Doubtful Sound

All our friends told us to visit Doubtful Sound while in New Zealand. We went for an overnight cruise with Real Journeys and it was the best night we’ve ever spent on a boat.

To be honest, this was the only night I’ve ever spent on a boat. Typically my skin crawls at the thought of being on a multi-day cruise - stuck in open water with hundreds of people and nowhere to escape. Much to our surprise, our mid-week booking during locals month meant we spend the night aboard with less than 30 people on a boat meant for 72 plus staff.

We left from Queenstown and made our way south to Manapouri to check in. Once there, we took a short cruise across Lake Manapouri, which in itself deserves a visit. This lake boasts some stunning views. When we got across the lake, we took a short walk before boarding a bus that took us over Wilmot Pass. Getting to Doubtful Sound by land is no quick task; this bus ride took an hour on a mostly one-lane gravel service road. Eventually we arrived at Deep Cove and boarded the Fiordland Navigator.

This charming boat was our home for the next day. We set off into the sound and cruised out to sea through some amazing scenery before anchoring for an hour long kayaking excursion. Something very unique about this overnight cruise at Doubtful Sound is a secret I almost don’t want to unveil. During our time here, we didn’t see a single other boat in the water until we deboarded on day two. This is completely unlike the experience you’ll have at the much more famous Milford Sound, and it was utterly serene.

We were incredibly fortunate with the weather for our two day cruise - day one was brilliantly sunny and calm. This seems great, and was a lovely surprise, but it also meant that there wasn’t much to see in terms of the waterfalls the sounds are known for. Lucky for us, shortly after our three-course gourmet dinner was served, the rain came in. I’ve always found it soothing to sleep through a rainstorm, and this one brought with it hundreds of waterfalls. I was glad to have something to distract me from how completely I had overeaten while I tried to sleep.

Day two, still raining. We cruised back around through another arm of the sound and soaked in all the gorgeous waterfalls. At this point I don’t even care that I left my rain pants back in Queenstown and that we’re both soaked to the bone. Totally worth it.

After cruising to the harbor, we hopped on the bus, cruised lake Manapouri again, and after a couple hours found ourselves back in the comfort of home. What a way to spend 48 hours!