Cautious explorers, costly roads Maori legend Hydroelectricity Our environmental efforts Anyone who has travelled here and powerful forces. The seal trade Then & now will recognise why the Maori name for Doubtful Sound, Patea, is so Many hands, In the early 1800s sealing arrived in New Zealand. In Doubtful From one of the oldest boats With great Saving Doubtful Sound Sound’s Grono Bay (25) a station helped sealers access nearby to one of the newest… appropriate. Translated it means… Doubtful Sound is isolated, beautiful and teeming with wildlife. many arms colonies on the Nee Islets (28) and Shelter Islands (27). power… Captain Cook’s It’s also part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But these aren’t Insider's According to Maori legend the fiords The New Zealand Fur Seal proved valuable for its blubber, which was Endeavour It was a bold plan. In 1904 the only reasons why this incredible ecosystem needs protecting. of this area were created by the god made into oil for lamps, and for its skin, which was used in clothing. Mr P.S. Hay put forward a Launched: Yorkshire, England The modern New Zealand environmental movement began in the late Tu-Te-Raki-Whanoa for providing Hundreds of thousands of seals were slaughtered here and shipped vision for power generation " The place of Guide to 1764 1960s with the push to protect this unique area. refuge from the storming seas nearby. back to the London markets. that involved drilling through Cruising speed: 7 – 8 knots 10kms of uncompromising The original power station plans required Lake Manapouri be raised up to Tu-Te-Raki-Whanoa came from the The frenzied nature of the early trade was not sustainable however, Length: 32 metres Fiordland mountain. Remote 30 metres. It would have devastated much of the area’s famed beauty, silence ." Doubtful south and worked his way up the island. and in 1875 the first steps were made to prevent extinction of the Capacity: 94 and rugged, the landscape and the New Zealand public weren’t happy about it. In 1970, before the Wielding a magical adze he split the rock species. In 1946 the hunting of seals was banned, the fur seal finally Armament: 24 small cannons made such an idea difficult. times of social media, almost 10% of New Zealand’s population signed open to let the sea rush in. gained full protection under New Zealand law. Sound. Threats: Death from dysentery, the Save Manapouri petition. That changed in the 1960s when In Doubtful Sound four young sea gods malaria, drowning and murder the aluminium smelter near Bluff Two of the leaders of this protest movement were Real Journeys owners assisted him, using their own adzes to Bar: Various barrels of whiskey carve out the four arms – First Arm / demanded a large, consistent Les and Olive Hutchins. Taipari-poto (short), Crooked Arm / Travelling the Wilmot Pass supply. The project was Taipari-nui (big), Hall Arm / Taipari-roa challenging. 16 men died either (long) and Deep Cove / Taipari-tiki (little). underground or on the Wilmot Pass. Trucks had to reverse out of the tunnel, which could take up to 7 hours. And the result? Manapouri is now the largest hydro power station in Endeavour p New Zealand. 176 metres below lake level the machine hall and Real Journeys turbines provide an average Patea Explorer annual output of around 4800 New Zealand Fur Seals p Doubtful Sound p Launched: Hobart, Australia GW-h, with up to 510 cubic 2005 metres of water per second A history of surging through the pipes and Cruising speed: 25 knots down the Tailrace Tunnel into p Length: 30 metres Manapouri is the place New Zealanders first doubt Wilmot Pass Doubtful Sound. Capacity: 150 recognised the importance the greater When Captain James Cook got close environment has for the country as a whole. There are differing reports as to the exact price of the Wilmot Pass Armament: Many Canons, to it’s entrance in 1770 he decided on Nikons and other cameras road but, at approximately $80 per square metre, this was the name ‘Doubtful Harbour’. That’s New Zealand’s most expensive. It was money well spent. Threats: Sandflies, rain In 1973 the Government created an independent body – the Guardians because, fearing he would not be able to Real Journeys is a family owned business Bar: Quality local food, wine of the Lakes. Six were chosen, and Les Hutchins was one of these founded in 1954 by tourism and conservation sail the Endeavour back out, he resisted Construction took two years to climb up and over the 671 metres high and beer Guardians. He held the position for the next 26 years. pioneers Les and Olive Hutchins. We offer entering the inlet and instead continued pass. In 1965 the unsealed road was completed in time to transport The key figures experiences in Milford and Doubtful Sounds, on around the island. machinery from Doubtful Sound to the Manapouri Power Station. Nowadays the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation receives more Te Anau, Stewart Island and Queenstown. 8 years, Project scope: than $50,000 annually from Doubtful Sound operations, money used Did the captain ever regret not making the Now, with the station complete, the road is used for visitors wanting 1,800 workers for vital research, protection, education and conservation programmes. push further into the sound? Considering to access this incredible location. The only road on the New Zealand Tunnel: 2 kilometres, FREE 0800 65 65 01 Felipe Bauza only properly charted its mainland not connected to the rest of the network, it is home 9 metres wide Les and Olive’s efforts paved the way for the protection of this incredible [email protected] geography in 1793, 14 years after Cook to incredible moss gardens, towering waterfalls and absolutely, Turbine weight: 18 tonnes place. Real Journeys continue their hard work with our efforts to www.realjourneys.co.nz www.realjourneys.co.nz was killed in Hawaii, it’s doubtful. undisputedly, simply incredible scenic vistas. Patea Explorer p Tailrace tunnel: 10 kilometres protect, sustain and replenish the unique environment of this region. Wildlife Rebirth and regeneration Behind the names Tasman Sea Wilderness and Overnight Cruises World heritage status Here comes Coach over Wilmot Pass New Zealand has three natural areas listed as UNESCO World the rain Meet the locals A forest falls Spanish * Cruise routes vary depending on weather conditions Heritage Sites, an island group in the Sub-Antarctic, Tongariro 29 National Park in the central North Island, and the third This is one of the wettest places on earth, (and rises) influences an average of over 200 days a year of rain Dolphins Fiordland National Park, known as Te Wāhipounamu – South West The first scientific Secretary delivering around seven metres worth of Bottlenose Dolphins With little to no soil on the mountains, New Zealand, within which Doubtful Sound rests. The 60-strong pod of bottlenose dolphins expedition to properly Island water from the heavens (which makes the Lifespan: Up to 25 yrs trees interlock their roots together and Nee Islets here is one of the world’s southernmost. chart the area was led 28 These areas meet all of the strict criteria the organisation uses to Length: Up to 3.8 m cling to the sheer rock walls, relying waterfalls look truly magnificent). And, You’ll often find these incredible animals riding judge places in need of special recognition and protection. Famed on moss and lichen for nutrients. This by Alessandro Malaspina in 27 much like New Zealand’s overall weather Celebrities: TV star Flipper, Lake Te Anau the boat’s bow or, if in the mood, leaping 1793. Using a long boat his 25 for its scenic beauty, Fiordland was first recognised as World conditions, things can turn quickly too. US Navy minesweepers coupled with the large amounts of rain through the air. Among the largest of their ship’s hydrographer, Don 26 Malaspina Heritage Area in 1986 with the landscape described as the best Which is why even day-trippers are told to Top speed: Up to and snow make ‘tree avalanches’ a Marcaciones Point species this sleek grey and white mammal is 30 km/h Felipe Bauza, explored the Reach modern example of Gondwanaland, in 1990 the Te Wāhipounamu pack for summer and winter. common occurrence. Look at the many built for speed, agility and excitement. Social Diving depth: Up to 200 m far reaches of the Sound. 24 Doubtful Sound World Heritage Area was extended to include Fiordland, Westland Bottlenose Dolphin p ugly dirt scars on the hills and you’d be First Arm beings, they use a complex set of clicks Diving time: Approx. 7 mins and Mt Cook National Parks. forgiven for thinking these are losses to The map he produced Mt Luxmore and whistles, working in groups to get food be mourned. However they are a natural Te Wāhipounamu stretches over an area of 2.6 million hectares, and raise calves. from this journey was process of checks and balances Crooked Arm Kepler Mountains 10% of New Zealand’s landmass. There are ten designated marine acclaimed for its detail and Where two for this ‘catastrophe forest’. accuracy. No other part of reserves here, Doubtful Sound contains one of them. The area Dagg Sound 23 covers a passage in the Te Awaatu channel between the Bauza worlds collide Seals Just as wildfires later provide fresh growth New Zealand has such a Deep Cove 19 (29) collection of Spanish names, 20 18 and Secretary Islands known as ‘The Gut’ and has a high tidal New Zealand Fur Seal conditions in dry areas so too has this Lake Manapouri Near the sound entrance you’ll find with Malaspina Reach (24), 16 flow teaming with wildlife.