The sweet sound of Doubtful

By Bob Fisher

Amidst the sensory overload of life in the fast lane and the voices of doom telling us that our planet has gone to hell in a handbasket, one can tend to get a bit discouraged these days. So let me tell you about one real and quintessential refuge from excess on this once lonely planet. Doubtful Sound, in the heart of New Zealand's Fiordland–in the south-west corner of the South Island–is a sublime destination that is the antithesis of the morning rush hour, of the flash and trash of prime time, and of the misery of the evening news. It is instead a natural world of glorious quiet where you can truly hear yourself think.

Captain James Cook visited this cragged coastline in 1773 and his quick assessment of this particular inlet caused him to name it Doubtful Harbor because he reasoned, quite correctly, that the prevailing westerly winds would make it difficult, if not impossible, to sail ships like The Endeavor back out. For great sailing ships requiring favorable wind conditions and room to maneuver, this would indeed have been the case, but for modern minds in search of another kind of haven, there is no doubt as to Doubtful's qualities and singular attributes. It should be noted as well that somewhere along the way throughout time, another misconception about the nature of this watery refuge occurred when it was named Doubtful Sound.

It actually is not a sound--a narrow stretch of water created when a valley is flooded by rising sea levels–but is instead a fiord, carved by the gargantuan and dogged labor of a retreating glacier–they were up to 2000 meters deep--awesome work that was completed between two million and 15 000 years ago. The U-shaped glacial valley became enclosed by soaring cliffs and was inundated by the sea, and when it retreated the glacier left a "lip" at the entrance of the sea inlet causing a shallowing of the water there, which now serves as a buffer zone between the peaceful waters of Doubtful and the wild outer ocean. In the process a realm of pure untroubled sound was created.

Doubtful Sound is one of 14 magnificent fiords in Fiordland (fiords are found only in Norway, western parts of Scotland, and New Zealand) that shape the jagged and deeply indented southwest coast of South Island. The entire 12 519 square kilometers of Fiordland were declared a World Heritage area in 1986 owing to the unique flora and fauna, and the geological and landscape treasures. And Fiordland in turn is part of an even larger World Heritage area, the 1.2 million hectare National Park known as Waipounamu. Fiordland or Te Rua o te moko (the Pit of Tatooing) is a realm within a realm, as is Doubtful Sound.

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Like all wondrous experiences, the trip to Doubtful is a process, not an event. We begin in Te Anau, a tidy, quiet town on the shores of a glacial lake of the same name, in the heart of Fiordland. A perfect day's excursion begins lakeside. The air is cool but the brilliant sunlight of the southern hemisphere warms our faces. It also illuminates the high mountain ranges surrounding the lake; air and light coalesce to create clarity of the senses that will enhance our experience today. A mini-bus takes us on the first stage of our journey to Doubtful; our driver greets us with a hearty "Hae ye be?" and during the half hour trip from Lake Te Anau to its sister Lake Manapouri, his commentary is informative, respectful, and sparkles with the wry Kiwi sense of humor. Knowing when less is more, he rounds off his offerings on the road to Doubtful with a teasing "Enough of this interaction. I'll leave ye in peace and quiet." He in fact sets the tone and theme for the day, optimal interaction with nature.

At the peaceful village of Manapouri, we board the Fiordland Flyer and begin stage two of our passage. Lake Manapouri (in Maori "Lake of the Sorrowing Heart") is the fifth largest in New Zealand and the deepest; it is also a symbol of a successful popular and environmental revolt against a governmental and corporate plan to raise the level of the lake as part of a gigantic hydro-electric project. The captain and our nature guide do not hesitate to remind us of what might have happened to Manapouri. But the lake was left in its natural state, its shoreline and 34 islands protected from a manufactured deluge.

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