Fiordland & Southland - New Zealand - page 1167

( 0800 246 672; www.goorange.co.nz ; adult $199-225, child $99-112.50) This is Real Jour-
neys' low-cost trip, run on a 45-passenger vessel. The day-long cruise includes a power
station visit and a three-hour cruise along the length of the sound.
Fiordland Expeditions BOAT TOUR
( 0508 888 656; www.fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz ; from $450) Overnight cruise on the Tutoko
II (maximum 14 passengers).
Fiordland Wilderness Experiences KAYAKING
( 0800 200 434; www.seakayakfiordland.co.nz ; Sandy Brown Rd, Te Anau; per person
$399-2750; Oct-Apr) Two- to five-day kayaking and camping trips around Doubtful
Sound, and six-day kayaking trips in remote Dusky Sound. Accommodation is on the ex-
pedition vessel Breaksea Girl and includes all meals and transfers.
SOUTHLAND
New Zealand's 'deep south' is a starkly contrasting mix of raw coastlines, untouched
wilderness and great swaths of farmland. Laid-back and lightly populated, it's a region
where getting off the beaten path goes with the territory.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Southern Scenic Route
The quiet Southern Scenic Route begins in Queenstown and heads south via Te Anau to
Manapouri, Tuatapere, Riverton and Invercargill. From Invercargill it continues north
through the Catlins to Dunedin. See www.southernscenicroute.co.nz or pick up the free
Southern Scenic Route map to join all the dots. Public transport along this route is nonex-
istent except for the Catlins coast section serviced by Bottom Bus.
Tuatapere & Around
From Manapouri the road follows the Waiau River south between the scoured Takitimu
and forested Hunter Mountains. Near Clifden is the elegant Clifden Suspension Bridge ,
built in 1899 and one of the longest bridges in the South Island. Information panels, a
picnic table and toilets encourage a pit stop.
Just south of the suspension bridge is the turn-off to Lake Hauroko , the deepest lake
in NZ and surrounded by dark, brooding, steeply forested slopes. The Dusky Track also