Lessons Learned: Sea Perched in Doubtful Sound

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Lessons Learned: Sea Perched in Doubtful Sound Jeanine Languik "Take a good look at that blue sky people, you wont see it for a while, " Bill Gibson, owner ofthe Te Anau kayaking rental company knowingly told us as we, admired the view of Doubtful Sound from Wilmot Pass. It had been stinking hot in Te Anau for the past two days and we thought the summery weather looked set to continue. But in the back of my mind lurked the fact that Fiordland gets between 6 and 8 metres of rain annually, and SO unless we were undeservedly lucky, we were bound to get a bucketful or two of that. Crooked Arm, Doubtful Sound Jeanine Langvik felt a real sense of an adventure as we paddled out met Johnny and Margaret, some old tramping friends of from Deep Cove on day one. Our boats were loaded Wayne and Lyndsay, who ended up kayaking with us for to the brim - heavy, and travelling very low in the the rest of the week. The sandflies were phenomenal and water. I was surprised at how easy it had been to make attacked instantly. We put the cooking tent up (basicallya a room for all the gear and food we would need for the next tent made of insect mesh but with a hole in the floor 7 days. There was room for plenty of bubbly for New ideal for cooking), and started making dinner, relieved to Year's Eve, fly spray to nuke the little bastards in case they get some momentary peace from the sandflies. In a previgot under the sprayskirt, casks of port, and several emer- ous article for this journal I described how you should gencys supplies of coke for the addicts - Wayne and Dave. never ever trust the "low tide mark". l'm embarrassed to A fair breeze was blowingi in the Sound so Istuck close to report that lessons had not been learned and yet again we land to make paddling easier while Lyndsay was out in the weret flooded and had to relocate into the bush, swearing middle of the reach looking for challenges. and getting eaten alive whilst trying to cook. By then our We arrived at our lunch spot, which was sheltered by share of the 8 metres of rain had begun. Elizabeth Island, Wayne trying the fishing on the way in. Lesson #1 He arrived at the beach somewhat annoyed, with a small Never put up a tent in an area that looks suspiciously like spiky fish (which was to become a rather familiar sight). a launching channel for kayaks when the tide is on its Unable to untangle it from thel hook, the sea perch ended way in. up as a fried aperitif washed down with a gulp of Coca Following this unfortunate event dinner was quickly Cola Co.'s quality product. consumed, and the next day we were keen to leave. The Our campsite for the night was "Camp 4" a rather weather looked foul out in the main Sound and the foremessy, but well-sheltered site off the main reach. Herewe cast was for storm conditions (48 to 63-knot winds). Tramping and Mountaineering 1999

Wayne and Lyndsay at campsite in Hall Arm, Doubtful Sound Jeanine Langvik Lyndsay had a brew going and I was looking forward to As the Arm seemed to be ending in a large U-shaped some hot herbal inspiration but the contents of my valley (which originally disappearedi into mist), the waterhazelmug were quickly spat out. Despite the thick layer ways suddenly changed direction and made a sharp right (upto 5 metres in places) off freshwater in Doubtful Sound, turn. Around thel bend, aptly named Turn Point, the fiord you've got to be desperate to drink it! continued on, the waterl like glass now and the rain just a Lesson #2 faint drizzle. On the wayi in we spotted small patches of Get) your drinking water from well up a creek, no matter blue sky racing across the skyin between the clouds. howdeep the freshwater layer is! Salty tea is revolting. Wayne decided to give fishing a serious go while the After a quick reccywe decided we'dh head straight over rest of us powered on towards Haulashore Cove, at the to Crooked Arm and "Camp 5". Dave had some initial head of Crooked Arm. At the end of the Arm the sandflies doubts about whether his Puffin would survive the choppy were ferocious, and Dave decided now was the time to seas but was eventually persuaded to give it a go. We don his specially made insect mesh veil, while perfecting ferry glided across getting drenched by! breaking waves, the art of eating crackers with this on. When he realised andlr realised how muchi I love this kind ofp playing in the his tea was full of dead sandflies, he simply used the inwaves. sect mesh as a strainer! Camp 5 was a great campsite, and our home for the While Wayne was floating around chasing that elusive next 3 nights. Lyndsay proceeded to light a fire, taking blue cod, the rest of us walked across to Dagg Sound, a Davei in as a fire-lighting apprentice. We all learned a lot 20-minute trip through dense rainforest, across creeks, about lighting fires in ther rain over the next few days. eelponds, and over fallen logs. It looks contourless and Lesson #3 easy on the map and we had contemplated the possibility When lighting fires in thei rain, use a square bat (similar to of portaging kayaks across but that now seemed like a Lyndsay's chopping board), preferably wooden, as a base crazyidea. on the wet ground. Daggt felt even more remote than Doubtful Sound. We Lesson #4 couldn't see the Tasman Sea, as the Sound curled around When lighting fires in thei rain, engage an apprentice or two a corner and it really looked more like a lake. After comto gather firewood. You'll need heaps of small dry twigs muning with the Dagg for a while we returned to paddle (beech is good). and larger branches, and even though they out Crooked Arm. In the meantime, Wayne's fishing efmay: seem: soaked, they are often dryon the inside. You can forts had proved fruitless, except for a story about the test this by whacking branches on rocks to see ifthey break. "one that got away" and took a part of the fishing rod The next dayi it was still raining and there was another with it. storm warning, SO we decided on a day trip down to the Lesson #5 end of the long and windy Crooked Arm. In rain and mist Kayak-fishing is over-rated. Either the desired fish (i.e. that wes set off admiring the waterfalls which had quickly formed blue cod) is too big to handle on deck or takes off with your overnight. Hugel hanging valleys were suspended in the hooks, or all you get are useless sea perch. dampair and water emergings straight out off the sky gushed So there was no fish for dinner. However, Dave showed down the steep faces of sheer rock. At the end of the day us his great approach to cooking based on the 4 Bs, i.e. my neck was strangely stiff from all those vertical views. belt open a few tins, bangitt together, boil itu up, and boltit Tramping and Mountaineering 1999 down. I was surprised at the nice meals coming out of we paddled towards them and they swam around us for this after all the talk about "food-nazis" (being Lyndsay quite some time playing andjumping two of them even and me for not enjoying mock cream buns washed down collidingi in mid-air! Several hady young calves. We spent with Coke)! ages looking at the dolphins, trying to capture them on Dayt four started with yet another storm warning the film. By now Bradshaw was glassycalma anda a joy tol kayak. thirdi in a row and enthusiasm for braving the elements We had a look at Precipice Cove and Gaer Arm before we was minimal. AI long breakfast was had around the now camped behind Macdonnell Island. perpetual campfire. I was getting itchy arms and in the Day six dawned with happy, sunny, clear skies and aweend Wayne andl set out to see what the conditions were some reflections on the completely still water. All our padreally like out there. Rounding Ranson Head into the dling gear, tents, raincoats and damp sleeping bags were Malaspina Reach we were: surprised to find it was not re- laid out to dry on the rocky beach. ally that bad at all. Wel hugged the shoreline and decided Lesson #7 to go as far as we could. Halfway down First Arm thes sky No matter how welly you packy your gear, when it rains every lookedi menacing andwer watchedi threatening clouds swirl dayt for 5 days, most ofi it is going to get damp! around the tops, expecting a downpour any minute. The We pretty much paddled straight out Bradshaw, dodgwind had increased but was nowhere near the 50 knots ing attacking seagulls on the way. A short way into weh hada anticipated. Thompson Sound wel hadlunch at a stunning little beach, While planning this triplhad developed a fascination Surgeon Bay. From Thompson Sound we returned to for Secretary Island and was keen to get there. We de- Pendulo Reach, past Seymour Island, and by now the cided to bravei it and cross over to thei island. Bauza Island wind was picking up so we surfed on a great tailwind all blocks most of the view out to the Tasman Sea and thus the way down to Hall Arm. When we reached the campthei impact of the seas, so the crossing was sheltered but site we realised we'd done something like 50 km that still good fun in the chop. The Fiordland Travel tourist day. It felt like it too. The campsite was spacious and we boat passed us close by on its way out through the nar- impressed the guided campers across the creek with row channel, which separates Bauza and: Secretaryislands, our fire-lighting skills! (We had been thoroughly initiand we were sure they were stunned to see such brave ated in this art by now.) The 4 Bs approach to dinner did kayakers in such a wild place! Our self-confidence natu- not work SO well this time. However: rally soared. Lesson #8 We were soaked with thel breaking waves when we ar- When someonehas thoroughly cremated dinner in) your billy, rived at the Gut Hut at Secretary Island. The hut book place a layer ofgravel (NB. Not sand!) in the bottom ofthe dated backt to 1978 and providedinteresting reading. Sev- billyand swirl it around for ages. Some off the black stuff eral peoplel had paddled across from Dusky Sound, Dagg should eventually come off (Coke may also do the trick.) Sound (and done that hell-mission of a portage to Crooked Thel last day dawned and the weather was still looking Arm), and some had stopped on their way to Bluff! Maybe good. The manager of thel Deep Cove Hostel came crashwe weren't so tough after all. ing through thel bush at breakfast time with half. a dead Lesson #6 deer wrapped around his neck. The conversation revolved Don'talways trust thei marine weather forecast, especially around the weather and all that rain and he commented when theygivey you 3 consecutive storm warnings. that "oh, it wasj just a bit damp over thel last week". Either From: Secretary Islandi it was a quick surfy trip back to this was pure Kiwi understatement or real Fiordland rain Camp 5. The others had been doing some fishing and reallyi is something entirely different.. Johnny had caught a red cod; according to the fishing But rain was far from our thoughts as we cruised down guidebook "not esteemed" but it tasted good to us. Asi it Hall Arm while the sun gradually came out, and we adwas New Year's Eve, we: steamed some mussels in white mired the snow-patched mountains and beautiful flowerwine, garlic, lemon and herbs before dinner was served ing rata.. AI huge faultline made an impressive scar in the with plentiful bubbly and port. Acouple of chocolate steam side of Mt Danae. puddings also went down well. Amazingly, most of the We arrived back in Te Anau happy, hungry and filthy. eveningy was dry; however, we all (except Dave who stayed Afterawell-earnedhot shower we indulged in somey yummy up accompanied by a cask of port and the camp weka to Italian food, wine and coffee. We all agreed it had been greet thel New Year) crawledi into our tents at 11pm when one of the best kayaking trips we'd ever done. We also ther rain returned. found a mosti interesting poster advertising Speights Old Dayi five and finally a good weather forecast. It was still Darki Ale (which Lyndsay had raved about) which boasted raining but calm as we packed up and left our wonderful that it contained "a hint of CHOCOLATE". The Colonel homely campsite and paddled outi intol Malaspina Reach. was strangely quiet after the discovery that he hadi indeed The temperaturel had dropped and Iwas shivering as we been ingesting caffeine. stopped for lunch on a small beach just inside Seymour Lesson #9 Island. After a hazelmug of hot tea I was feeling much Thoroughly check outi the ingredients in your favourite foods better. before claiming food nazi status. We were excited to start on thel long Bradshaw Sound Ther next day Wayne and started looking at maps called this is the most remote area of Doubtful Sound. The Resolution and Five Fingers & West Cape, and made enrain gradually ceased and then we, saw a pod of dolphins quiries about the floatplanes flying in to Dusky Sound. coming towards us. Elated to finally see some dolphins Another adventure was in the planning...! Tramping and Mountaineering 1999