Sound of Silence

Ananya Bahl

Doubtful Sound’s Maori name is “Patea”, which literally translates to “the place of silence”. This comes as no surprise given that this gorgeous fjord, located within the folds of New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, is cut off from any road access to the surrounding towns. On its other side, all it has for company are the open waters of the Tasman Sea. In 1770, when British explorer Captain James Cook journeyed through these waters, he spotted the entrance of Doubtful Sound. On examining the inlets and mouth of the fjord, he doubted whether he would be able to navigate his ship, Endeavour, back out into the open sea after exploration. So, he named it “Doubtful Harbour”. Years later, whalers and sealers, who traversed this region, named it Doubtful Sound. The word “sound” in its name has nothing to do with a noise or echo. It refers to the geographical term “sound”, which is an inlet of seawater between two masses of land. Despite having the word in its name, Doubtful Sound is best classified as a fjord which is a narrower version of a sound. At 421 metres, it is South Island’s deepest fjord.

An overnight journey

A three-hour drive from Queenstown in New Zealand’s South Island takes visitors to Manapouri, which is the town closest to Doubtful Sound. A passenger boat traverses the waters of Lake Manapouri to its West Arm pier. From here, a 45-minute bus journey through Fiordland National Park takes visitors through the Wilmot Pass, which is about 671 metres above sea level. On the other side of the pass is Deep Cove, the pier from which passengers board the Real Journeys’ Fiordland Navigator — a purpose-built vessel that replicates a traditional trading scow, apt for navigating fjords.

What follows is a glorious overnight journey through the Doubtful Sound fjord. The vessel’s captain regales passengers with delightful wildlife spotting, tales about the history of the fjord and trivia about the region. Activities like kayaking, tender craft rides, and brave jumps into the chilly waters of the fjord increase bonhomie among like-minded travellers from around the world. One can’t help but marvel at the almost picture-perfect reflection of the fjords in the dark glassy surface of the water. All around are peaks jutting out from the depths of the fjord, clad in a dense carpet of rainforest vegetation. Through the journey, the captain calls passengers via a speaker system to spot the various types of birds and marine life. The same goes for the mesmerising sunset. The Fiordland Navigator charts its journey from Deep Cove, and along the inlet, right up to the end of the fjord, where it meets the open waters of the Tasman Sea. Once there, the waves and currents become more powerful and that’s when the vessel turns back toward Deep Cove. The journey back mimics the journey from Queenstown to Doubtful Sound but in reverse fashion.

Wildlife wonder

The wildlife here comprises glorious avian species and aquatic life. As many as 69 bottlenose dolphins call these waters home. Staying true to their friendly nature, they pop by the vessel to say hello, making everyone gasp with excitement. New Zealand fur seals also make their presence felt closer to the Tasman Sea, near the edge of the fjord. It’s amusing to watch a couple of them, as they wait to dive from high rocks straight into the sea. Albatrosses, Fiordland crested penguins, robins, fantails, hawks, and New Zealand pigeons can also be spotted here.

One of the best experiences on board is on the second day when the captain shuts the engines of the vessel and asks everyone to switch their mobile phones and other electronics off. He asks everyone to refrain from speaking. The task at hand is simple: to revel in the surrounding silence, and let it speak to you. As it turns out, Mother Nature is a great conversationalist. As silence takes over, she whispers through the gurgling waterfalls, buzzing insects, the slight gush of the water’s currents, the blowing wind, and the chirping birds. And finally, you feel like you belong.