• Jo LoweThe let loose tourJo Lowe
    Today's ItineraryFog lifting on lake manapouriFog lifting on lake manapouri or possibly cloud inversion..Hydroelectrics lake manapouriHydroelectrics lake manapouriThe approach to Doubtful sound is very steepThe sail boat for Doubtful soundOne of the 3 sails on the boatSpot the rainbow over the waterfallAn island in Doubtful soundDoubtful soundDoubtful sound at the silent spotAt the silent spotDoubtful soundAt the waterfall next to the one with the rainbow. We pulled right up to it🌈Doubtful sound from the back of the boatThe sound of silence in Doubtful soundBack in my icebox room .

    Magnificent,Breathtaking,Doubtful Sound

    June 9, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    Having been to Milford sound, which is the well known tourist day out ,I debated whether it was worth going to Doubtful sound
    The tour company assured me it was ....but were they just after a sale??.
    Anyway with adrenaline activities over ,and a few days left in Queenstown ,i decided to go
    Its more of an adventure that Milford ..though both start at 7am with pick up at 6.45am. So I've been up since 6am to get ready and walk to the collection point.
    The journey to Doubtful sound...a bus to Te Anu ,swap to a mini bus as everyone else was going to Milford sound....then the minibus to a boat across Lake manapouri
    This lake is Vast and stunning and is of paramount importance in hydroelectricty in NZ.
    off the boat into another bus to the boat at Doubtful sound
    The boat was a beautiful old sailing boat and we had the sails open throughout though driven by engine.
    Doubtful sound is breathtaking, magnificent, stunning and no photos or videos can fully do it justice
    It was cold ,but simply forgot that .It had snowed overnight so the mountains looked incredible and with the sun shining the staff said even they couldn't believe what an amazing day it was
    Even better...there were only 13 of us on the boat 🚢..it was like a private event.
    At one point they turned off the engine for about 10mins and you could hear only the birds and the waterfalls and silence....it was Very special and very emotional..
    A fabulous day well worth the 400km plus to get there on 3coaches and 2 boats..its vastly superior to Milford although that is amazing in its own right. However Doubtful is my favourite.
    Returning to Queenstown I decided to have a Macdonalds. Honestly it turned out to be the quietest Macdonalds ever and I got hot food!...you never get hot food at Macdonalds!🤣
    As I came out i spotted a taxi and succumbed as its bitingly cold 🥶
    When i got in my room it was like an ice box...I'd turned the little heater off as I knew I'd be out for a long day..The room has 2large outside walls ..Currently sitting under my bedding with the fleece and double quilt folded over and wearing my puffer jacket fleece and long sleeved top.plus woolly hat glove on left hand and right hsnd shrunk into thesleeve ..as I'm.chilled from being on the boat deck in the wind for best part of 3hrs...though my windproof coat did help.. and this room is freezing 🥶 😫    Read more