The Many Moods of Lake Manapouri
- Brooke
- Jun 14, 2023
- 2 min read
When Ben and I stay down underer in the Fiordland area of New Zealand, we stay in a small town called Manapouri, a little community outside of a somewhat bigger, though still relatively small town called Te Anau. Both towns are gateways towards the bigger Fiordland attractions such as Piopiotahi / Milford and Patea /Doubtful Sounds, as well as backcountry hikes along the Kepler Track.
Because we opt to stay in Manapouri, we choose houses that happen to have incredible views of Lake Manapouri from the living room/kitchen/dining room, and we spend a good amount of time simply admiring the views from these spots.
And because we spend so much time admiring the views, we find ourselves witnesses to the moodiness that is Lake Manapouri on a daily, and sometimes, hourly basis. This post is simply to share some of that lovely moodiness with you, and see how one place can capture the beauty of nature in all of its glory.
House #1
Our first house in Manapouri provided us with incredible views of the lake from the living room and front yard. We found ourselves waking up each morning to new developments, and watching how much snow was present - or had disappeared over night. The following collection of pictures demonstrates the changes we witnessed day in and day out.
Dining out at Manapouri Lakeview Cafe and Bar, as seen below, also allowed us to witness the same moodiness.
Patea / Doubtful Sound Cruise
Ben and I were also fortunate to take a ride out on Lake Manapouri on our way to a Patea / Doubtful Sound cruise. In order to access Patea / Doubtful Sound, you must board a boat on Lake Manapouri, be shuttled over to a bus that traverses New Zealand's most remote road, and then hop on another boat that is located within the Sound. It's pretty much an all day affair, but very rewarding.
As you'll see below, our day started off a little less than promising, but by the end, the sun decided to peak out a bit on the lake. However, the ride across Lake Manapouri in the morning was incredibly moody, and I should note that none of the pictures below have been converted into black and white - this is simply what the lake looked like on that day.
After cruising through Patea / Doubtful Sound, we boarded our bus which whisked us back to our boat ride across Lake Manapouri. The sun decided to come out just a bit, and gave us a different look at the same lake we had traversed earlier in the day.
Lake Manapouri, one of our favorite places in the world, continues to hold a special place in our hearts, always presenting a new and interesting face to us on a changing basis. When we next return, we look forward to watching the lake experience its many moods, and to deeply appreciate each.
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