By Patricia Woeber

The place known as "the sound of silence" is quiet, but it's also dramatic, with spectacles of rugged peaks, mysterious inlets and dense native rainforests that form thick canopies on the steep-sided mountains. Large and small cascades — hundreds during the rainy season — pour from high cliffs.

This place is Doubtful Sound, one of the dozen fiords in the southwestern corner of New Zealand. It's also one of the most isolated fiords and not as well-known as popular Milford (easily accessible), although in size, depth, beauty and tranquility it is Milford's rival. Doubtful is 10 times larger (26 miles long with three arms), deeper (1,381 feet) and less visited.

Both fiords — natural extravaganzas — attract outdoor-lovers for cruising excursions. They are in Fiordland, New Zealand's largest national park (4,826 square miles) with more than a dozen fiords and numerous bays. Eons ago glaciers carved these sounds as they moved across the high mountainous coastline.

The western side of Fiordland's mountains receives up to 300 inches of rain a year, while the eastern side gets 45 inches and Doubtful averages about 120. A gulfstream sweeps along the coast, nurturing the rainforests.

On the coast there are no settlements for about 120 miles. The nearest inhabited place is Manapouri, 31 miles inland. Doubtful Sound can be visited on a full-day tour from Te Anau, the nearest town.

Although a cruise on Doubtful was the highlight of our day, getting there also provided unexpected pleasures. First we cruised across Lake Manapouri.

"This lake is 98 percent pure and the other 2 percent are fish — trout and Atlantic salmon," said John, the skipper. "With more than 30 islands, it's one of the loveliest lakes in the South Island."

Smiling broadly, he added, "This is a sanctuary for bellbirds, gray warblers, robins, tomtits, chaffinches, kingfishers and, of course, the kea and kiwi — New Zealand's unique birds. It's also home for our rare flightless birds, the takahe and kakapo."

It was a thrilling list for birdwatchers.

The coach ride took us by way of a spiral tunnel dug through a mile and a half of solid rock. We were told that the modern marvel, the Manapouri Power Station, with seven massive turbines, was concealed in a great cavern 650 feet under the mountain.

Next we got our first glimpse of Doubtful Sound from Wilmot Pass. Around us were layers of moss-covered beech-tree branches. Damp rocks were costumed in red, yellow and green mosses. Orchids, holly, ferns and wooded groves added to the beauty.

The road wound down to Doubtful Sound, where we embarked on the hour-and- a-half cruise. A breeze caused ripples with silver reflections. We gazed at the spectacular granite precipices and the waterfalls and took in the tranquility and solitude. No traffic, no sounds, no noise. Lush valleys teased us as they tapered off behind mountains.

The boat's captain said that the fiord varies from one day to the next — bright green and blue to melancholy mist with low clouds veiling the peaks. We watched for glimpses of wildlife — dolphins, seals, rare yellow-crested penguins and whales.

Captain Cook discovered this dramatic coastline during his first voyage in 1770. Approaching, he doubted that it could be entered, so he named it "Doubtful Harbor." For centuries Fiordland remained unspoiled due to the rugged terrain. It was the territory of sealers, trappers, whalers, fisherman, explorers, surveyors and gold-miners. Since then, helicopters and small planes have charted inaccessible areas.

We appreciated a two-night stay on a sheep farm to meet New Zealanders and see their work in action. Large properties of sheep-raising lie east of Te Anau, where vistas of yellow tussock grasslands join green valleys and lambs frolic while sheep are shifted from one paddock to the other.

Meanwhile, on Fiordland's mountains, twilight lingered on distant peaks. It seemed as if the sun, too, was reluctant to leave.

WHEN YOU GO

For information: www.newzealand.com

Daily tours go to Doubtful Sound from late August to mid-May and less often during winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

Many outdoor activities are available from Te Anau and Queenstown: cruising, jet-boating, rafting, hiking, climbing, fishing, hunting with experienced guides, scenic flights and guided nature walks of various lengths. Other attractions are tours of the limestone caves, glowworm grotto and the underground trout observatory. Visitors are welcome at the 18-hole Te Anau Golf Club at midweek, but they can expect to share the course with a few sheep.

Te Anau and Queenstown offer hotels, motels, lodges and youth hostels. For farm stays, contact Rural Holidays New Zealand Ltd. (www.ruralholidays.co.nz).

Sheep graze in green pastures against a backdrop of snowy mountains in South Island New Zealand. Photo courtesy of Patricia Woeber.

. A cruise on Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand, can yield sightings of dolphins, seals, rare yellow-crested penguins and the occasional whale. Photo courtesy of Patricia Woeber.

On a large sheep-farm near Te Anau, South Island, New Zealand, a child cuddles a lamb. Photo courtesy of Patricia Woeber.

Patricia Woeber is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.