Doubtful Sound

Our first experience of 'sounds' was those of the Marlborough region on our ferry crossing to the South Island. Sounds are valleys that are formed through erosion, very different to Fiords that are carved out by glaciers. All of the Sounds of the south-western corner of the South Island are actually fiords but for some reason have held onto their name.

When Captain Cook first rocked up at what he thought was a harbour he doubted whether he'd ever be able to get out (because of bad weather and the prevailing westerlies) and decided to can the idea. This name stuck and today Doubtful Sound is accessible to tourists from the town of Manapouri.

We booked ourselves on an overnight trip on Doubtful Sound and after a ferry across Lake Manapouri and then a 1 hour bus ride through the mountains, we arrived at Deep Cove and boarded our ship. We set off just after 2 and spent the afternoon watching wildlife and enjoying the pure remoteness of the place. Cruising through the fiords with dolphins surfing our wake, eating freshly baked blueberry muffins while watching the spectacular combination of water and sheer cliffs, and the waterfalls connecting them, we almost felt embarassed at what we paid for the trip (especially with our YHA discount). Just before sunset, in spite of a stubborn downpour, we paddled off on kayaks into the freshness of the evening. We got back on board with frozen hands but after a power shower were ready for our buffet feast. The night ended with a few board games and a couple of beer fuelled songs by a german girl who'd shared our table.

Morning arrived and we embraced the chill on deck, being rewarded with more blue sky than not and views of the fresh dusting of snow on the mountains. The highlight of the morning (and probably the whole trip) was a silent drift into the depths of the Hall Arm. Seeing wildlife in an area of such raw beauty on a comfortable boat with surprisingly good food was a real treat. The best thing about it was that it felt like friends of ours had taken us into a part of the world that they absolutely love.