Doubtful Sound
Similar to the more famous Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound is an enormous fjord in Fiordland National Park on the southwest side of New Zealand. It was actually incorrectly named a sound by the first Westerners to explore the area - we learned that fjords are carved by glaciers, while sounds are wider sea inlets. Fiordland National Park is really inaccessible, which meant we had to take a cruise and a bus ride before we even hopped on the sound cruise. We finally made it on the Doubtful Sound cruise and sailed through the fjord as we admired the towering granite walls with countless massive waterfalls running from the top right down into the fjord’s waters.
There was a cozy indoor area on the boat, as well as a few different outdoor areas, including the roof, where you could watch the sights from. The day that we went, it was pouring rain, close to hailing, and incredibly windy - the perfect day for a cruise in the fjords according to our captains! So, we put our hoods up and tried not to blow off the roof. The rain did make the waterfalls that much more impressive, but we’re (Kay) not still totally convinced that it was worth nearly capsizing! In all seriousness though, the rain didn’t actually hinder anything and we thought that sound was a magical, peaceful place.
Amazingly, on our boat of about 15 people, we met a couple from Oakland, CA who lived just a couple blocks away from where we had lived. They’ve also left CA and are traveling for the next year. Even more amazingly, they knew one of Kay’s friends from work, Vinny! Kay wasn’t at all surprised to meet a mutual friend of his all the way in NZ as she and some other friends frequently tease him about how he seems to know everyone in San Francisco!
We’ve been loving the South Island so far and can’t get enough of the dramatic landscapes. The weather in NZ has been unpredictable, so we’ve been enjoying the flexibility that Mayo allows us to have. Whenever people ask us our route, we say we’re just chasing the good weather! Lots more to come on the South Island.
We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We couldn’t find anywhere serving turkey so we settled on wine and pizza on the lakefront.
For more pictures, check out our Instagram, from_oakland_to_auckland, also linked below!