Manapouri and Doubtful Sound travel guide

As you drive into Manapouri with its stunning vistas across the eponymous lake, you are immediately struck by how unobtrusive it is. If it were anywhere else in the developed world, it would probably be an unsightly mass of exclusive real estate and tourist developments. Thankfully it is not, though perhaps the recent history of this pretty little village, the main gateway and access point to activities on Lake Manapouri, Doubtful Sound and the incredible and challenging Dusky Track, has something to do with that. Though you would never guess it, Manapouri has been the sight of some major altercations between the advocates of economics and conservation. Hidden away at the West Arm of the lake, and smack-bang in the heart of Fiordland National Park, is the country’s largest hydroelectric power station, which has, over the years, created much controversy. Yet it is the very development of the power station that allows the tourist and conservationist access to some of the most remote parts of the park. Now it is home to an uneasy mix of power station workers and eco-friendly tourist operators and service providers.