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For travellers, more than tourists:
This two day trip is about allowing yourself some quality time to experience a personal adventure, a genuine kayaking and camping experience in a remote New Zealand environment, in a natural, non-intrusive way, that respects what Fiordland's wilderness is all about and expresses what real sea kayaking is all about:
doing it yourself with minimal impact, in a small personal group (maximum 8 people)
with a friendly, knowledgeable, local guide;
being on the water up close and personal in a sea kayak
in the sound of silence without a motorboat following us;
discovering the land, camping in the primal rainforest
(no generator, great camping area, quality gear and communal insect shelter);
experiencing nature's cycles...its changing moods and light and time;
becoming aware of Fiordland's inhabitants in their own wild environment;
understanding the importance of wilderness areas like Doubtful Sound
in the future of this planet of ours...
and having some fun along the way!
DEPARTURES
First trip departs 28 September 2010, through to 30 April 2011
Early/late season - Sat Tues Thurs departures.
Mid November to mid April - daily departures.
6.15am from Te Anau, 6.45am from Manapouri, returning on the second day approximately 5.30pm to Manapouri, 6.00pm to Te Anau.
For transport back to Queenstown after the kayaking, we can usually connect with a bus that leaves Te Anau for Queenstown approximately 7.00pm.
2010/11 SEASON RATES
Peak Season 26th December - 31 March 2011 NZ $399 per person.
Shoulder Season 28th September - 24th December & April NZ $380 per person.
Please note: the EQUIPMENT section, for what we provide and what you need to bring.
Upon booking, we give you a detailed personal equipment list to assist you with your preparations. When you make your booking you will also be asked to provide your weight and height (for gear sizing) and your accommodation in Te Anau or Manapouri. We need to know where to meet you the morning of departure and to give you the time of pick up. It is therefore essential that you contact us by 5pm the evening before your kayaking trip to give us the necessary information.
JOURNEY DESCRIPTION
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Day 1:
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Your wilderness experience begins early morning with a short road shuttle to Manapouri to board a boat for the 30km journey across stunning Lake Manapouri, followed by a road journey crossing the remote alpine route of Wilmot Pass to Doubtful Sound. On arrival you will change into paddling gear, pack kayaks and given a full safety briefing and instruction from an experienced guide. The group then spends 4-5 hrs kayaking in the midst of Doubtful Sound, alongside the massive glacial landscape, deeply faulted mountainsides, waterfalls, and sometimes, penguins, fur seals and dolphins. A lunch break is made on an uninhabited beach, surrounded by pristine native rainforest.
On arrival at the camp site tents you will set camp, and as evening falls enjoy the company of fellow paddlers as they prepare their meal in the group shelter and enjoy the surrounding untouched, pure wilderness.
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After breakfast we break camp, load kayaks, then encounter the morning stillness of Hall Arm. The fiords mirrored waters ripple past the kayaks, or in the wet, waterfalls cascade from the mountain sides, as the group paddles to Malaspina Reach and Elizabeth Island before returning early afternoon to Deep Cove, under sail if possible, for pack up and lunch.
The final leg is the journey back to Te Anau across Wilmot Pass and Lake Manapouri by boat and vehicle, allowing opportunity to reflect on the beauty of the scenery and the rewarding two day experience.
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