New Zealand is eye candy almost anywhere you go. I often refer to is as a jewel in the Pacific. One of the most impressive areas is Fiordland, offering up the most dramatic and beautiful treasures whether you explore it by water or on foot. Mostly untouched and unpopulated since the glacier age waterfalls cascade hundreds of metres through ancient rainforest underneath towering granite peaks.
Fiordland National Park has three great walks, Milford, Kepler and Routeburn. The most popular fiord is Milford Sound with spectacular natural features. However, with fame comes some crowding. So we chose Dounbtful Sound for an overnight cruise. We arrived in Te Anau, a small Kiwi town the night before we were to set off. We got to eat at the one restaurant open in town and were thankful for the breakfast at our B&B as there wasn’t even a coffee to be found for miles around.
We booked our adventure with Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruises and were greeted by some of our happy crew on the docks of Lake Te Anau. Boarding a catamaran powerboat we were taken across the lake on a 1 1/2 hour ride to an outpost where we boarded a bus to take us up and over the pass. If you are queasy about cliff drives you might not want to sit on the valley side of the bus but they haven’t lost anyone in, well, we might get to that later.
Disembarking at sea level at the head of the fiord was a breathtaking treat. As we were ushered toward the boat the crew assured us it would only get better. And lady luck was with us. We had uncharacteristically clear, sunny weather right out of a postcard.
Cruise, kayak, swim, eat, drink, enjoy. We experienced dolphins swimming under and around our kayaks. We sighted seals warming themselves on the rocky islands at the oceans opening. We were aghast at the nighttime sky alight with stars so clear, bright and close you could almost touch them.