Doubtful Sound Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fjord which is about 42 kilometers long and up to 421 met

Doubtful SoundDoubtful Sound / Patea is a fjord which is about 42 kilometers long and up to 421 meters deep. It is part of New Zealand’s Fiordland and located close to the very famous but smaller Milford Sound. Captain James Cook was the first European to discover the fjord but did not enter it, since he was unsure whether it was navigable under sail – hence its name “Doubtful Sound”. The name, however, is not entirely correct. A sound is a valley formed by a river and subsequently flooded by the sea whereas a fjord is carved out by glaciers. Doubtful Sound, as well as all the other “Sounds” in the Fiordland National Park, are actually fjords rather than sounds.Doubtful Sound is surrounded by tall and steep mountains reaching 1,600 meters covered with native rainforest. Like most parts of the Fiordland, it receives a high amount of annual rainfall and is thus the site of several waterfalls. Like many other fjords in the area, Doubtful Sound contains two distinct layers of waters that scarcely mix. The rainwater flowing into the fjord becomes stained with tannins while draining through the lush forests which give it the color of strong tea. It forms a layer on top of the seawater, filtering out light and making it possible for deep-sea species, such as black corals, to grow in comparatively shallow depths. The fjord is also home to bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, penguins and sometimes even whales.Reaching Doubtful Sound is only possible by boat. It can be either accessed by the sea or by first crossing Lake Manapouri and then taking a bus across Wilmot Pass to the Sound itself. Tourism to the fjord is increasing, however, it is still known as “The Sound of Silence” for its quiet and wonderfully isolated location.XandiImage Credit:http://bit.ly/2iu8gv3http://bit.ly/2xeT4Vghttp://bit.ly/2iuVcWbhttp://bit.ly/2xWVAnfSources:http://bit.ly/2ztUHiohttp://bit.ly/2zsWEfc -- source link

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