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You are required to check in at the RealNZ Visitor Centre 30 mins before your departure time. Doubtful Sound is pristine, unforgettable and out of this world. So get ready to create some lifelong memories as we take you on the ultimate Doubtful Sound experience.
Booking Tips
Before the 1970s, plans were made to build a power plant along Lake Manapouri. New Zealanders protested the development in favor of protecting the land. The vastness of this untouched world will take your breath away as you experience its stunning beauty on our Doubtful Sound Wilderness Cruise.
What is included in the overnight cruise?
The beauty of Doubtful Sound is universal, but how you experience it can vary widely based on your Doubtful Sound cruising choice. It’s about matching your tastes, your expectations, and soaking in the ambience. Let’s navigate the waters of choice together, ensuring your adventure aligns with your dreams. Due to a layer of freshwater sitting atop saltwater, the Sound has a phenomenon called ‘deep-water emergence’. As you glide through the waters, imagine the strokes of his mighty tool shaping the landscape, and you can’t help but feel the weight of its ancestral importance. A place where the silence speaks volumes, and nature paints a masterpiece every dawn and dusk?
The Cruising Doubtful Sound Experience
Everything is handled for you, and the tour is super well organized, so you can access Doubtful Sound without any stress involved. Aden Motel is just a 2-minute walk from Lake Te Anau and a 15-minute walk to the city center. They have studio,1 bedroom, and 2 bedroom apartments that are absolutely beautiful.
Filter Our Experiences
Doubtful Sound is home to a resident population of bottlenose dolphins. These intelligent creatures are often spotted cavorting in the wake of boats, leaping joyfully out of the water. Engage with the knowledgeable crew to gain deeper insights into the Sound’s secrets.
RealNZ cruise ship which ran aground in Fiordland to resume trips - RNZ
RealNZ cruise ship which ran aground in Fiordland to resume trips.
Posted: Tue, 30 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
What to bring on a Doubtful Sound overnight cruise?
Not only do you get to discover the fiord’s pristine beauty, but you also get to spend the night and see the sunrise over the mountains and calm waters. Doubtful Sound is known as the sound of silence and is practically untouched by man. Choose from sea kayaking, a day cruise and overnight boat tours on Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound Patea is accessible by boat transfer departing from Pearl Harbour in Manapouri and travelling across Lake Manapouri to West Arm.
When we are informed in advance about guests with hindered mobility, we make every effort to mitigate the impact by assigning rooms in proximity to the main areas. However, it’s important to note that our vessels are not optimally equipped for potential needs. Visitors with enough time choose to visit both fiords as they have different characters. Daytime car parking is provided adjacent to the Visitor Centre. Overnight car parking is a available on View St, a short 2 minute walk from our Manapouri Visitor Centre.
North Island
You have to commit a full day to the Doubtful Sound, because of its remote location. But that remoteness and the fact that less people visit Doubtful Sound is a big plus for some people. On the day we did this, we cruised out to the Tasman Sea, where we could see seals lounging on the rocks. For 50 minutes, the bus twists and turns up and over the Wilmot Pass. We were told by our bus driver that this was the most expensive road to construct in New Zealand. The cruise ends at the West Arm Visitor Centre, next to the Manapouri hydroelectric station.
The Sound of silence - Sponsored Stories News - New Zealand Herald
The Sound of silence - Sponsored Stories News.
Posted: Tue, 14 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
That way, you’ll enjoy the ride and near-constant commentary from the bus driver, rather than have your headphones in and wonder why it was taking so long like I did. For the majority of the cruise, you’re sailing along the fiord where the waters are relatively calm. We experienced one rainy day and one sunny day on our overnight cruise – the waters were better on the sunny day but not awful on the rainy day. However, storms and rocky waves can occur in worse weather.

While in Bluff, we also take the opportunity to pull everything apart for maintenance and upgrades. This ensures that the operators are responsible for planning, improving and learning to avoid Maritime Disasters. For 1, 2 or 3 night charters, please give us a call or an email to check for availability. When you think of Doubtful Sound, the mind instantly wanders to its breathtaking vistas.
Embrace the disconnection (or do what we did and download a few shows, podcasts and songs before leaving!). We got ready and headed back to the mess hall for our buffet breakfast. There was a nice spread with bacon, eggs, vegetables, toast, fruit and pastries, as well as tea and coffee. We decided to take our plates out to the observation deck to enjoy the view.
The Real NZ overnight tour on Doubtful Sound we took last week was outstanding. And the crew was first-rate and very friendly and helpful. Choose between our signature one night stay, or stay longer on the two-night cruise. Southern Secret is a wonderful way to see the fabulous scenery and miss the crowds. In addition you get a ride over Lake Manapouri one of NZ’s largest and most stunning lakes.
We did a two night cruise on Doubtful Sound which was amazing. The food, staff, services were first class, and our cabin was just as fabulous as a hotel room. Beautiful crisp linen; fabulous shower and perfectly comfortable.I can't recommend this cruise highly enough, and everyone on board just loved their time on the water. From start to finish this cruise exceeded our expectations. Fishing, kayaking, pulling up cray pots - and the food - Kristen your food was out of this world!
For this reason, lots of people book it well in advance, so it’s often unavailable during the summer months. There’s a maximum of 135 passengers on board, so it doesn’t get too crowded. Luckily, it’s small enough to get close to the limestone karsts emerging from the water, which means you can get a closer look at their flora, fauna, and waterfalls. Partly because I’m from Canada, and we do have a tipping culture.
The boat trip across Lake Manapouri is the red line, the bus ride over the Wilmot Pass is the white line, and the cruise on the Doubtful Sound is the blue line. Perfect for charters, overnight cruises and fishing and diving advertures throughout Fiordland. Until you visit you can’t understand the sheer size of these fiords and the cliff faces. We were lucky to see four groups of dolphins who put on a show. And if you prefer not to drive to Manapouri (where the trips depart), we can get you there by coach from Queenstown and Te Anau. With its rugged peaks, verdant rainforest and twisting, hidden inlets, Doubtful Sound will take your breath away.
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