Almost got to sleep in before driving from Te Anau (A) to Manapouri (B)!
On the road between Te Anau (A) and Maanapouri (B):
Traversee du lac Manapouri:
Avant d'atteindre Doubtful Sound il faut traverser le lac Manapouri et prendre une route non goudronnee...
Accross Manapouri Lake:
Doubtful Sound doesn't give itself just like that! We had to cross Manapouri Lake first, take an un-sealed road to be able to reach it..
West Arm Power Plant:
Manapouri Hydroelectric Power Station:
Wikipedia dit: C'est la plus grosse centrale electrique hydrolique de Nouvelle Zelande. Cette centrale est reputee pour la controverse creee lors du projet de construction (incluant de nombreuses protestations; le niveau du lac a du etre eleve pour que la centrale fonctionne). Construite en 1971, la centrale hydrolique obtient son energie grace a l'eau qui quitte le lac Manapouri et se jette dans Doubtful Sound (230 metres de denivele, a 10kms de la centrale).
Wikipedia says: It is the largest hydroelectric power station in New Zealand, and the second largest power station in New Zealand. The station is noted for the controversy and environmental protests by the Save Manapouri Campaign against the raising the level of Lake Manapouri to increase the station's head, which galvanised New Zealanders and were one of the foundations of the New Zealand environmental movement.
Completed in 1971, Manapouri was largely built to supply electricity to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter near Bluff, some 160 km (99 mi) to the southeast, as well as into the South Island transmission network. The station utilises the 230-metre (750 ft) drop between the western arm of Lake Manapouri and the Deep Cove branch of the Doubtful Sound 10 km (6.2 mi) away to generate electricity. The construction of the station required the excavation of almost 1.4 million tonnes of hard rock to build the machine hall and a 10 km tailrace tunnel, with a second parallel tailrace tunnel completed in 2002 to increase the station's capacity.
Since April 1999, the power station has been owned and operated by state-owned electricity generator Meridian Energy.
Dans le bus, entre le lac Manapouri et Doubtful Sound:
On the bus between Manapouri Lake and Doubtful Sound:
DOUBTFUL SOUND!
Magnifique! Temps mitige mais bien plus impressionant que le tres celebre Milford Sound!
Amazing, way way better than Milford Sound! Average weather though.....
Sea Lions
Retour en bus vers le lac Manapouri:
On the bus torwards Manapouri Lake:
Traversee du lac Manapouri:
Going accross Manapouri Lake:
Sur la route entre Manapouri (B) et Queenstown (C):
Et allez, zoup, j'ai pris la voiture et retour a Queenstown pour une journee chargee le lendemain.... Toujours des paysages magnifiques.....
On the road between Manapouri (B) and Queenstown (C):
Still amazing views.... Quite tired, but big day coming the following day!
