Not so doubtful, Doubtful Sounds

We were a little bit torn over whether to do Doubtful or Milford Sound - time and money wouldn't really permit both. I think I was a bit sold on Doubtful Sound, just from the description in my travel guide, whereas Ciaran seemed to be leaning towards Milford Sound. We asked a fair few people for their opinion and the general consensus was Milford is spectacular but very busy and Doubtful is beautiful but a lot more remote. So in the end we plumped for Doubtful Sound.

For anyone with a car/the option, the place to stay before doing either Doubtful or Milford Sound is Te Anau, which is a small town at the start of the scenic road to Milford Sound and only 20km from Doubtful Sound. Most trips for Milford Sound depart from Queenstown and stop at Te Anau halfway. But that journey is 3 and a half hours one way. So, if you can, save yourself half the journey! Google map Queenstown to Milford and Te Anau to Milford and you'll see what I mean!

The kayaking trip was pretty expensive but I definitely feel it was worth it. When people say it's remote, they're not exaggerating. To get there, you have to take 45 minute boat over Lake Manapouri, followed by a 20 minute coach ride on the Wilmot Pass gravel road that was constructed for the pretty impressive power station built at the end of the lake. Apparently it's the most expensive road built in New Zealand at a cost of $5 per inch.

So, the only annoying thing of the day: SAND FLIES. Little b*******. Even coated in repellent, they managed to have a good go at us. First thing in the morning, when you're getting your kayak gear on, you're top of the menu for those sand flies. But once out on the fjord it's fine. The only wildlife you have to worry about are the blue penguins, sea lions and maybe a small school of dolphins. We were dying to see some Dolphins but alas, it was not meant to be.

Our tour guide Angela was brilliant. She was super efficient at getting us all ready for kayaking and is so full of knowledge on the fjords, their history and their wildlife. Cool fact of the day: the entrance to Milford Sound is so well camouflaged by the mountain that covers the entrance to the Sound that for years, boats and ships cruised past it before they realised it was there.

We had the best day for it weatherwise, as the sun was overhead all day. Angela did say that the Sound is just as, if not more beautiful on a rainy day, as you get all the waterfalls pouring off the mountains, creating a mystical feeling in the air. Now that I've seen it in the sun I'd really like to see it in the rain, but I think that for me, that was definitely the order to do it in (to be fair I am a Brit who hasn't seen the sun in quite a long time).

We only saw one other small group of kayaks the whole time we were there and I really loved how personal it felt, so I'm so glad we chose it over Milford Sound, which is apparently packed with boats. I'd love to see that one day too, and apparently the drive up to Milford Sound is incredibly scenic, but to me our day of kayaking on Doubtful Sound was magical.