January 23rd, Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise

A couple months back we booked an overnight cruise through Doubtful Sound in Fiordland. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip and a big hit for both kids and adults. Our ship (The Fiordland Navigator), sailed us the length of Doubtful Sound all the way to the Tasman Sea and into several hidden arms of this amazing Fiord. It was magnificent, spectacular and hard to describe all of its beauty. On board we were fed well and given the option to take a tender craft ride (zodiac) or kayak trip. The Esteb clan all opted to take the kayak trip “out and about” to enjoy the scenery. The waterfalls and mountains were grand, and the weather cooperated for an exceptional two full days while we took in all the grandeur. Doubtful Sound is right in the heart of Fiordland National Park which is a 3 Million Acre rain forest. A forest that grows on granite rock with no soil at all!!! (Go Figure?) The crew also gave us the option to go swimming, and of course, the Estebs took the plunge along with a few other hearty souls. I believe out of 70 people only 9 went for the swim… Estebs leading the way! In the end, we saw, we tasted, and we experienced Doubtful Sound in all its glory. Oh, it’s called Doubtful Sound because when Captain James Cook was given the task of circumnavigating and mapping NZ, his botanist wanted to enter Doubtful. Cook, being the skilled captain he was, assessed the situation over a few days and noticed the winds were Westerly almost all the time. Since the Westerlies were blowing into the sound, Cook “doubted” they could get out safely, or in a timely manner, thus the name “Doubtful” Sound.