Beautiful isolation and mishaps on Lake Manapouri, Fiordland National Park (New Zealand #3)

Camping beach on Lake Manapouri, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Our last kayaking trip in New Zealand had a rocky start. We nearly forgot our tent, the weather forecast predicted two days of rain, our first boat started sinking, and on the morning of our departure I woke up with a bunch of red bites on my stomach. Five minutes of googling over breakfast at the campground, I was convinced I had bed bugs. How I could have acquired bedbugs 3-weeks into a 3-week camping trip (with my own sleeping bag in my own tent) did not seem relevant. Read on to hear more about kayaking in Fiordland National Park! Spoiler alert: I did not have bed bugs.  

A dead fish/eel on Lake Manapouri

I had always wanted to paddle in Fiordland National Park, and I was pretty sure I wanted to avoid the touristy craziness of Milford Sound. Some websites recommended Doubtful Sound as a less touristy version of Milford Sound. However, access is very limited. In order to get there, you have to take a 1-hr ferry across Lake Manapouri, followed by a bus ride over New Zealand's most expensive road (to build). I couldn't find any companies that rented kayaks there - only guided tours. One company offered 4-hour kayak tours, but the whole trip is $350 NZD per person (more than 200 euros for a day trip!). We decided to look elsewhere and found Adventure Kayak and Cruise in on Lake Manapouri, run by Reg and Jo Wilson. We paid $90 NZD (53 euros) per person for a 2-day overnight double kayak rental (they didn't offer single kayaks). Jo was quite responsive by email, and it was easy to make the booking.

Walking along the shores of Lake Manapouri

We met Jo at Pearl Harbor in Manapouri at 8:30am. We were on the beach with our drybags when she pulled up with the hefty red double kayak. Together we dragged the ship down to the waterline and began packing (Jo also provided some plastic liners for our sleeping bags). Only once the boat was nearly packed did we realize we'd forgotten the tent! I jogged to the overnight parking lot to retrieve it. Fitting everything into the double kayak was tricky - we propped a couple dry bags behind my feet in the cockpit. 

The start of the trip had clear skies and nice views

Before departing, Jo gave us some route ideas and asked that we complete a trip plan. She also provided us with a radio. We picked a promising beach on the map as our campsite, fully intending to do more explorations once we arrived. As we paddled away, the sun was shining and there was little wind. 

A few minutes into our trip Henk called from the back, "I think there's a hole in the boat." I said, "that can't be! it must be water coming in through your sprayskirt." After some pumping and insistence on his part, we stopped at a small beach, emptied the cockpit, and checked to see if it would refill. Sure enough, water quickly began trickling into the rear cockpit. We considered continuing with wet butts, but given the rainy/cool forecast, we decided it would be smart to call for a replacement. Jo was very apologetic, even offering to deliver us a new kayak on her motor boat. We declined and agreed to meet her at the launch in 10 minutes.

Happy to have a non-sinking kayak!

As promised, 15 minutes later we were sitting in a much newer version of the same boat. Jo had had her suspicions that there was a leak, but none of her renters had mentioned it or loaded the boat as heavily as we had. She said it was the first time this had happened in 20 years of running her business, and gave us a $50 refund on our rental (which she really didn't need to do, considering how quickly she provided a replacement!). Good service :) 

Steep cliffs and mountains

And we were off! Now that our boat was floating, I returned to panicking about bed bugs. Henk seemed much calmer about the situation, but it turns out that he just didn't know how hard they can be to get rid of. When we arrived at our beach, he started googling and showing traces of concern.

I should, at some point, mention how beautiful this paddle was. With the exception of Manapouri village, the lake is undeveloped. Steep green mountains rise from all sides, and low hanging clouds drift casually in the valleys. Parts of the lake are lined by steep rocky cliffs, but there are plenty of pocket beaches to explore. We paddled between many little islands. We saw no other paddlers, and virtually no other boats (with the exception of little Pearl Harbor). 

Arriving at our beach for the evening

When we arrived, I promptly began unpacked all our camping gear and inspected it closely for signs of bugs. Henk watched in amusement from a sunny spot on the beach. By the time I was finished, the sun was blazing, and I realized I had really burned my calves and thighs.  We set up the tent at the back of the beach and took shelter under some trees.

Then, the sand flies came out with a vengeance. Sand flies, you may not know, make red bites remarkably similar to the bed bug bite photos on the internet. We had been dealing with them ever since we reached the west coast of the South Island, and it occured to me that it was roughly around that time that I began noticing red bites on my stomach/back (and legs/arms/everywhere). We pulled out our various bug repellents and tried to keep them at bay, but it was a battle. 

Resting in the shade

We had a moment's respite when we explored the rocky outcroppings at the south end of the beach. Curious plants and colorful lichen/metals covered the rocks. This became our cooking/dining area for the next 12 hours. For dinner, we had udon noodles with plenty of fresh veggies and canned teriyaki chicken (not as bad as it sounds). It was tasty and scenic!

Cooking stirfry + udon noodles

Not a bad camping meal!

Plants on the rocks

Making breakfast on the rocks (for the view + sandfly avoidance)

In the evening it was rainy/windy, and the tent leaked a bit. It was a fitful night of sleep, and I was awoken by a small rockslide happening at the far end of the beach (Henk somehow slept through this). In the morning we waited for a lull in the showers before quickly packing up our belongings, making oats and instant coffee, and getting on the water. The sand flies, somehow worse than the previous evening, rose in clouds around us. We hopped into the boat and paddled hastily, swatting between paddle strokes, until we were far enough from shore and rid of the last few hangers-on. 

Low hanging clouds over calm morning water

I really wanted to return to the campground and throw all our gear in the camp dryer (yep, they had washers and dryers) to get rid of the "bedbugs," so we unfortunately didn't do any exploring, except taking a slightly different route back to Pearl Harbor. We were back around noon - plenty of time to spend the afternoon doing chores! Woo! 

Adorable mini pine tree

Weirdly shaped boat

Happy to have escaped the sandflies

Check out the photos below for some of the other awesome adventures we had in Fiordland National Park (Milford Sound, hiking a mountain), the south east coast (penguins! pretty beaches), and in Sydney visiting my friend Dan. They're a bit out of order, but I don't think anyone really cares about that :) 

That's all for New Zealand posts! It's time to settle back into the darkness/wetness that is Dutch winter, at least for two more months. 

Photos of Fiordland National Park and the East Coast

Dates: January 3 & 4, 2018
Duration: 2 hrs of paddling each day
Distance: 10 km + 11 km (13 miles total)
Weather: Sometimes rainy, sometimes sunny