There were two major reservations we wanted to book before we committed to our New Zealand trip: The Milford Track hike (see previous post) and a Doubtful Sound cruise. Both are very popular, and with some perseverance we were able to get the reservations we wanted. We chose the Fiordland Navigator cruise for Doubtful Sound since it had plenty of indoor and outdoor space for the guests. The Doubtful Sound is a huge fiord with many arms, so even on an overnight cruise they only get to about half of it. It was a fun cruise with great food, kayaking, swimming, and a friendly crew.
The Journey to the Cruise
To get to Doubtful Sound we took a boat across Lake Te Anua then a bus took us over Wilmot Pass to the sound. It takes a couple hours of travel just to get to the boat!
The Cruise
The drought continues for the South Island, but there still were many amazing waterfalls.
We had great weather and the views were stunning.
The Tasman Sea
The weather cooperated and we were able to get out into the Tasman Sea. The boat has a shallow draft so it has sails that help stabilize the boat.
Kayaking and Swimming
We got to kayak and swim in the fiord. It was fun to kayak along the shore. The swim was surprisingly warm given the fiord is fed by glaciers. The water flowing into the fiord is dark as it picks up tannins from the rain forest. Since fresh water is less dense than salt water it stays at the surface and warms up. No photos of the swimming, we decided to jump in and enjoy!
Sunset
Sunset was amazing. They had a great buffet dinner and a very interesting nature talk after sunset to wrap up the first day.
Day 2: Sunrise and More Amazing Views
We got up early the next day to enjoy sunrise and the views as the boat toured more of the fiord.
They get tree avalanches that take out whole sections of the rainforest since the walls of the fiord are so steep. Five tree avalanches happened around the same time leaving a mark on the fiord wall that looks like a hand.
When the wind is not blowing the water becomes a mirror. Are the photos below the right side up? Or rotated 180 degrees?
At one point during the trip, the captain turned off all engines and generators and urged everyone to put away their cameras and phones so we could enjoy the quiet surroundings and bird calls. It was truly magical. It was a great trip and we would highly recommend the Doubtful Sound cruise.
I thank for my Winter entertainment! Our Texas Ice Storm and freezing rain reaped havoc on my home to about $40K in damages…so went my planned Ski Holiday. I have enjoyed Holiday scribing and adventures.,I think I’ll make a trip down under for Christmas! Safe travels…Dano
We are not missing all the crazy weather in the US, but we hope our house is in one piece when we get back. We had not heard about the TX weather, unfortunate about your house. Hopefully it is not too serious.
Catching up on your wonderful adventure. The cruise on the Sound looked amazing. You’ve got the luck of the Irish with the beautiful weather. I can’t wait for our first HH to hear more. Stay safe.