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Story: Nearshore islands

Elizabeth Island, Doubtful Sound

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Elizabeth Island, Doubtful Sound

The dramatic topography of Fiordland, in the south-west of the South Island, was shaped by glaciers. Between ice ages, the glaciers melted and the sea rose, flooding the valleys and turning high areas into islands.

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How to cite this page

Eileen McSaveney, Nearshore islands – A nation of islands, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/13007/elizabeth-island-doubtful-sound (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 1 March 2009.