When I think back on the six months that I spent in the Marlborough Sounds, I’m flooded with distinctly mundane memories. I can picture the apartment where I lived, remember the ins and outs of my workplace, and (vaguely) recall evenings at the local bar with friends. It’s regular stuff, stuff that in all honesty probably resembles most people’s recollections no matter where they are. That’s a consequence of living abroad versus simply travelling; the minutiae of life occasionally overstay their welcome and crowd out the more visceral and immediate responses to a location. Which, in the case of the Marlborough Sounds, is a shame. Because behind the rituals of daily routine, the area provided a peaceful, unspoilt and unique home base to explore a wonderful region of New Zealand.

First, a word about “Sounds”. Kiwis love their Sounds. Along with their lesser-known neighbors, Fiordland’s Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound rank among the country’s most spectacular sights. These famous destinations, however, suffer from misnomers. Their plunging cliffsides result from ice age glaciers charging through the Southern Alps, which carved incredibly deep channels soon reclaimed by the Tasman Sea, and also which technically made them fiords (hence the region’s name: Fiordland. At least they got something right.) The Marlborough Sounds, on the other hand, live up to their name. They are etymologically true Sounds: a series of drowned riverbeds fortunate enough to have escaped the glaciers’ grinding influence, and therefore home to a more gentle and lush landscape.

Living in that landscape offered numerous advantages. Most obviously, it’s beautiful. The natural colors of both land and sea seem to come from a different, more vibrant palette than the surrounding area, rewarding the visitor with truly one-of-a-kind views. The abundant vegetation contains a multitude of greens, and upon inspection shows as many textures as there are shades. The water, too, seems to adjust its hue to suit its mood. Not only do the three different Sounds (Queen Charlotte, Kenepuru and Pelorus) each radiate a completely distinct shade of turquoise-blue, but the color changes with the weather, the tides and the light to continuously surprise and reward its viewer. In fact, the scientific interplay between light and color suddenly seems clear there. Sunrises and sunsets, the afternoon heat, and the misty, mystical haze of a rainy day all inspire and interact with the topography to fully inform its chromatic potential.

Humans aren’t the only ones who appreciate the serenity of the Sounds. The birdlife is unbelievable; kereru, wekas, tuis, bellbirds, and innumerable other flying friends are regular and vocal inhabitants. Bigger critters abound as well. In addition to New Zealand’s ubiquitous possums, wild deer, goats and pigs roam through the hills. While I longed to see one of the baby goats that we routinely heard from our porch, my boyfriend Craig hoped to join the area’s hunters in a bid to fulfil his lifelong dream of “living off the land.” The fact that he’s never shot a gun, let alone gutted an animal, ended up thwarting that means to his goal, but he did become an almost fanatical fisherman. Like most Sounds-dwellers, he relished the fact that he could walk down to our private bay, chuck in the line, and more often than not return home with a freshly caught meal. The area is particularly famous for its shellfish. These sought-after locals include the clams and scallops that routinely wash up on the beach; the pretty and precious paua (NZ abalone) that ambitious divers pry from the rocks; and most of all, both natural and farmed green shell mussels. Pelorus Sound’s tiny town of Havelock even declares itself the “Green Shell Mussel Capital of the World!”,.. and how can you resist an attraction like that?

What the Sounds lack in modern amenities, they make up for in more natural choices. The Queen Charlotte Track, a 3-5 day hike, traverses the region and offers trampers a sundry of accommodation choices ranging from basic campsites to posh hotels. Several places offer kayak, canoe and dinghy hire to discover the hundreds of bays and coves on offer, and mountain bikers often explore the area both on road and off. You can visit isolated beaches, wander along the rocky coastline, or take a drive through the maddeningly windy roads. Or you can spend your time the way we usually did: soaking up the peace and quiet with a good book and a great view. Whatever your pleasure, it’s all on offer; the Marlborough Sounds are a real off-the-beaten track gem.