Romantic Doubtful Sound Cruise

Romantic Honeymoon with Doubtful Sound Cruise

Wedding planning requires a lot of careful yet stressful decisions, which is why most couples desire their honeymoon trip to be hassle-free and most importantly filled with a splash of romance. The honeymoon is not only a dream trip but is also an opportunity to make memories and reminisce about the wedding moments. Luckily, I and my better half both love the ocean. Brought up in Chennai, I find oceans are refreshing, beautiful and humbling. While my love is an ocean-going enthusiast who constantly awes its power and beauty. So, without much discussion, we settled on taking a cruise to make our honeymoon as breezily as possible.

Being a travel blogger from Chennai, I love to explore places and exploring New Zealand was always there in my to-visit-list. We planned to explore “Doubtful Sound Cruise” otherwise known as “The Sound of Silence” located in the Fiordland, in the far south-west of New Zealand. This place is considered the most popular tourist destination in New Zealand. Doubtful Sound Cruise has various types of cruises and each destination has its own charm. We opted for a cruise that departs from Manapouri. To reach New Zealand, we took a flight from Chennai to Singapore and from Singapore to Christchurch, which is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand.

We reached our pick-up point and soon boarded the Fiordland Cruises for the cruise of a lifetime. We saw that there were different kinds of accommodations for all types of groups. There were families with children, couples like us, and single travelers. We got the room that had porthole at the waterline; this meant we could even see the beautiful dolphins from the comfort of our rooms.

However, it was time to go and get an education from the experts on the upper deck. Some really cool things we learned:

• Doubtful Sound got its name in 1770 by Captain Cook
• The Sound is the site of several large waterfalls
• Doubtful Sound is a host to about dozen smaller island
• Doubtful Sound contains two distinct layers of water that scarcely mix – water from the outflow of fresh water from the tailrace discharge from the Manapouri Power Station also diluted seawater
• This is one of the reasons why there are so many species that can be found here
• Some people have even spotted whales in Doubtful Sound. These include Southern right whales, humpback whales, minke whale, sperm whale, and some giant beaked whales

So, we freshened up and went up for some drinks, food and most vitally experience the view while gaining knowledge. The crew was happy to help and very friendly. They whipped up some great vegetarian food for us, though we were on a boat and our expectations were fairly low. If you have a similar experience with the staff, as we did, be generous in your tip.

We got to see dolphins, seals, and seabirds. We were considered lucky because they often do not get sighted, though there is always an expectation. We went kayaking too and it was absolutely fun; we, however, stayed away from fishing, though it was permitted. Flora and fauna, the animals we spotted, were simply breathtaking. The majestic mountain tops with the grand waterfalls and views let us know how minuscule we are in this stunning colossal, scenic world.

Then came nightfall. The breathtaking night lit only by the stars with a slight wind blowing. We spotted many constellations and were absorbed in the beauty of raw nature. This was a perfect end to a beautiful, romantic and revealing day.

It is true, New Zealand is truly magnificent, and we came back very happy customers. Though I, as a traveler, have a long list of places to cover, this is one place I would come back in a jiffy. The ideal time for anyone to visit is considered to be September to May every year. I can’t wait for that future September to May when I can return again.

If you want to see breathtaking beauty, this is the cruise for you and I had the luxury of taking it with my newly wedded wife on our honeymoon and made memories that are going to last a lifetime.