Doubtful Sound

The extreme southwest coast of New Zealand is carved by dramatic fjords, spelled fiords here. Doubtful Sound is the deepest and 2nd longest of them. It was named Doubtful Harbor by Captain Cook in 1770 when he didn't enter the fjord because he was "doubtful" that the winds would get him back out, leaving him stuck.
The journey to Doubtful Sound from Queenstown is unusual, to say the least. It starts with a 2 hour bus ride to Lake Manapouri, followed by a 45 minute cruise across the lake to the large underground hydroelectric plant, followed by a 45 minute bus ride over Wilmot Pass through the rain forest and finally a 3 hour cruise on the fjord.
The pictures may seem gloomy, but this was a nice day. It wasn't raining. They receive 3 - 6 meters (think 10 feet, not inches) of rain annually.
The 1st picture is from up on the Wilmot Pass Road overlooking Doubtful Sound. The next 5 pictures are various views of the fjord from the boat.
The 7th picture looks out at the Tasman Sea at the mouth of the fjord. Most of the time they can't get this far out as it's too rough.
The 8th picture is of 1 of the islands at the mouth of the fjord where the local fur seal colony hangs out. You might make out a few. Also living here is the southernmost bottle nose dolphin colony.
Many waterfalls drop into the fjord. This is a surprising one. Most of it is hidden in the trees. The section at the bottom is easily visible. Look closely at the top in the center of the picture where you can make out an upper section tif the falls through the trees.Read more