Kelsey's Travel Blog!
I travel not to escape life, but to be sure that life will not escape me! Come join me!
Doubtful Sound
Using Queenstown as a base, we ditched our large suitcases in the hostel and bed and breakfast, and headed off for an overnight trip to the infamous Fjordland of Southwest New Zealand. The Fjordland is characterized by the majestic Southern Alp peaks that lead into the eerie, lush Fjords that jet out into the ocean. Although Milford Sound is the most famous of the Fjords located in Fjordland, we made the choice to visit to Doubtful Sound. We were told that, although it is not the most famous of the fjords, it is less touristy, less expensive, and gives you just as incredible of an experience as Milford would. It should be noted that many of the names of the fjords along the west coast are named incorrectly. A Fjord is a land mass carved by a glacier, whereas a sound is carved by a river. Just a fun fact for those who like to know random interesting things about New Zealand, like myself.
We arrived on the edge of the sound and were met by a small, pirate looking ship that would be our home for the next night. The cabins, with just enough room for four, bunk-bed style beds and our small bags, were cozy, even if only a drape separated us from the other cabins. Space was not what we needed, since we only were going spend about 7 hours of sleeping time in the cabin rooms.
From the moment we left land and headed down the fijord, the scenery was striking: there is no settlement in the area, and the nature you see is virtually unchanged since the earliest Maori tribes and Europeans discovered it. The Fiordland is one of the wettest places in the world, with an annual rainfall of around 268 inches. It rains nearly 180 days per year. This made for an exciting trip down the fiord, with hundreds of waterfalls pouring off of the land and into the sea. More waterfalls will spring up the more rain the area gets.
We continued down the Malaspina Reach towards the Tasman Sea. Once in the mouth of the sound, we were able to see seals covering the rocky islands jetting out of the ocean with waves of saltwater crashing all around them, soaking up the few rays of sunlight that escaped in between the clouds and mist that encompassed the whole area. Beautiful blue dolphins played alongside the boat as we steadily made our return into the sound to find the perfect location for the water activities. Some bold tourists on board actually jumped off the boat and into the sea. I was not one of them, although, looking back, I definitely should have sucked it up and taken the leap of faith. Instead, my sister and I hopped on to the little motorized boats the tugged us away from the ship and up along the sides of the sound to get a better look at the dense jungle that covered the land.
Once we returned, I was soaked in a mix of rain and waterfall water, and it was impossible to get dry thanks to the lingering mist that filled the air. We luckily brought a change of clothes, sat down for some tea and coffee, as well as soup and a bit of dinner, than snuggled into our beds as the waves put us straight to sleep.
The next morning, we were up bright and early at 7:00am sharp for breakfast and to begin our return journey back to the main land. We had one final stopped that needed to be made in a beautiful part of the sound that the locals call the “Hall Arm”, which is known as one of the most picturesque parts of the sound. When we arrived, the captain asked us all to leave the inside of the boat and go out onto the upper deck. He then proceeded to ask us to put our cameras, phones, and all other noise making devices away. We were asked to end the chatter, the side conversations, and all man-made noise. In this moment the captain quieted the ship, and all that was left was the pure, unpolluted sound of nature. What I heard was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. All of my senses were heightened, and I could hear everything from the sounds of distant waterfalls to the small jungle critters scurrying through the lush plants. The only word I can think of to describe it is magical.
The silence was over as quickly as it began. The engine was revved up again and we continued on our final leg of our return journey back to land.
We, once again, found ourselves in our little white retail car, back on the road towards Queenstown to celebrate New Year’s and our final few days on the South Island. Although Milford Sound is the most well known of the sounds in New Zealand’s Fjordland, the beauty of Doubtful Sound should not be understated or underestimated, and I was by no means disappointed.