Patea Doubtful Sound is the longest of New Zealand’s (NZ) 14 fiords, and a wonder to see. A fiord is a deep inlet between steep cliffs, formed by valleys that once were home to glaciers and now are full of water.
Most people visit Patea Doubtful Sound on an overnight cruise through the fiord’s 25 miles to reach the Tasman Sea.
We decided to tour the Patea Doubtful Sound with our 15-month-old on an overnight cruise in the middle of our 2-week-long NZ trip. Although pricey, the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but an adventure I wish we waited to experience when our toddler was a bit older.
If you’re considering booking the Patea Doubtful Sound overnight cruise with a toddler or small child (check out our considerations), this guide provides has you covered!
Doubtful Sound, known by the Maori as Patea, is on the stolen and ocucupied lands of the Maori.
Everything you need to know about going on the Patea Doubtful Sound Cruise
How to make a reservation
There is only one company that takes people on this cruise through Patea Doubtful Sound, RealNZ.
The cruise ship is small and rooms are booked well in advance. I recommend booking your cruise as far in advance as possible to secure a spot for your party on a day of your choosing. You may have more luck booking a room last minute if your dates are flexible.
The Cost
An overnight cruise through the Patea Doubtful Sound ranged from NZ$349 to NZ$1,199 per person (adults over 16 years of age cost NZ$699-1199 depending on the room type, children ages 2-15 cost NZ$349, and kids under 2 cruise free).
What's Included
The fee includes a buffet dinner the night of your arrival and a continental breakfast the morning of your return, one kayaking excursion, the cruise through the fiord and back with a nature guide over the loudspeaker, and round-trip transportation from Manapouri.
The trip before the trip to Patea Doubtful Sound
The trip to Patea Doubtful Sound starts in Manapouri, a two-hour drive from Queenstown.
After you check in at the Real NZ ticket building, you embark on a long journey to the Sound where the cruise ship is waiting. The first boat you ride is the 140-passenger catamaran that takes you across Lake Manapouri. This 40-minute ride includes tourists who may not ultimately be on the same overnight tour as you, which is confusing. Our toddler wasn’t interested in sitting in her seat for the ride, so I spent most of the voyage in the back, holding her hand as she attempted to toddle around a moving boat.
Next, you hop onto a bus that takes you over the Wilmot Pass, with one sightseeing stop for photos, until you reach the actual sound inlet 40 minutes later. RealNZ didn’t tell us any of this when we purchased our tickets. Had I known, I would have packed more snacks for the 80-minute drive to the cruise ship!
The overnight cruise ship
The 72-passenger ship was big and provided a steady ride through the fiord, although there weren’t many waves until we reached the open ocean.
The boat was lined with rooms on the bottom deck, a large and open dining room with an open deck for viewing in the front of the boat, as well as open space for walking, sitting, and enjoying the stars on an upper deck with safety railing all around.
The dinner
The three-course dinner buffet was decent but happened to be at a set time that was well-past our toddler’s normal bedtime. My partner and I decided to split up—he went up to grab to-go plates and a glass of wine, while I put our daughter to bed and waited patiently in our room for his return.
I wish we moved bedtime back a little so that I could enjoy dinner with the rest of the group, especially since we only had one night on the Sound. I was too worried that our overtired and past-her-bedtime toddler would not have made that experience a good one for me, so I ate dinner quietly with my partner in the dark while our toddler slept.
The rooms
All rooms had a double bed or two twin beds and private bathrooms. The private bathroom was a major plus, especially with a toddler in tow! A travel crib can be put in your room at your request. There are larger “family bunk rooms” that have shared bathrooms, but I didn’t get to see one of those.
If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you know that these rooms are tight. There was just enough room for us to walk between the twin beds to get to the rest room, and a tiny bit of space between the bed and the door to fit our luggage and a travel crib.
I recommend leaving your larger suitcase in your car or at the RealNZ Visitor Centre and bringing only what you need for the length of the trip.
The experience of the cruise through the Sound
The trip through the fiord to the Tasman Sea was incredible. The only other boats you encounter are at the first port where you depart; after that, you see nothing but green, steep, majestic mountains bordering both sides of the water.
Once the boat reaches the Tasman Sea, you are greeted with the first rough waves of the trip. The captain positions the boat close to an island or two at the mouth of the fiord so the passengers can see seals, penguins, and other interesting wildlife.
Our toddler laughed adorably as the waves rocked our ship back and forth and she stumbled around. We watched the sunset and began our return trip. It was absolutely stunning.
Taking a toddler on the cruise
I ventured into Patea Doubtful Sound with my partner and our 15-month-old in December. There are pluses and minuses about any adventure you take your child to. Here are a few things to take into consideration:
Benefits:
- Staff are super friendly and accommodating to families with young kids
- Adorable kids are a novelty since most tour attendees are older adults
- The experience is a memory you will share with your family forever
Challenges:
- Mealtimes are not flexible
- Boat excursions are not designed for very young children
- The bugs
Read here to find out more details about the benefits and challenges of bringing a toddler on this tour.
Cruising through Patea Doubtful Sound gave me a glimpse into a world that is mostly unchanged since time immemorial—not by the Maori, not by Captain Cook (who said it was “doubtful” that they would make it past the westerly winds if they attempted to enter the Sound), and not by the sailors or generations of New Zealanders who have visited the area. It is part of the Fiordland National Park, well preserved, and—luckily for the wildlife of the sound—not easy to get to.
We embarked on this trip without really knowing what we were getting into with our toddler. I’m glad we did it, but wish I had more information before we showed up at the RealNZ ticket office. Hopefully this guide will be able to help you better plan for your trip!
Have you gone on the Patea Doubtful Sound overnight cruise with your little kids? How did it go? Share in the comments below!
This post is part of a series of posts about visiting the South Island of NZ with kids. Continue the adventure with us here:
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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