10 Mar 2024

A delightful day in Doubtful and Dusky Sound

Waking alongside the sunrise, and sailing through Thompson Sound was like a dream. We were greeted with another beautiful morning and slowly made our way towards the south of Secretary Island to anchor in Doubtful Sound. We could choose between a walk on Secretary Island, a predator-free island, or a Zodiac cruise around the shoreline of Bauza Island and hopefully circumnavigate the island.
 
Those opting for the walk on Secretary Island departed via a scenic Zodiac cruise. Guided by the expedition team, we were able to spot several birds, including a friendly Weka who visited us. Along the way, we enjoyed interpretation from our guides on the flora, fauna, history and even geology.
 
Those on the Zodiac cruise could circumnavigate Bauza Island, and we slowly made our way to the end of the Sound soaking in the stunning sights! Our guides educated us on everything we saw, the plants, the birds and seabirds including Shearwaters and White-capped Albatrosses.
 
We went into small inlets and explored Cascade Bay before we headed back to the other side of Bauza Island to have a closer look at the vegetation and talk about the history of the Malaspina Expedition. We stopped to look at the memorial plaque before returning to Heritage Adventurer.
 
We relocated to Dusky Sound during lunch and anchored close to Pigeon Island. Taken by Zodiac to Pigeon Island, we learned of the conservation story of Richard Henry before ending our day with a Zodiac cruise into Facile Harbour. Here we learned about the history of the HMS Endeavour, a special story in New Zealand’s history, and soaked in the geological wonders, including an imposing gneiss rock wall.
 
Back on board the comforts of Heritage Adventurer, we enjoyed lectures and a recap by our Expedition Team and our Expedition Leader shared our plans for tomorrow, Stewart Island.