05 Mar 2024

Immersed in Fiordland - A day in Dusky Sound

Our Unseen Fiordland, Stewart Island & the Snares voyage saw us spend another day in the Dusky Sound. To start the morning, we immersed ourselves in early New Zealand history at Indian Island and Astronomers Point. These locations were both significant landmarks in Captain Cook’s early explorations of New Zealand. At Indian Island, we learned of Cook's first encounter with Māori where he encountered the inhabitants of the island on his second voyage to the region in 1773. This sparked an exchange of gifts and grew into an ongoing alliance. Lou recounted this history while showing us the historic pits on the top of the island, which offered a fantastic view of the surrounding area.

After a short Zodiac ride through stunning Fiordland scenery, we arrived at Astronomer’s Point, another site rich in history. This is where Resolution was moored for their 6-week visit after their voyage in the Southern Ocean. It is here that they rested, repaired and recovered, brewed the first beer, went botanising to discover and catalogue many new species, and cleared an area of bush to make astronomical observations that confirmed the accuracy of James Harrison's chronometer. 

After a leisurely afternoon on board, we enjoyed a scenic Zodiac cruise around Sportsman Cove, aptly named as Captain Cook would spend time shooting birds here. Back on board the comforts of Heritage Adventurer we enjoyed a scenic ship cruise through Acheron Passage. Stunning would be an understatement. Waterfalls flowed from all sides, and the towering mountains of Dusky Sound were illuminated in the afternoon sun. Stacking behind each other as if afterimages, they glowed with hues of green, purple and blue. This breathtaking scenery was expertly commented on by the team on board, allowing us to be immersed in the history of Fiordland.

To end the day, Tā Tipene O’Regan and Atholl Anderson gave an impassioned talk on the early Māori history of Dusky Sound and Fiordland, detailing the early encounters of Ngāi Tahu and Ngati Mamoe.