Doubtful Sound

29 September 2011

A fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or clifts, created in a valley carved by glacial activity. It is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Doubtful Sound is a very large and naturally imposing fjord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand.

We took the overnight cruise package from Real Journeys which was doing winter special offer. We booked the ticket through one of the BBH in Queenstown which further gave me another 40 dollars off. It was total less than 250 dollars per person.

The package included a 45-minute individual kayaking or tendercraft/small boat, meals and accommodation. For more information, please visit here.

The day began with a short cruise across island-studded Lake Manapouri and a coach trip over Wilmot Pass. We then descended to Doubtful Sound to meet the crew of the Fiorldland Navigator in Deep Cove. It was a rainy day unfortunately but I prayed for a better day the next morning.

pic: Deep Cove

We were then served with evening tea and dessert including fruits and muffins after we checked into our room.

pic: A short briefing on the schedule and room assignment

Everyone stayed in the boat since it was a rainy day. Some of us played chess, while some of us read. Not long after, we were served food again. We had soup and bread before we went out for the kayaking.

It was chilling to kayak in a rainy day. Our body got all wet and the hands were so cold that they became numb. Some of them even jumped into the sea to challenge the freezing water temperature.

We took a hot shower and went back to the hall for a 3-course buffet dinner. It was such a sumptuous dinner with beef, lamb, salad, salmon and many other tempting food.

The next morning, we felt so glad to see the sunshine. We finally had a chance to take good pictures on the same way back to Manapouri.