Doubtful Sound - Geography

Geography

There are three distinct arms to the sound, which are all to the south of the main fiord. From the major conflux of water just south of Secretary Island, these arms are:

1. First Arm
2. Crooked Arm which is roughly halfway along the sound
3. Hall Arm which branches off from the Sound's terminus at Deep Cove.

The Sound is the site of several large waterfalls, notably Helena Falls at Deep Cove, and the Browne Falls which have a fall of over 600 metres. The steep hills are known for their hundreds of waterfalls during the rainy season.

The last quarter of the sound closest to the sea is dominated by islands, the major one being Secretary Island. At the southern most tip of the island, Doubtful Sound opens up as a confluence of 5 bodies of water. From the western seaward end and going clockwise these are:

1. Seaward end of Doubtful Sound sometimes known as "the gut"
2. Thompson Sound
3. Bradshaw Sound
4. Continuation of Doubtful Sound to Deep Cove
5. First Arm

Access to the sound is either by sea, or by the Wilmot Pass road from the Manapouri Power Station. Most areas of the sound itself are only accessible by sea however, as the road network in this area of New Zealand is sparse or nonexistent, as is the human population.

Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, Governor-General of New Zealand (1957–1962) wrote about this part of Fiordland:

"There are just a few areas left in the world where no human has ever set foot. That one of them should be in a country so civilized and so advanced as New Zealand may seem incredible, unless one has visited the south-west corner of the South Island. Jagged razor backed mountains rear their heads into the sky. More than 200 days of rain a year ensure not a tree branch is left bare and brown, moss and epiphytes drape every nook. The forest is intensely green. This is big country... one day peaceful, a study in green and blue, the next melancholy and misty, with low cloud veiling the tops... an awesome place, with its granite precipices, its hanging valleys, its earthquake faults and its thundering cascades."

Parts of the sound on the west side of Elizabeth Island are protected by the Taipari Roa (Elizabeth Island) Marine Reserve.

The narrow shallower area of the sound between Bauza and Secretary Island offers more shelter than than areas further to the west and towards the sea. It is a popular fishing and mooring location and is a haven for crayfish. It is often referred to as "the gut".