NZ's Fiordland region sits in the south-western corner of the South Island. We experienced a portion of the fiordland and its trademark Southern Alps, deep lakes & glacier-carved valleys last March when we had a magical day visiting Milford Sound.
Doubtful Sound sits south of Milford Sound. Fun fact: Doubtful Sound apparently placed second after Milford Sound as New Zealand's most famous tourism destination. Doubtful Sound is actually a fiord, which is "an underwater valley carved by glaciers, generally narrow, with steep mountain either side. These U and V-shaped valleys are the work of ancient rivers of ice. The Valleys sit below sea level meaning when the ice retreats they become inundated with Sea Water." It's been on our NZ shortlist for some time and we decided to make a visit happen over the long Easter holiday weekend.
Transportation Trifecta
Accessing remote Doubtful Sound is a journey in & of itself! It involved three legs:
Car: We left Queenstown at 8:00am to make the 2 hrs 15 mins drive South/Southwest to Manapouri. It was pouring down rain virtually the whole drive. It was only in the final 20 mins stretch that the rain let up and we glimpsed a promising stretch of blue skies. It was also at that point that poor Paige got car sick. Fortunately she knows the tummy sensation well enough at this point, so she was able to warn us to immediately pull over. She did her thing outside the car, hopped back in and was good as gold (some Kiwi slang there). Oh, and sooo many sheep! You'd think we'd be used to that by now, but the bounty of sheep in this country never ceases to amuse us. We arrived to Manapouri with plenty of time to spare and enjoyed a lovely beach lunch (more on that below).
Boat: Just after 12:00pm we boarded a boat in Manapouri bound for the hydro station, a straight shot West on the other side of Lake Manapouri. The 50 minute ride was beautiful. We started up on the roof but quickly realized how cold & windy it was up there and relocated down to the inner cabin. We scored a spot right next to the boat captain and fielded many questions his way.
Coach: We disembarked the boat just about 1:30pm. Minutes later we boarded a waiting coach. It was a ~45 minutes drive along the Wilmot Pass, a sub-alpine road through dense rain forest. The coach made one quick pitstop to snap pics. Our destination was Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound where our home-away-from-home-for-the-night, the Fiordland Navigator, was waiting for us in all her glory :)
Lunch With a View
Our lunch spot in Manapouri is worth a mention. We parked ourselves at Frasers Beach. We randomly found it and were sold when we saw a picnic bench sitting literally ON the beach; we'll take it! We enjoyed an early lunch and moseyed along the beach for a good hour. We had the whole place to ourselves, spare two gentleman out for walks. What a beautiful spot!
The Fiordland Navigator
Excitement levels were high when we finally set foot on our boat in Deep Cove. All 72 (capacity) passengers congregated in the main dining area to get a safety briefing and be shown to our overnight quarters. We were booked in a quad bunk room with shared toilets. We clopped down two stories to our sleeping quarters. There were a total of 8 bunk rooms, all of which were filled. Funny enough there were no doors on the rooms; just curtains :) The compact bunk rooms themselves reminded us alot of our bunk cabins on the overnight Christmas Eve train in Vietnam and our overnight ferry between Italy & Croatia. The girls excitedly called dibs on their beds. Amusingly, the wee window in our room was positioned only just inches above water level. Bags dropped down, we bound back up to the top deck to get a front row view of the majestic beauty of Doubtful Sound. We ended up cruising through the three arms of the sound, all of which extend Southward from the main fiord: Crooked Arm, First Arm and Hall Arm.
Crooked Arm
First up, the boat headed into Crooked Arm. We had the choice of two off-boat activities to get a closer look at the wildnerness scenery. Unfortunately the girls were too young to participate in the kayaking (much to Paige's chagrin). Doug kayaked while the girls & I toured around in a small tender boat. Being out on the smaller boat wasn't that exciting, but it was cool to see Doug in his kayak & the Fiordland Navigator boat from afar; it's quite a beauty.
Polar Plunge
Afterwards Doug & the girls opted into a swim in the frigid water. I had packed bathing suits (aka swimming togs in NZ) for the girls, and intentionally not packed one for myself. Cold water and me do not get along. Fortunately Doug is a great sport when it comes to joining the girls in these kinds of water activities. Doug took a few jumps off a ledge and the girls jumped in to join him from a lower deck. They repeated this about three times, squealing with delight each time. Doug & the girls claimed the water "wasn't that cold"; could be a result of the layer of freshwater that sits above the salt water in the sound. Regardless, I'm glad they enjoyed themselves and that I could observe from the dry sidelines!
Tasman Sea
The boat carried on towards the open Tasman Sea. Interestingly, we learned that Doubtful Sound sits at 45 degree latitude, equal distance from the Equator and the South Pole. If you turn right you hit Argentina; if you turn left, you hit Chile. Nothing in between! Pretty trippy to think about. The sun was starting to set as we got a closer look at some of the smaller islands in that area and some sunbathing seals. The sunset itself was nothing memorable that night, but the light and the contrast with the steep green valleys and midnight blue water was beautiful.
Anchored in First Arm
We dropped anchored in the sheltered cove of First Arm for the night. Being Good Friday and all, they (to our surprise) made an announcement that the onboard bar would not be able to open until one hour before dinner service. We perched ourselves on the top deck and took it all in. Virtually all of our time on the boat was spent on deck, taking in the remoteness and beauty surrounding us. It never got old to me & Doug; the girls were with us a good amount of the time, but popped inside now & then to play some of the communal board games or explore independently. It was great to listen to the running commentary of the knowledgeable "ologist" guide onboard.
When the bar opened we each snagged a glass of wine, enjoyed some of it outside and then headed back inside for a game of card Monopoly (Chinese version) with the girls. Dinner was buffet and we were called up by table. The girls were lovin' it. The food was average; nothing to write home about, but still impressive what can be churned out of a small kitchen for a large group in the middle of nowhere. No meal prep or dishes to do, so it was a win and not complaining!
Slideshow & Stars
After dinner the onboard guide made a slideshow presentation. Given that virtually all the passengers were Kiwis (and us!), as opposed to pre-pandemic international tourists, the guide reframed his facts to interest a domestic audience. The slideshow was great and we learned all kinds of fun, random things about the area, animals, etc. He pleaded the audience to get out and explore more of NZ while the borders are still closed and we have the unique opportunity to experience the country on our own. For example, Milford Sound: instead of the typical 90 coaches on the road each day, has only about 3 these days. It was a good reminder and nudge to us to continue to explore all the special spots of NZ while crowds are nil.
PJs on and teeth brushed, Paige and I went back up to the upper deck to gaze at the stars. WOW! It felt like we could reach up and touch the Milky Way & the Southern Cross. We laid down on our backs on a wooden bench, hoping to see a shooting star. We didn't see any, but you really sense how minuscule we are in the scheme of this vast universe. I loved having that 1:1 moment with Paige.
Hall Arm
The anchor being brought up at 6:30am was our wake-up alarm :) Clothes on and bags packed up, we hit up the breakfast buffet in the saloon. Breakfast left alot more to be desired than dinner. We were back on the move; our destination: Hall Arm.
Sound of Silence
The Maori name for Doubtful Sound is Patea, which means "place of silence". After breakfast passengers were invited up to the top deck for a "Sound of Silence". We didn't really know what that meant, but learned that it's exactly what it sounds like! The boat turned off all its engines and we all stood in silence for 5-10 minutes. There are very few birds in the fiords, but you could occasionally make out the faraway sound of a bird, or water rushing down the steep valleys. It was pretty cool.
Covid Unfriendly
Doug & I remarked several times throughout our overnight excursion, that basically every single thing about our experience on the boat and coach was covid UN-friendly. We're hyper aware that these kinds of activities are not happening in most other parts of the world, and how uniquely fortunate we are to experience things like this in a safe way. 1+ year into our time in NZ and not a day goes by where we don't continue to feel gratitude for the opportunity to be here.
We ended up heading straight back to Queenstown once the cruise wrapped. A quick pitstop for lunch and then back home to enjoy an impromptu potluck dinner with our Tiny House neighbor friends and a stunning sunset. Hats off to NZ for delivering yet another amazing family nature experience. Doubtful Sounds is incredible and one we won't soon forget!
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