the bus journey down the hill from Wilmot Pass, we arrived at Doubtful Sound. The weather was idyllic, and Doubtful Sound looked beautiful. We slowly traversed the narrow waterways and marvelled at the scenery until we arrived at the seal colony. We had been told that there may be some penguins, but unfortunately their breeding season had just ended and they'd all left to make way for the seals.
Before we'd even reached the colony, we were able to both hear and smell the seals. They were incredibly noisy, and seemed to enjoy showing off for the audience on the boat. Several of them stopped sunbathing and swam a few laps around the boat, then began playing amongst themselves.
Once we had lapped the 'island of seals' we began to head back towards the mainland. We followed a large cruise ship for the first few hundred metres, but it soon disappeared into the distance as we stopped to take a closer look at a small waterfall. I even managed to get a picture of a rainbow near the boat. I didn't see a pot of gold though...or a leprechaun.
After spending a short time at the waterfall, we headed back to the wharf. We then got on the bus again for the windy journey up the hill and down again to the visitor centre. On the way back across Lake Manapouri we stopped to look at the power station there. It wasn't the prettiest of sights, so I didn't take any pictures, but it was interesting all the same. Apparently it is the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand and the energy generated is used at an aluminium smelter near Bluff.
Once I had returned to Queenstown I took a walk in to the town centre for some dinner. I took a couple of pictures of the lake on the way there, and then another couple on the way back with the sun setting on the mountains. I then walked back along the edge of the lake to my hotel and packed my bags ready travel to Wanaka the next morning.
The next morning I got up bright and early and began the hour drive up towards Wanaka. I stopped at a couple of places on the way. One was Lake Hayes, a very picturesque lake next to Arrowtown, which isn't far out of Queenstown. I parked at the southern end of the lake, had a bit of breakfast, and then completed a loop of the lake. It was a fairly easy walking track and only took a couple of hours to finish. As you can see, the weather was lovely again, and made the walk all the more enjoyable.
Continuing north on State Highway 6, pulled in to a small winery called Gibbston Valley Wines. It had been recommended by a couple of friends of mine, so I thought I should go and check out all the hype for myself. I sampled a pinot gris, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and a riesling, and all were delicious. In the end I left with two bottles of pinot gris, two of pinot noir and a couple of riesling. I also bought a little bit of cheese and some chutney, and of course, I just had to sample the ice cream!
After departing the winery, it was a short drive up to the Kawarau Gorge just outside Cromwell. I pulled in at 'Roaring Meg', a hydro power scheme fed by the Roaring Meg Dam on the Kawarau River. The lower of the two power stations can be seen to the right in the first picture. I was impressed at how blue and clean the water looked, and would have been keen to do some white water rafting or kayaking had I been spending more time in the area.
Next stop Wanaka!
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