Woah...

Somehow I managed to forget to post about my excursion to Doubtful Sound, which is incredible, as it was quite possibly the most amazing place on the face of the earth.

Let me start off by saying the Fiordland itself is an epic place, virtually beyond description.  One has to experience it in order to understand how unimaginably beautiful it is.  To get to Doubtful Sound from Queenstown I had to take a bus, then transfer to another bus, then take a boat across Lake Manapouri to the hydro power station at the other side.  From there I took another bus over Wilmot pass and down to Deep Cove.  I boarded the boat there and began my day journey around Doubtful Sound.  It was a sunny day, which is extremely rare as seven out of ten days in Fiordland are rainy.  The place is amazing; from the black water, to the snow peaked cliffs.  Near the opening to the Tasman Sea there is a massive island known as Secretary Island.  It is a reserve that represents how New Zealand was before any human beings had stepped foot here (even the natives).  The Island is covered in thousand year old trees, and indigenous birds such as the kiwi and takahe.  Conservationists have removed all introduced pests such as possums, stoats, and deer in order to create an environment that reflects how New Zealand once was. 

 Another remarkable part of the cruise was when we went down into Hall's Arm (a branch off of the fiord, or fjord) and they turned the engine of the boat off.  Everyone stood silent and there was utter stillness and silence over the sound, except for bird calls and waterfalls.  It immediately reminded me of a night last November in Fort Amherst during which I experience silence (outdoors) like I have never experienced before.  I can't wait until this fall/winter to try to replicate the experience.

If you have any interest to immerse yourself in the extremely dense and beautiful temperate rain forest of New Zealand, and to experience views like no others, I cannot recommend more strongly that you go to Doubtful Sound.