"Sounds" right, but it's not

OK, here's a question for you: What's the difference between a sound and a fiord? Give up? A sound is a body of inlets formed from flooded valleys, like Queen Charlotte Sound. A fiord is a body of water created from glaciers splitting apart mountains. So the Milford and Doubtful Sounds are mis-named and are really fiords and it's just too late to change them. You're now ready for Jeopardy.

We had another great day going to Doubtful Sound. This one is really remote and required a full day of transportation: We drove 20 minutes to Lake Manapouri and picked up a ferry that took us on a 50-minute ride across the lake to a bus. The 45-minute bus trip took us across Wilmot Pass to the beginning of Doubtful Sound. We then boarded a large boat that took us on a 3-hour tour. No queasiness this time!

Crossing Lake Manapouri

Typically, the day was very rainy and overcast. Just like at Milford Sound, the guide assured us this is really Fiordland at its best with tons of water in the waterfalls. In fact, he kept pointing out temporary waterfalls that wouldn't be there on a dry day. They get about 7 meters of rain a year in this area and it's considered one of the wettest places on earth.

We just loved it, of course, and here are some grey and dramatic memories:

Doubtful Sound

Multiple waterfalls

We learned that the trees and moss that are growing on the shear sides of the granite cliffs are really only attached by roots of a few trees growing in the cracks of the rock. The rest have intertwined themselves holding on for dear life. Therefore, during an earthquake (there are many in this area), it's not uncommon for a whole section of the foliage to fall down the mountain together, creating an avalanche.

This shows new growth after a tree avalanche exposed the rock

We were lucky the sea was calm enough for us to get close to this fur seal colony

Before getting on the ferry back across Lake Manapouri, the bus stopped at Manapouri Power Station which was the biggest engineering project in NZ history. Built in the 60's, a few hundred meters under ground beneath the mountain, the hydro-power supplies 14% of the electric power of all of NZ. The turbines are driven by water draining from Lake Manapouri to Deep Cove in the Doubtful Sound of the Tasman Sea, about a 180 meters below the lake.

Manaopouri Power Station tunnel