Doubtful Sound – sounds doubtful?
“Sound” means a long inlet of the sea between high cliffs, much like a fjord, but wider. When Captain Cook reached this spot on the south-west corner of New Zealand during his discovery voyage to “down under” he was doubtful whether his sailing ship could enter it, and he named it “doubtful”.
Doubtful Sound is more difficult to access, and consequently much less popular, than its more famous neighbour, Milford Sound. True to our nature of picking the less traveled places we chose the former.
To reach Doubtful Sound we had to first drive for 2 hours from Queenstown to Manapouri, a tiny village with a population of 228 (yes, 228!) where we stayed overnight at the only hotel and ate at the only restaurant. Next morning we joined the tour that would take us to Doubtful Sound.
The tour started with a long boat ride across the large Manapouri lake ringed by hills, and lined with many sandy and gravel beaches. A number of islands pop up all over the lake. Verdant greenery and lovely views made the boat ride very pleasant indeed.
Once off the boat we got into a bus, crossed over the Wilmot Pass and down the hillside to the Manapouri underground power station. It is New Zealand’s largest hydroelectric power station located deep beneath Fiordland.
Lake Manapouri stands nearly 600 feet above sea level and has a large catchment area. The water runs down to the power station and generates 800 MW of power before exiting into the Sound. The walk through the power station was very interesting, especially for those who had not seen anything like it, particularly the giant turbines humming away in the machine hall.
Views from the coach ride:
Next came the main attraction – the Sound.
A large and very modern catamaran, complete with a big lounge, a bar and plenty of viewing spots, awaited us. Off we went into the Sound, all the way for a 3-hour cruise to the Tasman sea.
Doubtful Sound is bordered by towering vertical cliffs with a wide expanse of water in between. There were hardly any other boats around as we cruised slowly on the rippling water. Birds flitted among the trees and shrubs lining the cliff walls. The only sounds in the silence were bird calls and the gentle thump of the engine.
But true silence was yet to come !
The boat veered off into a little bay through a gap in the cliff wall and an announcement was heard over the boat’s PA system “Ladies and gentlemen, we are entering the silence zone. Please remain absolutely silent”. The engine was turned off as was the ventilation system in the lounge. Everyone almost froze in anticipation and even a soft whisper earned a frown from a crew member.
Then followed ten enchanting minutes of true silence. The boat rocked very gently on tiny waves. The only sounds to be heard was an occasional bird chirp and perhaps a soft shuffle as someone changed position. Those ten minutes were incredibly peaceful and calm for us city-dwellers used to perpetual background noise.
Then the spell broke and we headed back to the Sound.
On our way to the sea we saw dolphins frolicking in the water and apparently smiling as they raced alongside the boat. Is this a dolphin or a whale tail? ⇒
Eventually we reached the broad expanse of the Tasman sea stretching all the way to Australia in the west. We also saw seal colonies on some of the islands.
After lunch we headed back to the harbour. The ride back had a different feel as the sun began to droop over the cliffs. The boat ride across the lake was very different too as dusk was beginning to set in and all the colours were markedly different from what we had seen in the morning.
Tired but satisfied we stepped off the boat and trudged to “the” restaurant for dinner, happy to have seen what we had never seen before in one place – the rugged mountains, cascading waterfalls, glacier carved valleys, pristine waters and….. the sound of silence!
Yes, no doubt, Doubtful Sound is very much worth visiting!
It looks like this section of New Zealand coastline has an array of inlets similar to this. How amazing must it have been for Cook on his first voyage to discover this island and navigated his way gingerly into Doubtful Sound. The more I hear about NZ, the more I realize I’ve missed out by not traveling here yet.
Just like australia, I would love to visit NZ, but not for a short vacation, I would have to stay a whole lot longer to be able to see everything I have been dreaming of 🙂
How beautiful is this? This so much reminds me of our time last year visiting fjords in Norway, although I appreciate the distinction you have made been fjords and a sound. Doubtful Sound is definitely somewhere I would love to see up close as you have experienced. Also, love the thought of the ‘silence zone’ which I imagine would have been so serene, being surrounded by such majestic natural beauty. Just fabulous! Would love to plan a trip to Queenstown, NZ in the future once these travel restrictions are lifted.
This looks beautiful. I can’t imagine seeing the marine life (and other wildlife) that inhabit this area. This sound is so beautiful and peaceful looking! I’d imagine the lighting at the end of the day is even more beautiful!
With a population of 228, I would love to visit! The journey through Doubtful Sound is even more attractive. Hope to get to NZ someday. Thank you for sharing.
Just a pristine area. I’ve did the visit on a cruise ship…never even wondered what ‘sound’ meant so you have enlighted me. I want to spend more time around the area..some walking tracks and just soaking up the NZ great outdoors.
Wow, this is such an informative and fascinating read. I haven’t been to New Zealand yet but your post makes me really curious.
This looks gorgeous! My husband and I want to visit, and we will have to add this to our list. Amazing, thank you for sharing!
NZ has always been one of my favourite place to visit and experience the culture, scenery and food. These photos are amazing and I’m glad you had a great time.
I think I want to visit New Zealand. for so many years I keep saying I dont want to go there but now I think finally I have changed my mind. What a stunning beautiful place .
Doubtful Sound looks stunningly beautiful! Your pics and description remind me so much of southeast Alaska, half a world away. There’s nothing like silence to appreciate the beauty of nature in beautiful places like these! Hope I’m able to see it for myself one day.
Your trip up Doubtful Sound certainly did remind me of our travels through the Norway Fjords. I love those views of the mist on the mountains. I love that the boat entered a quiet zone. It is hard to really enjoy nature when there is chatter the whole time. This certainly sounds like something we should add to our growing New Zealand list!
This is so beautiful! So breathtaking. Will add doubtful sound to my must visit places!
New Zealand is so gorgeous. I was lucky enough to spend six months there in 2003. Didn’t get to Doubtful Sound. It’s an excuse to return 🙂
Wow, what an incredible place to spend time and just be in the moment with nature and that scenery! I haven’t been to NZ before so when I do I will definitely have this on my list. Beautiful photos as well 🙂
We lived in Seattle before so we became very familiar with bodies of water like Puget Sound. But what a name Captain Cook gave this beautiful one…Doubtful! Lots to see…even a hydroelectric plant and waterfalls!
This is just beautiful. I love the idea of a silence zone. You probably can’t get much closer to nature than that. The crowds and noise always seem to take away from the experience a little bit, so I imagine it would be perfect to be able to experience that. I love the waterfalls flowing over the sides of the hills as well.
What a wonderful place – from the name to the scenery, and the “silence zone”! It all makes me realise that NZ is a country well worth planning a long trip to!
Wow I didn’t manage to get to fiordland during my time living in NZ but it was one of the main reasons I went. I plan to hike the routeburn track and do some kayaking along dusky and doubtful sound when I go back. Stunning pictures.